This J.C. Wilson Rule Britannia cover was mailed to Stephens & Son In San Diego, California with a 1¢ QV Numeral stamp, cancelled wth a Montreal roller cancel, paying the rate for samples, rather than the 2¢ letter rate. The cover bears the rubber stamp “Samples from J.C. Wilson & Co. Montreal”. The back bears a partial receiver cancel.

This J.C. Wilson patriotic cover with Maple Leaf For Ever Type I design, E-1 variety, has been mailed to Mr. George S. Mackenzie, 36 Brunswick Street, Halifax N.S. and received on September 29 (no year showing).

The cover is hand marked “Circular”, and pays the 1¢ circular rate, an unusual rate for a J.C. Wilson cover. Below, the reverse of the cover showing a Halifax receiving cancel dated September 29, but with no distinct year showing

Old Glory and the Maine Patriotic Envelope E-1, (above), franked with 5¢ postage (two 1¢ QV Maple Leaf #67 and one 3¢ QV Numeral #78) postmarked Montreal, September 20, 1898, mailed to Miss H. Spalding, Gissing, Mill Green Nr. Diss, Norfolk, England, was added. The rate of 5¢ per half ounce for letters to the UK was in effect until December 25, 1898, when the rate was reduced to 2¢.

Above, another 5¢ rate E-1 cover, this time to Paris, France, dated May 13, 1899, franked with a 2¢ Map stamp and a 3¢ Jubilee stamp tied with Quebec duplex cancels. From The Hugh Westgate Map Stamp Collection.

Below, the reverse of the cover. J.O. Filteau also used a J.C. Wilson postcards postcard for business advertising

This J.C. Wilson patriotic cover with Maple Leaf For Ever Type II design, E-1 variety, has been mailed from St. John, N.B. to Miss Jeannie W. Malcolm of Park View, Greenhand, Bridgeton, Glasgow, Scotland on August 30, 1900, and has a receiving cancellation dated September 8, 1900.

Bridgeton is located south east of Glasgow city centre. The envelope has been franked with a Queen Victoria 5¢ Numeral issue (no. 79) stamp on bluish paper (shown at left, below; stamp was first issued July 3, 1899). This is an unusual rate for this destination, as, since December 25, 1898, the postage required was 2¢ per half ounce to Britain, so that this stamp was payment for a heavier mailing. Prior to December 25, 1898, the rate was 5¢ per half ounce.

This Anglo-Saxon envelope would be version E-1 if it had a blank back, however, only the front of the cover remains. It bears five 1¢ QV Numeral stamps postmarked February 27, 1902, mailed to Australia.

This J.C. WIlson “What We Have We’ll Hold” Type II cover has been postally used from Montreal to Hugo Hallgren, Lysekil, Sweden. The cover bears two 2¢ QV Numeral stamps and a 2¢ Map stamp, cancelled with a Montreal Flag cancellation dated February 20, 1901. The cover has a song back no. 8, with the patriotic song “Bobs”, designated by Henry Gates as variety E-1. The reverse of the cover shows a couple of transit cancellations, one of which may be a Swedish RPO.

Lysekil is a small Swedish coastal town about 80 km. south of the Norwegian border, with a present day population of 7,500 people. The town is a popular Swedish summer tourist destination, and a very scarce destination for a J.C. Wilson patriotic.

Above, Anglo Saxon E-1

Below, reverse with receiving marks from Upper Stewiacke, Halifax, and the Halifax & Amherst Mail Coach (rarity factor of 50).

Above, Anglo Saxon E-1

Below, reverse with receiving marks from Upper Stewiacke, Halifax, and the Halifax & Amherst Mail Coach (rarity factor of 50).

This J.C. Wilson patriotic cover, Old Glory & The Maine design, E-2 variety, was postally used May 10, 1900 from Montreal to Medford, Massachusetts, USA. It bears a ½¢ QV Leaf, a ½¢ QV Numeral, and 1¢ & 5¢ QV Numeral stamps for the 2¢ postage and 5¢ registration fee.

