Canada 12d black or The Black Empress of Canada
[ is the rarest ]Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail). Then the stamp is affixed to the f ...
, issued in 1851. The 12-pence
A penny is a coin (: pennies) or a unit of currency (: pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. At present, it is t ...
stamp shows the portrait
A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face is always predominant. In arts, a portrait may be represented as half body and even full body. If the subject in full body better r ...
of Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
and is the third stamp issued by the province.
History
In 1851, the Province of Canada
The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...
issued the stamps of Queen Victoria. For the stamp image, the Queen's portrait by Alfred Edward Chalon
Alfred Edward Chalon (15 February 1780 – 3 October 1860) was a Republic of Geneva-born British portraitist. He lived in London where he was noticed by Queen Victoria.
Biography
Alfred Chalon was born in Geneva from a father who soon was hi ...
(1780–1860) was used. This design
A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...
is called the ''Chalon head
The Chalon Head is the name of a number of postage stamp series whose illustration was inspired by a portrait of Queen Victoria by Alfred Edward Chalon (1780–1860).
These stamps, printed in New York City for the Canadian colonies, and by Per ...
''. The stamps were printed in New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
.
In fine and unused condition, these stamps are very expensive. In February 2006, a Twelve Penny Black was sold £116,000.
The first issue of stamps for the colony of Canada was made in 1851 and comprised three pence, six pence, and 12 pence values. One shilling was not used as the face value because in local currency, it had more than one meaning of value. In New England, one shilling meant 16 and two-thirds cents, which was equal to 10 pence. In New York, one shilling meant 12 and a half cents equalling seven pence halfpenny. Therefore 12 pence offered no misunderstanding. Out of 51,000 of the 12 pence black that were printed, about 130 copies of this philatelic item are believed to exist today. There are only five unused pairs and two used pairs.[ Material was copied from this source, which is available under ]
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
See also
* Canada 2c Large Queen on laid paper
* List of postage stamps
This is a list of postage stamps that are especially notable in some way, often due to antiquity or a postage stamp error. Among the best-known stamps are:
* Penny Black (Great Britain)
* Treskilling Yellow (Sweden)
* Bull's Eye (postage stamp), ...
* Penny Black
The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public Mail, postal system. It was first issued in the United Kingdom on 1 May 1840 but was not valid for use until 6 May. The stamp features a profile of Queen Victoria.
...
* Penny Lilac
The Penny Lilac was the basic penny postage and revenue stamp of the United Kingdom from its first issue on 12 July 1881 until 1901. It superseded the short-lived Penny Venetian Red because the Customs and Inland Revenue Act 1881 necessitated ...
* Penny Red
The Penny Red was a British postage stamp, issued in 1841. It succeeded the Penny Black and continued as the main type of postage stamp in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until 1879, with only minor changes to the design du ...
* Postage stamps and postal history of Canada
The postal and philatelic history of Canada concerns postage of the territories which have formed Canada. Before Canadian confederation, the colonies of British Columbia and Vancouver Island, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and ...
* Two Penny Blue
The Two Penny Blue or The Two Pence Blue was the world's second official postage stamp, produced in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and issued after the Penny Black.
Initial printing took place from 1 May 1840, and in all 6,460 ...
Notes
References
External links
Canada 12d black value
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{{Canadian stamps
Postage stamps of Canada
Queen Victoria on stamps
1851 introductions