07 October 2025
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Stamps are more than just pocket-sized pieces of art. They are records of historical, cultural and religious events. They are tools of legitimacy and propaganda, confusion and controversy. And the origin of the first commemoratives is awash with both.
Connell’s Curiosities
One of the contenders for the title of ‘first commemorative’ was a 17-cents stamp, issued in 1860 by the British colony of New Brunswick, to mark the visit of the Prince of Wales. You might think that celebrating a royal with a postage stamp would be far from controversial, but the New Brunswick stamp was a curious beast.
New Brunswick was a British colony between 1784–1867. At the time, most British and colonial stamps featured a portrait of the Queen. However, in July of 1849, Parliament had passed an ‘Act for Enabling Colonial Legislatures to Establish Inland Posts’ – effectively handing over control of colonial mail to local legislatures.
On 26 April 1850, the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly did just that, declaring ‘That the Lieutenant Governor in Council may cause postage stamps marked with any device thereon.’
On 29 December 1859, Connell ordered 200,00 1c, 500,000 5c, 200,000 10c and 400,000 12½c stamps.
While the 5c and 10c stamps in the series did carry a portrait of Queen Victoria, the 1c featured a steam train, the 12½c a paddle steamer – possibly the Royal William, which was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic.
Suggested article: How to Collect Penny Black Stamps
When is a Commemorative, not a Commemorative?
Today, commemorative stamps are issued to celebrate events of national significance. Usually, they have a unique design and are only issued for a short period of time.
However, at the time there was no ‘agreed’ formula for commemorative stamps. And while the New Brunswick issues were ordered in vast numbers, and used as regular definitives, they were also designed to celebrate very specific events in the history of the colony.
There’s no record of why Connell chose the images he did, or whether he viewed them as ‘commemoratives’, because he also saw fit to place his own image on the 5c stamp. The resulting outrage forced him to resign as postmaster. So, we’ll never know his intentions. And, when it comes to commemoratives, ‘intention’ is everything. Just because an image commemorates an event or a person, does not make it a commemorative!
Did Peru have the First Commemorative Stamp?
Another contender for first commemorative postage stamp is Peru. In 1870, they released the lovely ‘Trencito’ (meaning ‘little train’) stamp (Figure 4). This was embossed with the image of a locomotive and marked the 20th anniversary of the rail line connecting Lima and Callao.
However, this, too, is controversial, as stamp historians have pointed out that it was issued because rail mail rates were temporarily reduced, rather than specifically to commemorate the rail anniversary.
Did Australia have the First Commemorative Stamp?
The next candidates for first commemoratives are the New South Wales Centenary stamps of 1888, which were released to celebrate the anniversary of the colony's founding.
The set of eight stamps were illustrated with a view of Sydney, emu, portrait of Captain Cook, the NSW coat of arms, lyrebird, kangaroo, map of Australia and a portrait of both Arthur Phillip (the colony’s first governor) and the then incumbent governor, Lord Carrington. Curiously, the inclusion of these last two figures caused zero outrage.
Many websites will tell you these stamps are the world’s first commemoratives. Yet, some will also point out that, as the stamps were still being printed as late as 1890s, they fail the ‘short-time period’ rule for true commemoratives.
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