A rare British Columbia postage stamp from the region's colonial days auctions on Saturday, March 18.
Although British Columbia and Vancouver Island were separate colonies in 1859, the British government produced a single stamp covering both regions.
Vancouver Island and British Columbia were once separate entities
The two pence, half penny stamp is expected to make around US$5,000 when it auctions at All Nations Stamp and Coin in Vancouver on Saturday.
“It’s a very rare stamp, the likes of which most people never get a chance to put in their collection,” All Nations' Brian Grant Duff told the Vancouver Sun newspaper.
“They have sold for as much as $50,000. But it’s not a perfect example, so it’s going to bring between $5,000 and $10,000.”
It's thought the unperforated stamp, which refers to "Vancouvers Island", was never issued.
A perforated version was released in 1862, and the region's stamps would become a thing of the past when British Columbia (by now including Vancouver Island) joined the new country of Canada in 1871.
The auction will also feature a rare 1851 12d Canada stamp, valued at US$4,000.
We have another rare piece of Canadian philately from its pre-Confederation days for sale.
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