Wraparound Sternwheeler River Mail Design Saint Emile Commercial Usage
OVERVIEW
Offered is an authentic 1986 Canada postal stationery entire used from Saint Emile de Quebec to Montreal Quebec.
This cover features the historic Bonnington sternwheeler river mail design with a Canada Post 32 cent postal stationery indicium officially revalued to 34 cents.
A major visual feature is the continuous wraparound artwork, with one sternwheeler image beginning on the front of the envelope and continuing around onto the reverse, creating an integrated maritime transportation scene across the entire envelope.
FRANKING & POSTAL HISTORY
The envelope is a pre printed postal stationery entire cataloged as Scott U119. Originally issued with a 32 cent blue indicium, it was officially revalued by Canada Post with a printed 34 cent overprint to meet changing domestic letter rates.
The steamboat design and indicium are printed by lithography on standard envelope paper with no perforations.
As a postally used printed entire, the state of original gum is not applicable.
The indicium is tied by a Saint Emile de Quebec circular datestamp dated 17 October 1986, with wavy line machine killer bars crossing the printed postage design.
Red and fluorescent yellow mechanized routing barcodes at the bottom edge document its processing and delivery in Montreal.
CONTEXT & COLLECTOR APPEAL
Mailed to the Service des reglements at Place Bonaventure, this cover documents authentic intraprovincial commercial correspondence rather than a philatelic contrivance.
The reverse side features a bilingual historical narrative of the Bonnington, a sternwheeler launched by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1911 that delivered mail across the Arrow, Kootenay, and Okanagan Lakes of British Columbia.
The official 32 cent to 34 cent postal revaluation combined with the continuous wraparound maritime art creates a highly desirable piece for specialists in modern Canadian postal stationery, revalued indicia, and river routing ephemera.
ITEM SPECIFICS
Country: Canada
Year: 1986
Type: Postal Stationery Entire
Topic: Official Canada Post Revalued Sternwheeler Postal Stationery
Theme: River and Lake Mail Routes
Subject: Sternwheeler Bonnington
Era: 1980s
Region: Saint Emile de Quebec to Montreal Quebec
Stamp Color: Blue
Stamp Denomination: 32 Cents Officially Revalued to 34 Cents
Perforation Size: Not Applicable
Printing Method: Lithography
Paper Type: Postal Stationery Envelope
Gum: Not Applicable
Cancellation Type: Machine Cancel with CDS and Wavy Killer Bars
Cancellation Date: 17 October 1986
Scott Number: U119
Features: Official Rate Revaluation Wraparound Design
Custom SKU: CAN-1986-U119-BONNINGTON-REVALUE
CONDITION
Original commercial used condition.
The envelope shows normal postal handling, light surface wear, and minor edge wear consistent with mechanized postal processing and commercial opening.
The officially revalued Bonnington sternwheeler indicium remains clear, and the Saint Emile de Quebec cancellation is legible. The wraparound sternwheeler artwork remains perfectly aligned and intact across both the front and reverse folds.
The manuscript address and the reverse bilingual explanatory text remain fully intact. Please review all high resolution photographs carefully to determine exact condition.