Classic Canada First Issues Souvenir Postal Cards Unopened Museum Packet
OVERVIEW
Offered is an original factory-sealed National Postal Museum souvenir postal stationery packet featuring reproductions of Canada’s classic nineteenth-century postage stamp designs.
The front card displays the famous 1851 Three Pence Beaver, while the reverse visible through the unopened package shows a Canada 8¢ postal stationery indicium depicting the 1859 Six Pence Prince Albert design.
The packet remains sealed in its original clear wrapper, preserving the contents as issued. Based on the printed package code “1 PM-5S”, the thickness of the packet, and documented examples of this National Postal Museum series, the package is believed to contain the complete five-card set.
Because the wrapper has never been opened, the contents have not been physically verified and are described accordingly.
STAMP DETAILS & POSTAL HISTORY
These are official National Postal Museum souvenir postal stationery cards, not ordinary postcards.
Each card features an enlarged reproduction of one of Canada’s landmark classic stamps on the picture side together with a printed Canada 8¢ postal card indicium on the address side.
The front card reproduces Canada’s iconic Three Pence Beaver, first issued on 23 April 1851. Designed by Sir Sandford Fleming, it is recognized as Canada’s first postage stamp and one of the earliest postage stamps in the world to depict an animal rather than a monarch.
The reverse visible through the package displays the printed Canada 8¢ postal card indicium reproducing the famous Six Pence Prince Albert stamp originally issued in January 1859.
The bilingual inscription credits the portrait to W. Drummond.
The museum cards reproduce classic stamp designs for educational and commemorative purposes.
They are not original nineteenth-century stamps, nor do the souvenir cards themselves carry Scott postage stamp catalog numbers.
The Prince Albert image represents the design of Canada Scott No. 2, but the card should not be confused with the original stamp.
CONTEXT & COLLECTOR APPEAL
Issued by the National Postal Museum in Ottawa, these souvenir postal stationery cards were produced to celebrate Canada’s classic philatelic heritage while remaining functional postal cards bearing contemporary Canada Post indicia.
This unopened packet appeals to several collecting fields, including Canadian philately, postal stationery, National Postal Museum memorabilia, museum issues, Victorian-era postal history, Sir Sandford Fleming material, Prince Albert memorabilia, and beaver topical collections.
Comparable individual museum cards from this series regularly appear on the collector market, while intact sealed packets are encountered much less frequently.
Current market offerings for comparable National Postal Museum five-card sets generally fall around the C$25 range, with individual cards commonly offered separately.
The sealed original packaging enhances both presentation and collector desirability.
ITEM SPECIFICS
Country: Canada
Issuer: National Postal Museum, Ottawa, Ontario
Type: Souvenir Postal Stationery Card Set
Format: Factory-Sealed Museum Packet
Estimated Contents: Believed Five Postal Stationery Cards (Unverified)
Package Code: 1 PM-5S
Visible Front Design: Three Pence Beaver (1851)
Visible Reverse Indicium: Canada 8¢ Prince Albert Postal Card
Postal Status: Unused
Language: English and French
Material: Printed Card Stock
Theme: Canadian Classic Stamps
Topics: Beaver, Prince Albert, Queen Victoria, Early Canadian Philately, Postal Stationery, National Postal Museum
Original Stamp Design Referenced: Canada Scott No. 1 (Three Pence Beaver) and Canada Scott No. 2 (Six Pence Prince Albert)
Museum Issue: Yes
Custom SKU: CANADA-NPM-PM5S-SEALED
CONDITION
Original factory-sealed packet in very good collectible condition.
The clear wrapper remains unopened and retains the contents as issued.
Because the packet remains sealed, the individual cards cannot be examined separately for condition ALTHOUGH THEY APPEAR UNDAMAGED.
The contents are believed to represent the complete five-card museum set based upon the package designation and documented examples, but the packet has not been opened to verify the exact number or subjects.
Please review all photographs carefully as they form an integral part of the description.