Canada Post has launched a stamp with permanent value, eliminating the need to add one-cent stamps in order to use old postage stamps when the price of postage goes up.

The permanent stamps, which have a "P" inside a maple leaf where the monetary value normally appears on stamps, went on sale Thursday for 51 cents each, the current price of postage.

The new stamps can be used by themselves after postage increases to 52 cents on January 15, 2007. Canada Post said it will also continue to accept old 51-cent stamps at the 52-cent rate after the January increase.

Print runs of one-cent stamps, 60 million of which were printed in 2005, will be significantly reduced in 2007. They will still be needed to supplement postage affixed to parcels and non-standard letters.

The cost of mailing a letter in Canada has not kept pace with inflation. If it had, the cost of mailing a letter today would be about 62 cents.

Canada isn't the first country to adopt this consumer-friendly postage policy. Belgium, Britain, Finland, France, Israel, Monaco, Norway, and Sweden have already adopted a postage stamp with permanent value.

The one-cent stamp has been in use since 1859, which it was used for what was called "a drop letter rate" -- sufficient to have a letter delivered within the same town or a local area. They were later used to cover postage for delivery of circulars, or advertising mail.

Facts and figures about the one-cent stamp:

• The one-cent stamp has commemorated a number of important Canadians and other luminaries over the years, such as Sir. John A. Macdonald and members of the British monarchy.
• Other Canadiana, such as the Northern Lights, have also been featured.
• More 430 million one cent stamps have been printed since 2000. According to Canada Post, if all of those were placed end to end, the distance would be almost 11,000 kilometres long. To put that in perspective, the Trans-Canada Highway runs 7,604 kilometres between St. John's, Newfoundland and Victoria, B.C.