Volume 50#24

From commercial miscalculation to crown jewel of Canadian philately, the Province of Canada’s 12-pence black — known reverently as the “Black Empress” — has travelled an extraordinary path over the past 175 years. Issued on June 14, 1851, it began as an ambitious expression of postal independence and ended as one of the rarest and most coveted stamps in the nation’s history. Continue reading →