Birth of a Stamp

The process of getting someone onto a stamp can seem mysterious to the uninitiated. In the 1980s, Dr. Anthony Dobell, BSc'49, MDCM'51, lobbied to get medical pioneer Maude Abbott, BA1891, onto a stamp. "I wrote to Canada Post a few times, but nothing happened," he recalls. "She deserved the honour, as an expert in the field of heart disease, as well as for breaking barriers as a woman physician. And she was an interesting character -- a workaholic who loved parties. She would bring students back from parties to dissect specimens while still in her evening gown." In 2000, Maude Abbott became the most recent McGill personality to get the Canada Post stamp of approval: her image accompanied many a 46¢ letter across Canada that year. [18] And there is an interesting aside: as the niece (albeit adopted) of John Abbott, she forms half of the only family combination to appear on Canadian stamps.

Although Dobell claims that he "lobbied unsuccessfully" to get her onto a stamp, because his exertions took place almost 15 years before her stamp was issued, Canada Post representative Tim McGurrin has a different take. "He should definitely go around telling people he helped get Abbott on the stamp," stresses McGurrin. "It's common for a suggestion to be followed up after a decade or more. And letter writing can have a cumulative effect." Indeed, given the number of stamp ideas received by Canada Post each year -- somewhere around 500 -- the time lag is hardly surprising.

Canada Post follows a broad set of guidelines in selecting stamps: they should instill pride in the country; they must have a popular appeal; they should encourage Canadians to buy and collect stamps; and finally, they are expected to enhance the country's profile in philatelic circles. In addition, any subject appearing on a stamp must be primarily related to Canada: it can evoke Canadian history, traditions, accomplishments, or natural heritage; it might illustrate the social, cultural, political or economic life of Canada; or it can commemorate the birth, work, or an event in the life of an outstanding Canadian, all while doing its very best to foster a spirit of national and international goodwill and understanding. "It's really difficult to come up with a program that meets all these criteria, as well as having the necessary geographic and cultural balance," says McGurrin. Still, each year sees about 50 new stamps, usually on about 15 to 18 themes.

The choices are made by the Stamp Advisory Committee, composed of about a dozen people, each appointed to a three-year term. These volunteers -- currently including students, educators, journalists, the president of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada, stamp dealers and collectors, a historian and a designer -- meet several times a year to mull over suggestions and designs. "It's a prestigious position to hold," says McGurrin, "and they put a lot of work into it."

Comic Book Commemoration

Mark Shainblum, DipEd'92, has had intimate experience of the process. In 1995, Canada Post issued a "Canadian Super-heroes" series. One of the stamps

featured Fleur-de-Lys, a female supporting character from Northguard, an independent comic created by Shainblum and Gabriel Morrissette in the 1980s. [19] The title character, Northguard himself, appeared on a first-day cover (an envelope affixed with the new stamp and cancelled on the day of issue at a location linked to the stamp's theme). The process was both circuitous and fortuitous. "Guardians of the North," an art exhibit held in the early 1990s at the National Archives, featured superheroes from Canadian comics. "It was a very popular show," says Shainblum, "and Canada Post somehow got wind of it." A couple of years later, presumably after some discussion among the Committee members, the series appeared, featuring Superman, Johnny Canuck and Captain Canuck, in addition to Fleur-de-Lys.

"As far as I know, it was one of Canada Post's most successful series -- 13 million units sold," says Shainblum. Alas, he and Morrissette did not get a cut of the sales, but did receive a token honorarium and, as Canada Post also marketed T-shirts and mouse pads, they also received $6,000 in royalties from those products. "It was the only money we ever made from Northguard," says Shainblum. "It was a self-published independent comic, so I lost many times that amount putting it out."

Not in it for the Money

But no one looks to commemoration on a postage stamp to bring in the dollars. Instead, the payoff is prestige. "The people at Canada Post were great," says Shainblum. "They held a big launch of the series for all of the artists, and it felt good to be part of that history. It was truly a unique experience, and still doesn't feel 100% real to this day -- even though I have a big blow-up of the stamp."

Financial considerations are also far from Sourkes's mind as he slips the McGill stamps back into their slots in his folder. While the first-ever Canadian stamp, the three-penny beaver that was issued in 1851, is now worth thousands of dollars, the McGill collection is of considerably more modest value. According to the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue, the bible of collectors, the most valuable stamp in the file is the 1927 Laurier, at a whopping $4 American; close behind is the Thomas D'Arcy McGee stamp, at $3.50. If Sourkes were to sell his whole collection, he might be able to buy himself a nice lunch.

So money is no object -- nor is it an objective. Instead, the pleasure lies in the inherent appeal of stamps: "I find them very stimulating, especially their history," Sourkes explains. This history is shared by McGill, Canada, and the world. And each stamp sends a subtle prompt: look, and spare a brief thought, before you lick.

Patrick McDonagh is a Montreal freelance writer.