1908 Quebec Tercentenary Issue (Canadian stamps)

Quebec Tercentenary, eight values, July 16, 1908 Where the Jubilee repeated one portrait sixteen times, this set tells a story. Its eight stamps, from half a cent to 20 cents, mark 300 years since the French settled Quebec in 1608, with scenes such as Champlain's Habitation and Cartier's ships arriving in 1535 alongside royal portraits. It is an ideal first classic set to complete. Eight stamps give real scope without becoming overwhelming, the engraving rewards a magnifying glass, and the bilingual inscriptions make it unmistakably Canadian. The 15 and 20 cent values had printings of only about 300,000 each, so expect to pay more for those and look hard at their centering.