Canada 1851 3d Beaver, First Postage Stamp

Canada · 1851 · 3d

This is the first postage stamp issued by the Province of Canada. The design, created by Sir Sandford Fleming, features a beaver building a dam in a depiction of Canadian industry and industriousness. The stamp is framed by the national symbols of the rose, thistle, and shamrock, representing England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Issued in 1851, this stamp marks the transfer of postal authority from the British General Post Office to the Province of Canada. It is a landmark issue in North American philately and a symbol of Canada's growing autonomy.