ABOUT THE STAMP & PENNY POST

While the Penny Post was originally introduced in England in 1840 as a vital part of the postal reform, the rates escalated over the next half century, and this factor combined with an ever expanding colonial Empire, increased the pressure on the Brtish Government, and Crown to bring back the "Penny Post" especially among the colonies.

In 1898, after substantial lobbying, and increasing pressure in the UK as well as in the colonies, Great Britain introduced a One Penny (two cent) postal rate both at home and abroad, for all letters transmitted through the British Empire. To commemorate this event, Canada's then Postmaster General, Sir William Mulock, introduced the first postage stamp to appear without the cameo of one of the Royal Family. The image chosen for the stamp was the Map of the World, depicting the countries comprising the British Empire in red.

As the stamp was slated for release on the 25th day of December, 1858, to coincide with the effective date of the postal rate implementation, it was marked "Xmas 1898", and became known as the Xmas Map Stamp