BNAPS Admiral Study Group

Admiral Issue online resources

Here are links to online resources pertaining to stamps and postal history of the Admiral era. Some resources are on the BNAPS website, some on external websites.

Online resources

Guide to the Admiral Stamps of Canada (html) - Randall W. Van Someren
Discusses die changes, printing, paper, straight edges, coils, fakes, forgeries, terminology used by Marler, varieties, cancellations, and rates. Provides a comprehensive bibliography.

King George V Admiral Issue of Canada (html & PDF) - Tom Meyerhof
Good introduction to collecting the Admiral Issue. On the website of the Ottawa Philatelic Society.

The Admirals after Marler (12.2 MB pdf) - Leopold Beaudet
Describes discoveries made after Marler's 1982 book, The Admiral Issue of Canada, was published. Topics covered include plates, lathework, pyramid lines, booklets, re-entries and retouches, design types, plate flaws, and fluorescent ink.

Admiral Study Group presentation at BNAPEX 2015 Niagara Falls, ON (PDF - 2.0 MB) - Leopold Beaudet
Topics discussed:

  • 1¢ green experimental coil
  • 2¢ carmine booklet pane
  • 2¢ carmine "imperf"
  • 2¢ carmine endwise coil
  • 3¢ brown re-entries
  • Admiral ERDs
  • Mail delivery on holidays

Admiral Study Group presentation at BNAPEX 2016 Fredericton, NB (PDF - 1.4 MB) - Leopold Beaudet
Topics discussed:

  • Wet versus dry printing
  • 2¢ carmine sidewise coil
  • 2¢ carmine endwise coil
  • 2¢ green booklet pane
  • 10¢ UPU rate
  • British Empire postcard rate
  • Suspended service cover

Admiral Study Group presentation at BNAPEX 2017 Calgary, AB (PDF - 1.3 MB) - Leopold Beaudet
Topics discussed:

  • 1¢ yellow with type B lathework
  • 1¢ yellow imperf with type B lathework
  • 1¢ yellow part-perf with type B lathework
  • 1¢ yellow booklet pane
  • 10¢ blue design types
  • Guide arrows

Admiral Study Group presentation at BNAPEX 2018 Quebec, QC (PDF - 2.1 MB) - Leopold Beaudet
Topics discussed:

  • Lathework type A and B doubled
  • 1¢ green re-entry
  • 1¢ green plate imprint in lathework
  • 5¢ blue re-entry
  • 5¢ blue stitch watermark
  • 7¢ bistre major retouch
  • Booklet covers with guidelines

Admiral Study Group presentation at BNAPEX 2019 Ottawa, ON (PDF - 0.7 MB) - Leopold Beaudet
Topics discussed:

  • 2¢ green re-entry
  • 5¢ blue major plate flaw
  • 10¢ blue re-entry
  • 20¢ scarce precancel
  • 50¢ re-entry
  • Covers with rate problems

Admiral Study Group presentation at BNAPEX 2021 Virtual (PDF - 2.3 MB) - Leopold Beaudet
This version of the presentation corrects an error made at the Study Group meeting and incorporates feedback received after the meeting. Topics discussed:

  • 1¢ green - 12LR35 major re-entry: four new reports, two on cover
  • 2¢ green - notable plate flaw
  • 2¢ green booklet pane of six - unique variety
  • 3¢ carmine with 2¢ one-line overprint inverted
  • 10¢ blue with lathework D inverted
  • Booklet cover with guideline
  • Admiral bisects on cover
  • Admiral ERDs

Admiral Study Group presentation at CPS 2022 BNAPEX (PDF - 7.3 MB) - Leopold Beaudet
Topics discussed:

  • Guide dot varieties
  • Compass arc varieties
  • Booklet covers with guidelines
  • Fake coils
  • 50¢ re-entry
  • Plate imprint re-entries
  • Major retouches to the left crown
  • SPECIMEN overprints
  • Wing margin varieties
  • Scarcest Admiral stamp on cover
  • Letter carrier strikes
  • Birch bark post card

► NEW 2023-10-09 ◄ Admiral Study Group presentation at BNAPEX 2023 Halifax (revised 2023-11-09) (PDF - 5.3 MB) - Leopold Beaudet
Topics discussed:

  • Lathework doubled
  • Hand-engraved guide arrows
  • Coils with marginal markings
  • Admiral constant plate varieties website
  • Miscut 1¢ green booklet pane
  • 2¢ carmine plate flaws
  • 2¢ carmine booklet pane with OTTAWA TOP
  • 2¢ green with type B lathework (major discovery)
  • 50¢ WAR TAX variety
  • 2¢ WAR TAX on money order

Admiral Plate Census (html) - Glen Lundeen
Compilation of plate imprint items from eleven collections and five major auctions.

Finding Images for Marler ... and Beyond (html) - William G. Burden
Provides detailed images (over 3,000 of them as of October 2023) of re-entries, retouches, and other plate flaws on Admiral stamps. Accompanying each image is a description (taken from Marler for re-entries and retouches described by Marler) and, where known, the plate position and Marler design type. All the text fields are searchable. If you have discovered a constant plate variety on an Admiral stamp and are curious about whether it has been reported previously or you want to plate it, here is a great resource.

Admiral Re-entries (html) - Ralph E. Trimble
This website provides detailed illustrations with short descriptions of a large number of re-entries on Admiral stamps. The website covers re-entries found on all stamps of Canada and the provinces. It also features re-entries from other countries.

Diode Laser Analysis of 2¢ Carmine Ink (PDF - 2.5 MB) - Richard Judge
Describes how a diode laser can identify shades of the 2¢ Carmine. This presentation was given at the Admiral Study Group meeting at BNAPEX 2019 Ottawa.

The Chemistry of the War Time Admiral (html) - Richard Judge
This one-frame exhibit studies the ink used for the 1911 Admiral 2¢ carmine stamp using reflectance, X-ray fluorescence, and Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy. The 2¢ carmine stamp is well known for its aniline ink and shade varieties. The exhibit uses spectroscopy to analyze these varieties.

The 1917 3¢ Confederation Commemorative (PDF - 1.8 MB) - Leopold Beaudet
Provides an overview of the 1917 3¢ Confederation stamp based on a study by Richard M. Morris. Discusses the printing, plates, design types, and plate varieties. This is a presentation made at the Admiral Study Group meeting at BNAPEX 2008 Halifax, NS.


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This page was last modified on 2023-11-09