Canada Bar Precancels

Canada · 1889 · Various

This listing represents a category of Canadian precanceled stamps, specifically those marked with parallel bars. These overprints were applied before sale to post offices to expedite the handling of bulk mailings, eliminating the need for individual cancellation. The underlying stamps are typically definitive issues from various eras.

Bar precancels were first officially used in Canada starting in 1889 as a method to streamline the processing of large quantities of mail, a practice that continued for many decades.