It's been a couple of years since I last updated this site, which has now been around for 16 years. After 38 years of running a business as my day job, I've just recently become "semi-retired", meaning that I should finally have some more time to devote to updating this website.

Here's the first update, with hopefully more to come. This 1882 J.C. Wilson & Co. cover was used from Montreal on August 8, 1882 to Collingwood Ontario, with a Collingwood August 9 1882 cancel on the reverse.

This cover was mailed from the Boer War to Belgium on July 5, 1900. It appears to have been from the same prolific writer who mailed several other J.C. Wilson covers from O’Okiep, CGH during the war.

This copy of a WLS-P06 Type I Anglo-Saxon design postcard has an ad by J.C. Wilson for their four postcard designs available (at that time) for purchase. The card, not postally used, would presumably have been used as a mailing to stationers to promote their cards to resellers.

An 1878 example of a J.C. Wilson postal stationery card has been added.

Another example of a postcard from the elusive J.C. Wilson Sports & Pastimes series has been added—card no. 13 showing vignettes of The Saddle and Wheeling, not postally used.

A new example of a postcard from the elusive J.C. Wilson Sports & Pastimes series has been added—card no. 15 showing vignettes of Canoeing and Yachting, postally used December 28, 1898 to Belgium from Montreal.

An example of a WLS-P03 Type II postcard has been added showing business use by The London Daily News newspaper on June 2, 1898.

I’ve carried on with some additional navigation updates between pages on the site in order to make navigation easier.

In addition to updating the WLS-P04 “Old Glory” page, I’ve begun a site update to improve the site navigation, to allow you to click from page to next and previous pages based on the menu hierarchy, rather than needing to rely on returning to the menus. It’s something that has irked me for a long time, and I’m finally getting to improving it.

The page featuring WLS-E07 Type I has been updated to provide additional examples in the current site format.

A copy of the WLS-E11 Tattered Flag design has been added. This is a P-2 variety with song back 2, with the lyrics of “It’s Only a Bit of Bunting”. The envelope has been postally used May 15, 1900 to Northport, NS with a W-149 Souris & Regina (with E, & No. 2 markings) RPO cancel on a 2¢ QV Numeral stamp. This is the earliest date of use I have encountered on this cover.

A postally unused copy of a J.C. Wilson WLS-P05 Remember The Maine patriotic postcard has been added. The card was printed for by A.A. Palmer, Bookseller and Stationer, 1009 St. Catharine Street, Montreal for their business used. The WLS-P07 Type I and Type II pages have also been updated.

The page showing J.C. Wilson’s WLS-E09 Type II Soldiers of the Queen design has been updated to the current web site format, with additional examples provided.

The page showing J.C. Wilson’s WLS-E09 Type I Soldiers of the Queen design has been updated to the current web site format, with additional examples provided.

The page listing patriotic postcards used by business and other enterprises has been updated to the current web site style. It is a work in progress, with more content to be added.

A copy of a cover has been added showing a “Remember the Maine” WLS-E05 design mailed from Toronto with a Flag C cancel to Gloucester, Mass, USA on February 22, 1899 and received on February 23rd. The WLS-E05 page has been updated to the current web site format.

I don’t often collect J.C. Wilson material used within the USA unless there is something more interesting. This card struck me as one of those cards—a WLS-P05 Remember The Maine design on the subject of the Spanish-American War sent to Spain—a very provocative use.

I’ve done an update of the WLS-P03 Type II page to the current format, adding some additional material.

I’ve done an update of the WLS-P03 Type I page to the current format, adding some additional material.

Another example of J.C. Wilson’s business stationery has been added, dating to 1894. The envelope illustrates the addition of another pulp and paper mill to J.C. Wilson’s stable of facilities since the time of their 1892 stationery.

A business use of the WLS-P08 Type I Maple Leaf For Ever patriotic postcard has been added. The card was mailed from Sackville, NB, with a Dec 15 1899 split ring cancel, to Moncton NB, by the Post Printing Co., acknowledging payment for a subscription to the Sackville Post until December 1900.

The formatting of WLS-E10 Soldiers of the Queen Redesign has been updated to the current site format.

A copy of the Hotel Carslake use of the WLS-E12 “The Queen” design has been added. As is consistent with other examples found of this business use, the cover is the E-3 variety, with the uncoloured beaver on the front and song back 16, with the lyrics of “God Save the Queen” on the back. This example has been used from Montreal, with a Montreal flag cancel dated December 22, 1900. The back bears a December 24 receiver from the destination of Haydenville, Mass. USA.

I’ve also updated the WLS-E11 “Tattered Flag” page to the current format.

A new J.C. Wilson patriotic cover of the What We Have We’ll Hold design, WLS-E07 Type II, has been added. The cover bears a Toronto split ring cancel on the reverse that was used briefly between July 1, 1900 and December 6, 1901.

This example of a J.C. Wilson pioneer patriotic postcard of the WLS-P06 Type I bears a 2¢ Map Stamp postmarked with a Montreal Flag cancel dated December 16, 1898, mailed to Glasgow Scotland.

A J.C. Wilson patriotic pioneer postcard mailed to Venice, Italy on January 6, 1900, has been added to the site. The WLS-P08 P-1 card, with a 2¢ QV Numeral stamp, bears a Venice receiving cancel dated January 30, 1900.

This example of a J.C. Wilson ad for their patriotic envelopes occurs on the back of an Anglo-Saxon League patriotic postcard. As the card has not been postally used, the date is unknown, but would be at the outset of the publishing of J.C. Wilson’s line of patriotic envelopes, which seems to have lagged behind their postcards. The WLS-P06 Type II page has been updated to the current site format.

