What Can Be Done: There are five Provinces of Canada that issued their own postage stamps before confederation. All but Newfoundland had joined the Canadian Confederation by 1872. Newfoundland continued issuing its own postage stamps until 1949 when it also joined the confederation. The stamps of Newfoundland are very popular and deservedly so. They are well designed, beautifully printed, and, for the most part, reasonably priced. The first three imperforate issues of the 1850s and 1860s are unnecessarily confusing with minor shade differences constituting major Scott number varieties. After these issues, Newfoundland’s iss
ues are very straightforward with many long and attractive sets. The airmails are a specialty all to themselves with several of the rarest stamps in all of the hobby.
Specialty Catalogs: The Scott Classic catalog is exceptional for Newfoundland. Because Newfoundland is a British colony, many collectors use the Stanley Gibbons catalog. Gibbons is for the most part somewhat needlessly overspecialized. Shades and perf varieties are appealing to collectors. But shades and minor varieties should always be minor “a” numbers and not major problem catalog numbers. Scott for the most part gets this right. Gibbons often does not.
Specialty Albums: The Scott Specialty series produces a Canada album of which the Newfoundland section is a part. The best album, though, is the Lighthouse hingeless specialty album.
Lighthouse is generally much more expensive than other album producers, but because Lighthouse issues the Newfoundland album as a stand alone, this makes the Lighthouse Newfoundland an affordable option, compared to Scott, because you don’t have to purchase the entire Canada series. Minkus makes a Canada and Newfoundland album which is very affordable but not of high quality.
Availability of Material: Newfoundland is a stamp collector’s delight. The country’s issues consist of several hundred stamps, all of which are beautifully designed and engraved. The price point of most of the sets is low enough to be affordable but high enough to have an enthusiastic dealer network handling its stamps. As part of the Canadian network of collectors, there is significant supply, and all but a few rarities can usually be found.
Expense: The country can be completed, except for ten stamps, for less the $2,000. For the ten most expensive stamps, the price can run up to $20,000 each.
Overall Grade: B+