Canada's First Postage Stamp, the Three-Pence Beaver

Canada · 1851 · 3d (Three Pence)

This stamp, known as the 'Three-Pence Beaver', was 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 classic oval frame, surmounted by the St Edward's Crown. The beaver was chosen as a symbol of the industriousness and sovereignty of the Canadian people.

Issued in 1851, this stamp represents a key step in the development of an independent postal system in the Province of Canada, prior to the Confederation of 1867. It is a landmark issue in British North American philately.