BUICKS ON STAMPS

[Guest Rob McDonald]

About 30 years ago, Canada Post chose to commemorate a typical prairie town streetscape, one that was shared by thousands of communities throughout Canada and the US. Little did we know then that their signature wooden grain elevators, long distance markers for every one of these towns, would have almost vanished by now.

What caught my eye was that this pleasant design included in the foreground what I still think is a '57 Buick Super. The lack of chrome strips on the trunk lid rules out most Roadmasters. One could also argue that it's a '58 - hard to say for sure.

Now I can't find the original stamp that I saved but of course the Internet compensates. It's categorized by stamp collectors as Scott Number 723. It even has a collectable variant, 723iiia, known as the "dented bumper", with a fault spot just inboard of the left bumper end.

HA! you couldn't dent a Buick bumper there with a 10 lb ball peen hammer!

Edited January 16, 2011 by Rob McDonald (see edit history)

[MrEarl]

Rob, I beg to differ with you. I am CLEARLY reading the letters R O A D M A S on the trunk (the t e r apparently running off the edge of the painting) with the M being directly over the trunk key hole as it is on an actual 57 Roadmasters. That vertical line on the left is CLEARLY the chrome strip coming down and the horizontal piece is CLEARLY the chrome handle. And then there is CLEARLY the gas filler door located on top center of the bumper. And HARK I believe I am seeing the tag year number as something 7. :eek: Could it be 57. Yes I believe it is.

Having trouble seeing it. Go get ya a couple shots of Johny Walker Black, it'll get clear as day.

Thanks for sharing Rob. Made for an interesting little read.

[1957buickjim]

Lamar... I think there is something to be said about your method of reviewing the hobby of stamp collecting...After your prescription, I too can clearly see that it is a 1957 Roadmaster as well..or something near that...

Rob, nice post. Very interesting subject. Where did you come up with this detail of Buicks on Stamps..that is cool.

Edited January 21, 2011 by 1957buickjim
one too many Johnny Walkers... (see edit history)

[TG57Roadmaster]

And I was just thinking tonight about complimenting Rob's nifty new stamp avatar.

Now that there's a bigger image to better see the Buick, I like it even more.

Go Canada!

TG

[Thriller]

MrEarl...to put this in perspective, you wouldn't have seen very many Roadmasters in rural areas of Canada with grain elevators. The few exceptions would probably have been doctors. Oh, and your prescription needs to vary depending on the stamp - this one calls for good old Canadian rye whiskey...the world's supply of Crown Royal is made just north of here.

[Guest Rob McDonald]

Why thank you, TG, for FINALLY commenting on my fetching new avatar. It's to celebrate my new Senior Member status in the forum, along with the case of Depends that Mike's shipping up to me.

After a good swig of Geritol, I can see that there's a frost shield in the rear window of the pink car in front of the Buick. It looks sort of early-'60s, maybe a Comet station wagon.

That tells us that the Buick would have been getting a little old for the doctor, so he's already sold it to the assistant bank manager. That's the town's branch of the newly renamed (1961) Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, in front of which the cars are parked.

DEREK, do you recognize the colour of the grain elevator - United Grain Growers, perhaps? Couldn't be Alberta Wheat Pool, theirs were painted blue-green.

[Guest Rob McDonald]

Squint real close now and tell me if the Comet's wearing snow tires?

CANADA 50 zoom.pdf

[MrEarl]

Squint real close now and tell me if the Comet's wearing snow tires?

Yesshh, sttt stttuded, hiccup

[Thriller]

Well, needing to keep in mind that this is art, and everything has a tan hue...

Pioneer was orange. UGG had white with blue. I think Manitoba Wheat Pool may have been green. Sask Wheat Pool may also have been white. I could ask my brother...he works for Viterra, which happens to have come from the merger of all those above-named companies.

[Thriller]

Forgot to come back with information from my brother.

Saskatchewan Wheat Pool - Newer ones were unpainted aluminum but the older ones were a rusty red, the logo was dark Yellow

Manitoba Wheat Pool /MPE - white for the most part, exposed machinery at the top would be yellow, logo was circular dark green (Binscarth for eg)

Cargill - medium green with circular logo of a stylized "C"

United Graing Growers - older ones were white, newer ones (starting late 70's build) were gray with blue trim

National - dark brown (most were purchased by Cargill but not all were

painted green)

Parrish & Heimbecker - they're whitish now but earlier they were a brownish greenish yellow (looked weird) - they would be closest to a tan

--

I can't say I recall ever hearing of National before...either I'm too young, haven't been to enough small prairie towns, or my memory is too short.

[Guest Rob McDonald]

DEREK, okay, I can now store that trove of essential information in one of my brain cavities recently vacated by real knowledge. I'm looking forward to the day when there's nothing but trivia up there. Some would call it dementia but I'll call it "me" time.