Jim Phillips, Director of Stamp Services for Canada Post, is a sneaky guy. Every autumn he quietly tucks away modest hints about planned issues for the year ahead in the pages of Details magazine, Canada Post’s more-or-less bimonthly publication detailing new issues of our northern neighbor. But you’ve got to look very carefully.
In his holiday message on page 4 in the October/November Details No. 9, Phillips reveals “this year’s religious and secular Christmas issues” include “a very special Christmas collectible – an uncut production press sheet featuring both issues. It’s a Canada Post first!”
He also writes that “in this issue you’ll get a sneak peek of what’s to come,” then doles out the news on the first three Canadian issues of 2019:
• Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, January 14
• From Far and Wide, January 14
• Lunar New Year of the Pig, January 18
“From Far and Wide” is a photographic definitive series that got underway with nine stamps early in 2018, showcasing “Picturesque Canada,” as noted in a January 15 APS blog post on the issue.
The incurious may go no further, but your APS knows better! If you search attentively through the digital pages of Details, you’ll find out about Canada’s plans for at least a dozen more 2019 issues on page 15:
• “In February, our Black History stamp salutes Albert Jackson, the first Black Canadian letter carrier. Gardenias bloom in our flower issue, and we pitch toward spring with a nod to the Vancouver Asahi baseball team.
• “Watch carefully as bears lumber across our stamps, and learn how Canadian ingenuity in aviation has made us soar.
• “We’ll bring back the past to relive the Red River Resistance, the founding of Manitoba and the legacy of historic covered bridges. Nature gets its due with stamps depicting endangered turtles, and some tasty Canadian desserts will whet your appetite.
• “As usual, the year ends with a semi-postal fundraising stamp for your generous donations that directly support the Canada Post Community Foundation, plus sacred and secular Christmas issues.”
Your own digital copy of Canada Post’s Details magazine is available here.