Saturday, May 17, 2008

Erroneous intel about 400 Years Quebec in France

The French post has been directing collectors to errors these past few days concerning the genesis of the Quebec 400 year stamp, a joint issue with Canada taking place this week-end. It is on Canada Post website that you will have this stamp's story, extract from Canada's Stamps Details, volume 17 #2, April-June 2008.

Above is what the French post's news site, Actu timbrée, is telling: artist would be a « Francis Fugazi ». Intel copied by Timbres magazine and others French philatelic news websites (but with the precision of an engraver: Mexican immigrant Jorge Peral, artist at the Canadian Banknote Company).

Canada Post recalls that this stamp is the last of a five stamp annual serie about the French arrival in Canada. Illustrations are created by Francis Back who conducted the necessary historical studies. A studio is responsible for the creation of the stamps: Fugazi, a Montréal-based agency. It is common in Canada to prepare stamp issue like this; the French post tries it for a little number of issues (recently with M2Baz for the 2008 Europa stamp).

At least, with this error, we, French from the East, know that Canadians prepared this issue printed in intaglio (line-engraving, with a touch of acid etching for the mountain, and of offset-lithography for the "1608" in the sky), very uncommon to Canadian recent philatelic history.

No comments: