Canadian Philatelic Society of Great Britain

The Canadian Broadcasting Network (CBC) website reports the Canadian Philatelic Society of Great Britain recently celebrated an anniversary.

Mike Symington,a former news camerman, and now a technical operator in the CBC's London bureau writes, "April 23, 1851 saw the birth of Canada's first stamps and the impetus for the British club. Unveiled to a burgeoning populace mid-way through the 19th century, when Canada was still 16 years away from becoming a country, three stamps saw the light of day: The 3p Beaver, the 6p Prince Albert and a 12p Queen Victoria."

Club President Graham Searle is quoted in the piece as saying this group of collectors, formed in the 1930s in a Glasgow coffee shop, has been getting together pretty continuously since not long after the Second World War.

"Boys of a certain age look for things to collect and stamps were cheap and fairly plentiful," Searle points out.

According to Symington,"A 3p Beaver stamp in excellent condition can sell for around $34,000, while the very rare 12p Queen Victoria in excellent condition will fetch $260,000, showing that the market has moved beyond boys to bankers."

Shown above, a Canadian 3p Beaver which was one of the world's first "thematic" stamps.