1847 Canada 12d Black Empress (Scott #3)
Canadian Black Empress twelve pence black stamp (1851). Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Few stamps carry the mystique of the Canada 12d Black Empress. Issued in 1851 (the year, not 1847 as sometimes noted in catalog shorthand), this twelve-pence black stamp stands as one of the rarest and most coveted philatelic treasures in North American collecting. With approximately 120 surviving examples worldwide, the Black Empress commands respect, admiration, and increasingly breathtaking auction prices.
The Birth of Canadian Philately
The Province of Canada issued its first stamps in 1851, releasing three denominations: the 3-penny red, the 6-penny violet, and the 12-pence black. All three were printed by Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson in New York, the same firm responsible for early US stamps. The stamps were imperforate, printed on wove paper, and issued without gum in many cases.
The 12-pence stamp carries a portrait of Queen Victoria based on the famous Chalon head painting by Alfred Edward Chalon (1780-1860). This same portrait type appeared on stamps throughout the British Empire, making it a beloved design for collectors of the Victorian era. For Canada, it represented the first stamp to use this motif and became known as Scott #3 in catalog listings.
The face value of 12 pence was chosen deliberately over "one shilling" because the shilling held different monetary equivalents in different regions of North America, creating potential confusion. Twelve pence was unambiguous.
Why So Rare?
The rarity of the 12d Black stems from an extraordinary mismatch between supply and demand. The government printed approximately 51,000 stamps, but postal rates of that era rarely required a 12-pence denomination. The stamp covered prepaid postage on letters to Great Britain, but most senders preferred to let recipients pay the postage on arrival. As a result, only about 1,450 copies were actually sold during the stamp's approximately three-and-a-half years of availability.
Of those sold, the vast majority were used on envelopes and subsequently discarded, lost, or destroyed. Today, about 120 examples are believed to survive, including both used and unused examples. There are only five known unused pairs and two known used pairs, making intact pairs extraordinarily rare even within this already scarce population.
Values and Condition Grades
The Black Empress operates in rarefied auction territory. Values depend heavily on condition, centering, margins, and whether the example is used or unused.
| Condition | Approximate Value (CAD) |
|---|---|
| Used, Poor to Fair (damaged, short margins) | $5,000 - $20,000 |
| Used, Very Good (four margins, minor faults) | $30,000 - $80,000 |
| Used, Fine (balanced margins, clear cancel) | $80,000 - $200,000 |
| Used, Very Fine (exceptional centering) | $200,000 - $300,000+ |
| Unused, no gum | $150,000 - $350,000+ |
| Unused, original gum | Rare; $400,000+ |
| Unused pair | $500,000 - $700,000+ |
Recent auction results underscore the demand. In 2023, a used 12d black sold for $292,500 CAD at public auction. The following year, a mint pair achieved $625,000 CAD. An exceptional example sold in January 2011 for $425,500 USD through Spink Shreves Galleries, setting a record that stood for years.
What Collectors Look For
When evaluating a Black Empress, experienced collectors and expertizers focus on several key factors:
Margins and Centering: Because the stamps were imperforate (no perforations), margins are cut by hand or separated by scissors. Four clear margins with balanced space on all sides indicate a superior example. Stamps cut into the design or with margins touching are considered faulty.
Paper Quality: The stamps were printed on wove paper, and examples with consistent paper without thins, tears, or folds are much preferred. Laid paper also exists for other Canadian Pence issues but not the 12d.
Cancellation: Used examples should carry a clear, light cancel. Heavy inked-out cancels reduce desirability. Manuscript cancels (pen-cancelled) are common and generally acceptable.
Gum: Unused examples with original gum are exceptional finds. Most unused copies are without gum (o.g. never hinged examples are virtually unknown). Any gum presence dramatically increases value.
Certificate of Authenticity: Given the extreme values, all serious transactions involve certificates from recognized expertizing services such as the Philatelic Foundation (PF), the Royal Philatelic Society London (RPSL), or the Canadian Philatelic Society expertizing committee. Forgeries and fakes exist.
The Forgery Problem
The Black Empress has attracted forgers since the Victorian era. Classic forgeries by Sperati and others circulated widely, and some are genuinely difficult to distinguish without expert examination. Even experienced collectors should not purchase an example without a current expertizing certificate from a reputable authority. The value is simply too high to risk on an unvetted purchase.
Modern expertizers use UV examination, paper analysis, and comparison with known genuine examples to detect fakes. The expertizing process typically takes several weeks but is an absolute requirement before buying or selling at significant prices.
Buying and Selling
The Black Empress rarely appears on the open market. Most examples trade through major philatelic auction houses including Spink, Cherrystone Philatelic, Siegel Auction Galleries, and Bl Harmer. Dealers specializing in classic North American issues sometimes hold examples, but private treaty sales are common given the specialized buyer pool.
If you're fortunate enough to own a Black Empress that has been sitting in a family collection, the first step is obtaining a current expertizing certificate. The second is consulting with two or three major auction houses to understand the current market. The last several years have seen strong demand from Canadian collectors in particular, driven partly by national pride and partly by the currency dynamics between Canadian and US dollars.
For buyers, patience is key. Examples appear at auction perhaps three to six times per year across all venues globally. Setting alerts through major auction house mailing lists and monitoring results through StampAuctionNetwork.com will keep you informed when opportunities arise.
A Legacy in Black
The Canada 12d Black Empress represents everything that makes classic philately compelling: historical significance, extreme rarity, beautiful engraved portraiture, and a market that rewards knowledge and patience. It connects its holder to Canada's earliest days as a unified postal territory, to Victorian-era craftsmanship, and to a chain of collectors stretching back 175 years.
Whether you're a seasoned specialist building a Pence issue collection or an investor exploring tangible assets, the Black Empress belongs on your radar. It is one of those rare objects where beauty, history, and scarcity converge into something genuinely irreplaceable.
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