Philatelic Products

From experienced collectors to those who are looking for a one-time commemorative keepsake, Canada Post offers a wide assortment of philatelic products year-round.

What are philatelic products?

The term "Philatelic" refers to the collecting of stamps, commemorative items such as Official First Day Covers, pictorial cancels and other postage supplies.

Where you can purchase products?

Canada Post carries a wide selection of collectible products. You can purchase items in three easy ways

At a Post Office near you
Online at our stamps & gifts online store
Through our National Philatelic Centre:

NATIONAL PHILATELIC CENTRE
CANADA POST
75 ST NINIAN ST
ANTIGONISH NS B2G 2R8
CANADA

You can also place orders by calling toll-free:

1-800-565-4362 from within Canada and the United States
1-902-863-6550 from all other countries

Collectible postage supplies

Stamps
Depending on the issue, stamps can be purchased in various denominations and quantities, including:

In November 2006, Canada Post introduced the PERMANENT™ stamp, eliminating the need for Canadians to purchase one-cent stamps in the future or "use up" their existing stamps in a hurry. The PERMANENT stamp has no denomination and will always be valued at the current price of a letter stamp.

Pre-stamped envelopes
You can purchase pre-stamped envelopes in two sizes:

No. 8 - Size: 6 1/2 x 3 5/8"
No. 10 - Size: 4 1/8" x 9 1/2"

View stamps by Issue Date

The Commemorative Stamp Program

Our Commemorative Stamp Program features stamp designs that reflect the many distinctive aspects of Canada. Usually available for a limited time and during specific occasions throughout the year, Commemorative Stamps are carefully selected each year by the Stamp Advisory Committee, with representatives from across Canada. The Stamp Advisory Committee selects subjects that:

Have national significance to Canadians and our diverse population
Evoke Canadian history, traditions, accomplishment and natural heritage
Illustrate the social, political and economic vivacity of Canada
Commemorate the birth, the work or an event in the lives of outstanding Canadians

Here is a list of the Commemorative Stamp designs for 2008.

Subject	Date of Issue	Cancellation Site
Lunar New Year: Year of the Rat	January 8	Vancouver BC
Celebration (Definitive)	January 15	Zeballos BC
Peonies	March 3	Oakville ON
University of Alberta, 1908-2008	March 7	Edmonton AB
University of British Columbia, 1908-2008	March 7	Vancouver BC
2008 IHF World Championship	April 3	Québec QC and Halifax NS
Guide Dogs	April 21	Montreal QC
Commemorative Envelope: Montreal Association for the Blind (100th Anniversary)	April 21	Montreal QC
Commemorative Envelope: Public Service Commission of Canada	April 29	Ottawa ON
Industries: Oil and Gas	May 2	Oil Springs ON and Calgary AB
Founding of Québec City - Joint issue with La Poste	May 16	Québec QC
Art Canada, Yousuf Karsh	May 21	Ottawa ON
Royal Canadian Mint, 1908-2008	June 4	Ottawa ON
Canadian Nurses Association, 1908-2008	June 16	Ottawa ON
Anne of Green Gables	June 20	Cavendish PE
Commemorative Envelope: St. John's Ambulance	June 20	Ottawa ON
Canadians in Hollywood, The Sequel	June 30	Montreal QC and Vancouver BC
The Games of the XXIX Olympiad	July 18	Golden BC
Lifesaving Society, 1908-2008	July 25	Toronto ON
British Columbia's 150th Anniversary	August 1	Fort Langley BC
Sam McLaughlin	September 8	Oshawa ON
Endangered Species, 3rd set	October 1	Moose Jaw SK
Mental Health	October 6	Ottawa ON
Francophone Summit	October 15	Québec QC
Christmas: The Nativity; Winter fun	November 3	Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré QC and Snowflake MB
Commemorative Envelope: Christmas Seals, 100th Anniversary	October 1	Toronto ON

Note: The program is subject to change. Please consult the Details Magazine or check here for program updates.

Official First Day Covers

An Official First Day Cover (OFDC) is a postage stamp affixed to an envelope (i.e., a cover) that has been cancelled on its first day of issue. Cancelling a stamp can create a unique collectible; the envelope address, stamp design, postmark design and location all combine to make a one-of-a-kind keepsake.

Two ways to request an OFDC

Send a self-addressed cover to the National Philatelic Centre. Be sure to mail the cover early enough that it arrives in Antigonish before the first day of sales of the new stamp.

NATIONAL PHILATELIC CENTRE
CANADA POST
75 ST NINIAN ST
ANTIGONISH NS B2G 2R8
CANADA

A charge per cover is levied for stamp affixing, cancellation and return through the regular mail service:
- Stamp cancellation is $0.15 per cover
- Affix and cancel $0.20 per cover
- Supply blank cover, affix and cancel $0.25 per cover
- No charge to return to customer
Take a stamped cover to a Post Office along with a self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage (so the cover can be returned to you through the regular mail service) to obtain a "clear" OFDC (a cancelled cover without any address written on the front of the envelope). Find your local Post Office.

Note that postmasters honour requests for cancellation only when they do not affect the delivery of regular postal services.

Get the complete set

A complete annual collection of all OFDCs issued in Canada for the previous year (packaged in a handsome storage box) can be purchased at a Post Office, our Stamps and gifts online or through the National Philatelic Centre. See "Where you can purchase products" section above.

Pictorial cancels

Pictorial cancels are a unique and more personalized type of cancel. These illustrative postal markings are often related to the design on the stamp or can be an image representative of the city where the pictorial cancel was issued.

Pictorial cancels are available from select Post Offices across Canada. To obtain a pictorial cancel from a specific Post Office location, you must:

Put a stamp on the envelope that is to receive the pictorial cancel
Prepare a separate self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage. This way your pictorial cancel can be sent back to you.
Place both items into another larger envelope that has sufficient postage. Address this envelope to the Post Office from where you'd like the pictorial cancel to be issued.

Postmasters reserve the right to limit quantities.