The next few weeks will provide us with a wonderful gauge of the strength of the very top of the Canadian stamps market.

That's because examples of two of the most storied Canadian stamps are coming to auction.

1868 two-cent Large Queen

Next month, in Toronto, one of just three known examples of the 1868 two-cent Large Queen on Laid Paper will be up for grabs.

It's the highlight of the first sale of many from the celebrated collection of Ron Brigham.

There's talk the item could beat the $1m mark - which would be a new record for a Canadian stamp - a testament to its rarity and desirability as the first issue from the country, which had only been inaugurated a year earlier in 1867.

"The Large Queens are my favourite… because of the beauty of the design, the crisp colours and the uniformity of the series," Brigham recently told CBC.

But before that, collectors have the opportunity to purchase a rare beauty from Canada's pre-Confederation days.

1851 12d Black

The Province of Canada produced 51,000 12d Blacks in 1851, which formed part of its first issue. There weren't many takers - too pricey. Most were pulped and just 130 or so exist today.

Want to own one of the world's great philatelic rarities? You can today, courtesy of The Black Empress

They rival the two-cent Large Queens in terms of prestige among Canadian collectors.

The example auctioning at Spink tomorrow is nice but not exceptional, with good colour, margins and cancel.

Yet that hasn't prevented it from appearing with a $140,000 estimate.

A slightly hinged example sold for $225,000 at an auction in Canada in 2013, while even an example with faults, a small repair, and an overly imposing cancel managed to make $32,500 recently.

Yes, the 1851 12d black is big news in any condition.

And I'm proud to say that we are currently able to offer the finest known example of the stamp in existence - the only 1851 12d black that is both mint and unhinged.

It's called The Black Empress.

She offers you the opportunity to join the very highest echelons of stamp collectors, in a sector that looks to be building in strength.

This could be your chance to get ahead of the curve.

Thanks for reading,

Paul

P.S You can see all our stamps for sale here.

P.P.S We will be bringing you results from both stamp auctions, so make sure you're a regular visitor to the stamps news section of our website.