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Who issues the best stamps in North America? Jim Phillips of Canada Post says his agency does.

"Our overall goal is to have the best, most innovative, best-designed, -printed stamps in the 
world."

LdeV: "And do you think you do it?"
JP: "Yes, we do. I must've heard that a hundred times at this international philatelic exhibition 
in Washington this week alone, that we are doing it, customers, foreign postal administrations, 
stamp designers from around the world, saying, "Man, you guys' stamps are just the beautifullest. 
Your design, your quality, your printing, your innovation is top-notch, and not gimicky."
RUNS :30

His favorite during his tenure was the Year of the Monkey two years ago, which won several 
awards -- including one from China. A stamp program is a balancing act, he says, of carrying the 
mail, showcasing Canada, and satisfying collectors.

"Collectors prefer the old-style lick-and-stick water-activated stamps. For them, that IS the 
traditional stamp. They prefer engraved stamps, intaglio, steel-engraving, so we still have those 
in our program."
RUNS :13

Canada, unlike the U-S, can put living people on its stamps, and until recently, commercial 
businesses. Phillips' boss says that's going to stop -- no more hardware stores or banks on 
Canada's stamps.

I'm Lloyd de Vries of The Virtual Stamp Club.

For more on Canada's stamps, visit The Virtual Stamp Club, at virtual-stamp-club-dot-com

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