Three-Penny Beaver (1851 Canadian stamp)

Province of Canada, 3d red, April 23, 1851 This is where Canadian philately starts. Sandford Fleming designed the country's first stamp, and instead of a royal portrait he gave it a beaver on a riverbank beneath a crown. That choice is why it is often called the world's first pictorial stamp, and why so many Canadian collections open with an animal rather than a monarch. Genuine copies are not cheap, but used examples are within reach of a determined collector, unlike its 12-penny sibling. Buy from a dealer who guarantees authenticity, and study paper and margins before paying a premium, because those details drive the price.