Canada Post US Bicentennial 76 refers to a commemorative postage stamp issued by the Canada Post Office on June 1, 1976, marking the 200th anniversary of the United States. The stamp was a joint issue with the United States Postal Service, which simultaneously released a stamp of a common design featuring Benjamin Franklin, a founding father who also served as Postmaster General of British North America.[1]
Design and History
The stamp was designed by Bernard Reilander of Ottawa, a graphic designer who, since 1974, had designed and produced almost all of Canada Post’s official first day cover cachets and day-of-issue cancellations.[1][2] The design features a portrait of Franklin in brown set against a blue and ochre background map. The portrait was derived from a marble portrait head by an anonymous Italian sculptor, itself based on a terra cotta bust of Franklin modelled in 1777 by the French sculptor Jean-Jacques Caffiéri. The background is an adaptation of an early engraved map of British North America published in 1776 by R. Sayer and J. Bennett in London, England. The places shown on the map are all important to early postal history in North America and include the three Canadian post offices established by Franklin in Montreal, Trois-Rivières and Quebec City.[1]
The Canadian stamp was printed by steel and gravure by the British American Bank Note Company, while the American version was printed by steel and lithography. The two stamps bore a common design and engraving, differing only in colour, typography and method of printing. This was the first joint issue between Canada and the United States since the St. Lawrence Seaway stamps of 1959.[1] The United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing, working from Reilander’s original design, created the master engraving of the Franklin portrait and of the place names.[1]
The stamp was issued with a denomination of 10 Canadian cents and a print run of 18.5 million.[1] A hidden date can be found near the base of the image of Benjamin Franklin.[1]
Meaning and Symbolism
The choice of Benjamin Franklin as the central figure reflects his dual role in both nations’ postal history. Franklin contributed to the Canadian postal system by opening post offices in Montreal, Trois-Rivières and Quebec City, and also established a courier service between Montreal and New York City that ran via Lake Champlain and the Hudson River.[1] The map background, adapted from a 1776 London engraving, highlights the early postal routes connecting the two countries, underscoring the shared postal heritage commemorated by the joint issue.[1]
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