Jamaica Queen Victoria 'Arms of Jamaica' Postage Stamp

Jamaica · 1860 · 1d

This stamp features a portrait of a young Queen Victoria in a diadem, set within an oval frame. The design is flanked by the Arms of Jamaica, which includes a shield with a cross and five pineapples, supported by two Arawak figures. The denomination 'ONE PENNY' is inscribed at the bottom, with 'JAMAICA' at the top and 'POSTAGE' on the sides.

This was the first postage stamp issued by Jamaica, marking the beginning of its independent postal system while still under British colonial rule. The design, created by De La Rue in London, established a template that would be used for Jamaican definitives for several decades.