Canada United States Plans Provinces Blog About

White daffodils

Daffodils

Stamp Info

Name Value
Date of Issue March 10, 2005
Year 2005
Quantity 4,150,000
Denomination
50¢
Perforation or Dimension Kiss cut = Découpage par effleurement, 13+
Series Daffodils
Series Time Span 2005
Printer Lowe-Martin Company Inc..
Postal Administration Canada

Buy on ebay

Sorry, our call to ebay returned no results. Click on the button below to search ebay directly.
More Results
PSG earns commission on these links.

Stamp Price Values

Condition Name Avg Value
M-NH-VF
Mint - Never Hinged - Very Fine Only available to paid users
U-VF
Used - Very Fine Only available to paid users
* Notes about these prices:
  • They are not based on catalogue values but on current dealer and auction listings. The reason for this is that catalogues tend to over-value stamps.
  • They are average prices. The actual value of your stamp may be slightly above or below the listed value, depending on the overall condition of your stamp. Use these prices as a guide to determine the approximate value of your stamps.

Stamp Supplies on Amazon

Layouts

Booklet of 10 stamps

Quantity Produced - 800,000
Current Purchase Price: Only available to paid users
Original Purchase Price: $5.00
Perforation: Kiss cut
Dimension: 32 mm x 26 mm (horizontal)
Printing Process: Lithography in 4 colours
Gum Type: Pressure sensitive
Tagging: General, 4 sides
Paper: Fasson
Add to List

Souvenir Sheet of 2 stamps

Quantity Produced - 150,000
Current Purchase Price: Only available to paid users
Original Purchase Price: $1.00
Perforation: 13+
Dimension: 120 mm x 80 mm (horizontal)
Printing Process: Lithography in 5 colours
Gum Type: P.V.A.
Tagging: General, 4 sides
Paper: Tullis Russell Coatings
Add to List

Official First Day Cover

Quantity Produced - Unknown
Current Purchase Price: Only available to paid users
Original Purchase Price: $2.00
Cancellation Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Tagging: General, 4 sides
Add to List

About Stamp

Like many of us, they hibernate through the long winter, and emerge once the snow begins to recede, warming their faces in the sun. Daffodils are the surest sign that spring has finally arrived in Canada. Just as this winter begins to wane, a new pair of domestic rate (50¢) stamps will bloom with cheery images of the genus Narcissus.

Unfortunately for the designer, when it came time to photograph daffodils for these stamps last April, there wasn't a bloom to be found. "I called florists and grocers all over the Montreal region," says Isabelle Toussaint. "But potted daffodils are grown much earlier in the season, and they weren't yet flowering naturally in this area, so no one could sell us any. We actually began looking at fabric reproductions, to see how realistic they would appear. A couple of weeks later, as I was driving home one evening, I saw some daffodils just opening in my neighbour's garden. I called the photographer right away and said, 'I've got some! Can you shoot this week?'"

With her neighbour's permission, Toussaint dug up two varieties of daffodil, complete with bulbs and a good shovelful of earth. "I left the holes in the soil, and after the photo shoot, I just put them back," says Toussaint. Throughout their celebrity moment, the daffodils remained healthy, and returned to the garden to continue blooming.

Marc Montplaisir photographed the flowers against a white backdrop, back-lit to enhance the effect of transparency in their delicate petals. The backgrounds for the stamps were then created by Toussaint, who digitally manipulated the photographs to produce a photo-montage of flowers, with colours intensified for contrast. "I reproduced the same images, but with a blur effect, to give the feeling of many flowers," she says. "Only the primary image is in focus, but the background suggests the daffodil's natural environment."

The two stamp designs will be available in a self-adhesive booklet of 10, with the added feature of 10 floral envelope seals. A souvenir sheet of two gummed and perforated stamps will also be available, displaying the logo of the Pacific Explorer 2005 World Stamp Expo, to be held in April in Sydney, Australia.

Daffodils are not native to Canada, but because they are winter-hardy, they thrive in most parts of the country. Symbols of hope and renewal, they have served as the ideal emblem for the Canadian Cancer Society's spring fundraising campaign for the past half-century. Canada Post's daffodils will be available for this event and for the Easter holiday, cheery reminders that whatever the weather, spring is on the way.

Creators

Designed by Isabelle Toussaint.

Similar Stamps

Reference

Canada Post Corporation. Canada's Stamp Details, Vol. 14, No. 1, 2005, p. 26-27.

Improve Stamp Information

Did you notice an error in this stamp's information?
Do you have any interesting information about this stamp that you would like to share?
Please click here to send us an email with the details.