Illustration of a historical stamp for learning, shown at screen size. Not valid for postage.
How to read it
CANADA in the top left, above a world map.
- 1CANADA
- 2XMAS 1898
- 3Imperial slogan of 1898
- Inscription
- CANADA POSTAGE · XMAS 1898 · WE HOLD A VASTER EMPIRE THAN HAS BEEN · 2¢
- Meaning
- XMAS is Christmas; the line at the bottom is a historical imperial slogan, not a statement about today’s world.
- Issued by
- Dominion of Canada
- Today
- Canada Flag of Canada
- Year
- 1898. Issued in December 1898 for Imperial Penny Postage.
- Made by
- American Bank Note Company, Ottawa (production company); Warren L Green (design, per Commons attribution); Charles Skinner (engraving, per Commons attribution)
One fact
Canada’s 1898 map stamp marked cheaper letter postage across the British Empire, whose territories are printed in red.
Source and public-domain rule
Canada, Crown copyright, published more than 50 years ago. A Canadian government stamp published 1898: Crown copyright ended 50 years later. A work prepared or published by or under the direction or control of the Canadian Government (the Crown), such as a Post Office stamp, has Crown copyright for the rest of the year of first publication and 50 years after (Copyright Act, s. 12). Legal sources: Copyright Act (Canada), s. 12.
Scan: Stamp Canada 1898 2c Xmas blue.jpg on Wikimedia Commons (revision 1281901140), licence templates {{PD-Canada-stamp}}. Downloaded 2026-10-21, sha256 798712e82cab…; cropped and cleaned for this site. Facts checked 2026-10-22 against source 1 and source 2. Research record, not legal advice; a second check of these rights by a person is planned, and a stamp that turns out not to be free to use will be removed. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