A new instance from J.C. Wilson’s Sports series has been added. The new card is number 20 in the series, which expands the series by two cards from the previously know card 18. This card was postally used from Windsor, Ontario to Wilmington, Ohio, USA on August 23, 1900. The card shows Water Polo & Quoits as the featured sports.

A new page has been added featuring some of J.C. Wilson’s advertising mailing inserts, postcard-sized items which were likely added to envelopes to alert customers to new wares.

This J.C. Wilson Rule Britannia cover was mailed to Stephens & Son In San Diego, California with a 1¢ QV Numeral stamp, cancelled wth a Montreal roller cancel, paying the rate for samples, rather than the 2¢ letter rate. The cover bears the rubber stamp “Samples from J.C. Wilson & Co. Montreal”. The back bears a partial receiver cancel. The Covers Rates page has been updated to the current web site format.

A very scarce variety of the J.C. Wilson pioneer patriotic postcard, WLS-P02 Type I P-9, has been added. This variety has uncoloured address panels with rounded ends instead of square ends. The variety was not known to Henry Gates, but had been previously identified by another dedicated J.C. Wilson collector, and is something I have only recently acquired.

This example of the WLS-P09 Type I “Soldiers of the Queen” design has been used by St. Luke’s Church Bible Class, on Montreal on March 1st, 1900, commemorating the involvement of classmates injured in the Boer War. The card states:

“Fall In! Dear Friends, Scholars, Past and Present Members of the Class, will kindly attend at ___, on Sunday, March 4, to express our sympathy and admiration for the three members of the Class who fought in the late action at Paardeberg, South Africa. Two of the Scholars are reported wounded. Come, and bring a friend!Yours Sincerely, Henry J. Dart. God Save the Queen!”

A hand-written notation on the card notes “one has since died”.

The page on the WLS-E02 Type II, “The Flag That Braved” design, patriotic envelopes produced by J.C. Wilson & Co. have been updated to reflect the current site format.

This J.C. Wilson patriotic postcard of The Flag That Braved design, WLS-P02 Type II, bears Canada’s first Christmas Stamp, the Map stamp. In this case, the postcard was postmarked December 26, 1898, tied with a Morris Street Halifax NS CDS postmark, and mailed to Cambridge Mass USA, thanking the recipient for “dainty & pretty” “Xmas gifts”.

The Canadian Post Office announced the availability of the Map Stamp on December 3rd, 1898. Early usage of the stamp on cover or postcard is quite rare. On December 25th, the Imperial Penny Postage Scheme came into effect, allowing postage of 2¢ per ounce on mail between Britain & the colonies.

It seemed fitting to post this card on the site 119 years to the day later.

I’ve update the WLS-P06 Type I page to the current site format, and added a number of business use examples.

This example of a J.C. Wilson patriotic postcard shows a use by the company for promoting its patriotic postcard line to potential resellers. The text on the back of the card states: “Wilson’s Patriotic Cards & Envelopes; (4 designs) Cards $2.00 per 1000, Envelopes $3.00 per 1000, Sample 100 assorted sent by mail, post paid, 50¢”. The text appears on the back of the Anglo-Saxon design, WLS-P06 Type I, variety P-3, with the winking lion.

A very nice copy of WLS-P01 has been added, postally used with a 1¢ Jubilee stamp with a Halifax squared circle postmark dated July 22, 1897, about a month after the first appearance of this J.C. Wilson postcard design. What makes this more interesting is the use of the card as a notification that W.B. Day would be visiting a potential customer of W. & C. Silver of Halifax, with a full range of their dry goods, mantles and clothing four days hence.

I’ve expanded upon the WLS-E08 Type I, Maple Leaf For Ever listing with its conversion to the latest site format. I continue to tweak some of the other pages as I go.

The Postcard Postal Rates page has been re-introduced in the current site format, with some new material added.

I’ve updated the page illustrating J.C. Wilson patriotic postcards with overseas destinations to the current site format, adding additional background to the cards when available.

This example of a J.C. Wilson patriotic cover front shows a use from Ookiep, Cape of Good Hope, to Cornwall England on April 23, 1900. This is another of the series of J.C. Wilson covers used by the same sender to the same recipient over the course of several months during the Boer War.

Another page has been updated to the current web site format. WLS-P02 Type I now illustrates more material and more depth than the previous format allowed.

This WLS-P05 J.C. Wilson & Co. “Remember the Maine” patriotic pioneer postcard has been mailed from Quebec City on December 16, 1901, with a 1¢ QV Numeral stamp to The Atlas Society in New York City. The card bears a rubber stamp noting “Returned to Sender, Cannot Be Forwarded” dated December 20, 1901. The card bears a December 21, 1901 Quebec City postmark upon its return.

This J.C. Wilson business cover was mailed on May 8, 1903 to Kilgour Bros of Toronto with a 2¢ Provisonal (a 3¢ QV Leaf stamp surcharged with a “2 CENTS” overprint).

This example of a J.C. Wilson business cover has been used from Montreal to E.B. Eddy Co. Ltd. of Hull, Quebec on May 7, 1897, with a 3¢ Small Queen stamp cancelled with a Montreal B Flag cancel. It could have contained correspondence regarding Wilson’s purchasing of paper from E.B. Eddy. The E. B. Eddy Company was a Canadian pulp and paper company at that time. It was originally incorporated in 1886 as The E. B. Eddy Manufacturing Company with Ezra Butler Eddy as its president. Eddy had begun business in 1854 making and selling wooden matches out of his home in Hull, Quebec. The company expanded into pulp and paper and in 1891, it was renamed to the E. B. Eddy Company.