Below, the reverse shows song back 5, and bears an inscription Type iii

This J.C. Wilson patriotic cover, Soldiers of the Queen Type I design, was postally used May 15,1900 from Toronto, postmarked with a pair of York Street Toronto squared circled cancellations, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It bears a 2¢ map stamp 86b deep blue and a 5¢ QV Numeral stamp for the postage and registration respectively.

This J.C. WIlson patriotic “God Save the Queen” Type E-3 cover (with uncoloured beaver and leaves) has been sent from Toronto to Delhi, India as a registered letter. This is a rare destination for a J.C. Wilson cover.

Registered postage at the Empire rate was paid by a 2¢ Map stamp (on the front) and a 5¢ Jubilee stamp (on the reverse). A ½¢ QV Numeral stamp on the front of the cover is overpayment beyond the required postage, On the front, the stamps are tied by “R” cancellations. A Toronto CDS dated January 14, 1901, and a red London England transit cancel dated January 25, 1901 are also found on the front of the cover, along with other registration markings. R.B. Winmill, in his book The Evolution of Imperial Penny Postage and the Postal History of the Canadian 1898 Map Stamp, notes that the 2¢ Empire rate plus registration for a total of 7¢ was rare to England and extremely rare to all other countries; to be found on a J.C Wilson patriotic cover is even more so.

Below, reverse of cover with song back 16 and Delhi receiver dated February 11, 1901. Three Toronto CDS cancels tie a 5¢ Jubilee stamp to the envelope back, which also features a smudged Seapost cancellation dated February 5, 1901.

The cover comes from The Hugh Westgate 1898 Map Stamp Collection. It was previously offered in an April 2009 auction by Charles Firby.

This J.C. Wilson “What We Have We’ll Hold” design WLS-E07 Type II cover has been postally used from Toronto to Albert Bowen, Rochester NY. The cover bears three 2¢ QV Numeral stamps and a 1¢ Numeral stamp, cancelled with a “R” cancellation and a CDS cancellation dated October 2, 1901. The cover has a blank back . The reverse of the cover shows a couple of transit cancellations, including Buffalo and Rochester. It also carries a Toronto NT split ring cancel, reported used between July 1, 1900 and December 6 1901 in the Postal History Society a Canada web site.

An example of a registered WLS-E02 Type II. It has been mailed December 31, 1901 from Montreal with three 2¢ QV Numerals and a 1¢ Numeral, postmarked with a Montreal roller cancel.

Below, the back, showing variation E-6 with Song Back 17, “The Old Union Jack”.

This J.C. Wilson patriotic cover, with a plain back, therefore variety E-1, was postally used November 28, 1902 from Toronto, postmarked Station B, to G.M. James, Esq., Preston, Ontario. It bears 2¢ and 5¢ QV Numeral stamps for the postage and registration respectively. It is ex. the collection of Henry Gates, and is illustrated in his article.

This J.C. Wilson patriotic cover, Anglo-Saxon design with a plain back, therefore variety E-1, was postally used August 25, 1898 from Hackett’s Cove, Nova Scotia to Temperance & General Assurance in St. John, NB. It bears three 3¢ QV Numeral stamps for the postage and registration, paying double weight (4¢) postage and the 5¢ registration fee.

Below, reverse of cover bears a split circle postmark from Glen Margaret, NS, a CDS from St. John, NB, and a partial split circle postmark from Hackett’s Cove, NS

This J.C. Wilson patriotic cover, British Ensign Type II design with a plain back, therefore variety E-1, was postally used October 23, 1900 from Vancouver BC to Oswego, NY, USA. It bears 9¢ in QV Numeral stamps comprised of a pair of ½¢ stamps plus 1¢, 2¢, and 5¢ stamps for the postage and registration, paying double weight (4¢) postage and the 5¢ registration fee.

Below, the reverse of the cover showing transit markings

British Ensign Type II showing a 10¢ rate used locally within Port Maitland Nova Scotia August 13, 1900

This immaculate J.C. Wilson patriotic cover, British Ensign Type II design, variety E-5, with a Red, White & Blue song back no. 3, is postmarked August 13, 1900 with a very clean CDS cancel on a QV Leaf issue no. 73 10¢ stamp, is a very rare single use that is valued at $1,000 on cover in the 2008 Unitrade Specialized Catalogue.