The Admirals were in use for some 17 years. During this period, the dies for nearly all denominations were retouched and/or re-engraved. The dies of three denominations were replaced with completely new dies. This page shows how to differentiate between the original die (Die I) and the new die (Die II) of the:

• 1¢ yellow
• 3¢ carmine
• 1T¢ War Tax (carmine and brown)

1. Die Differences on the 1¢ Yellow

The serifs on the bottoms of the numerals of Die I are small and barely visible. On some stamps, the numerals seem to widen a bit at the bottom, but that is all. However, on Die II, the serifs are clear cut and very visible. Notice also the horizontal lines abutting the left side of the numeral box. On Die I, there are 14 horizontal lines between the bottom line and the top line of the numeral box; on Die II, there are only 13 lines.

The N of ONE is separated from the white oval band surrounding the portrait by at least one full horizontal line of shading on Die I. On Die II, the N of ONE is separated from this oval band by a very thin line. Notice too, that the letters of ONE CENT are larger on Die II than on Die I.

2. Die Differences on the 3¢ Carmine

• Die I has two complete white dashes over the T of THREE, with partial dashes at each end. Die II has three complete white dashes over the T of THREE.
• Note the three leaf stems coming down toward the T of THREE. On Die II, the middle stem has at least four white dashes along the upper side; on Die I these dashes are missing.
• On Die II, the bottom of the top stem ends in a noticeable "knob".

• Die I has three complete white dashes over each E of THREE. Die II has only two complete dashes over the first E of THREE.
• On Die II, the stem of a leaf comes down over the second E of THREE and interrupts the line of white dashes.
• The top of the S of CENTS is longer on Die I than on Die II.

There are three horizontal lines on the King's chest at the very bottom of the portrait. On Die I, the right end of the bottom line does not touch the heavy diagonal line coming down toward it from the upper right. On Die II, the right end of the bottom line touches this heavy diagonal line. The place to look for this difference is right above the R of THREE.

3. Die Differences on the 1T¢ War Tax

The two most notable differences are:

• Die 1 has a single line under the T of 1T¢. On Die II, the right half of this line has been replaced with two diagonal lines and 5 dots.
• On Die I there are solid diagonal "bars" (for lack of a better word) on the left and right sides of the 1. On Die II, these "bars" are replaced by shading.

4. Concluding Remarks

The differences described above should enable you to distinguish between the dies of these stamps. Some of these dies have other differences that I have not described. For more information see The Admiral Issue of Canada by George C. Marler (1982):

• 1¢ dies: pp. 98-99
• 3¢ dies: pp. 473-74
• 1T¢ War Tax dies: p. 435

The table below lists the Admiral stamps issued with two dies. The table lists all formats in which each stamp was issued, although some formats saw printings from only one of the two dies.

Admiral stamps with two dies

Stamp	Wet	Dry
Panes of 100, perf 12
1¢ yellow, Die I	YES	YES
1¢ yellow, Die II		YES
3¢ carmine, Die I		YES
3¢ carmine, Die II		YES
2¢ on 3¢ carmine, provisional overprint
2¢ on 3¢, Die I, one line overprint		YES
2¢ on 3¢, Die II, one line overprint		YES
2¢ on 3¢, Die I, two line overprint		YES
War Tax stamps, panes of 100, perf 12
2¢ + 1¢ carmine, War Tax, Die I	YES
2¢ + 1¢ carmine, War Tax, Die II	YES
2¢ + 1¢ brown, War Tax, Die I	YES
2¢ + 1¢ brown, War Tax, Die II	YES
Panes of 100, imperforate
1¢ yellow, Die I	YES
3¢ carmine, Die I		YES
Sidewise coils, perf 8 vertically
1¢ yellow, Die I	YES	YES
1¢ yellow, Die II		YES
3¢ carmine, Die I	YES
3¢ carmine, Die II		YES
War Tax sidewise coils, perf 8 vertically
2¢ + 1¢ carmine, War Tax, Die I	YES
2¢ + 1¢ brown, War Tax, Die I	YES
2¢ + 1¢ brown, War Tax, Die II	YES
Coil stamps issued in sheet format, perf 12 x 8
3¢ carmine, Die II		YES
2¢ + 1¢ carmine, War Tax, Die I	YES
Coil stamps issued in sheet format, imperf x perf 8
1¢ yellow, Die I	YES
1¢ yellow, Die II		YES
3¢ carmine, Die I	YES
Booklet pane of 6 stamps
1¢ yellow, Die I	YES
Booklet pane of 4 stamps
1¢ yellow, Die I	YES
3¢ carmine, Die I	YES