Lady McLeod Ship, Trinidad

Trinidad and Tobago · 1847 · 5c Blue

This stamp features a simple depiction of the S.S. Lady McLeod, a steamship that operated a private mail route between Port of Spain and San Fernando. The design is primitive, showing the two-masted ship with a smokestack, enclosed in a simple frame with the initials 'LMc L' at the corners. It was printed in blue on yellowish paper and issued imperforate.

The Lady McLeod is one of the world's earliest stamps, issued privately three years before Trinidad's first official government postage stamp. It is considered a classic of philately and a key item for collectors of the British West Indies.