The Toronto _World_ says: "We take the liberty of suggesting to the Postmaster-General that we have a large figure indicating the value in cents of the various issues of Canadian stamps. It is hard to make them out at present."
This is only one of the numerous complaints made daily against our new issue. Some changes ought to be made.
But the _Metropolitan Philatelist_ in its issue for April 2, 1898, had already given information of an impending change which in the main proved correct. It says:--
Much dissatisfaction is expressed by the French speaking inhabitants of the rural parts at the lack of figures of value on the stamps, the denomination in all cases being printed in English which they are unable to understand. It has, therefore, been decided to alter the new stamps by removing the maple leaves from the lower corners and inserting large numerals of value in their place. The space occupied by the head will also be somewhat enlarged and the value will be placed on a straight band below.
All of which transpired save the placing of the value on the "straight band". In the issue of the _American Journal of Philately_ for June 1, 1898, a Canadian correspondent reported: "I saw yesterday the proof of the new Canadian stamps. The frame is slightly changed and the value in figures is at the bottom on each side of the stamp, in place of the maple leaves." No date is given, but it was doubtless early in May. Finally _Mekeel's Weekly Stamp News_ reported the actual issue of the 1 cent and 3 cent stamps, stating that a Montreal correspondent had purchased them at the post office on June 21st, which was doubtless their approximate date of issue.
No further news of the numeral set is recorded until the issue of the _Weekly Philatelic Era_ for September 17th, wherein its Toronto correspondent says that "Last week the 2c. purple with numerals in lower corners made its debut, a few days later the 1/2c arrived similarly altered, followed closely by the 6c." This evidently puts the issue of these three values within the first ten days of September. The 8 cent was recorded in the same paper for October 15th, so that it must have been issued about the first of the month. The 10 cent did not make its appearance until November, being noticed under the "Toronto Letter" in the _Weekly Philatelic Era_ for November 19th, so that again it was doubtless the early part of the month that saw its advent.