1919 Newfoundland Caribou stamp value: read the inscription

Start with Newfoundland and the twelve-value issue

This guide covers the twelve ordinary, unoverprinted 1919 Caribou values. StampData lists twelve stamps, and Arpin identifies the complete family as NF115-26.[9][10] It does not cover every Newfoundland stamp with an animal design. Read NEWFOUNDLAND and the printed denomination before accepting an album label or a photograph-based suggestion.

The issue reference gives January 2, 1919.[5] A separate historical account says the initial shipment reached St. John's that day.[7] Keep the stated issue date and that shipment event distinct. Neither an old album page nor a partly readable cancellation establishes that your particular stamp was used on its first day.

Start a separate Newfoundland group in a mixed album. The Canada Admiral guide concerns Canadian George V portrait stamps, not this caribou family. A neighbouring album page, similar colour or shared dealer cannot substitute for the issuing name printed on the stamp. Keep uncertain identifications provisional.

Use denomination and bottom inscription as two keys

Read the value tablets, then copy the inscription between them. The table pairs those two observations using the BNAPS historical study.[3] UBIQUE appears on four denominations, so the word alone cannot distinguish a 2c from a 5c, 8c or 12c. If a cancel hides the numeral, leave the value unresolved rather than guessing from ink colour.

The four UBIQUE positions commemorate the Royal Naval Reserve and use ROYAL NAVAL RESERVE wording. Do not require TRAIL OF THE CARIBOU on every member of the family.[3][7][10] For the battle-name designs, compare the scroll and bottom name with the printed value. Identify the whole design, not an isolated picture detail.

After these two keys agree, inspect for added lettering. A SPECIMEN marking or another overprint stops the ordinary-single price comparison until that object has its own identification. Write down exactly what is visible. An extra word is not a reason to select the highest online price or invent an error.

Keep the archival SPECIMEN outside ordinary pricing

The archival scan shows the 4c Beaumont Hamel design with a SPECIMEN overprint.[6] Use it to locate the value and battle inscription and to practise the overprint check. It is not an image of the ordinary used 4c listed in the price table. Its visible appearance cannot establish the gum or condition of that dealer item.

An image canvas does not preserve physical scale. This source scan is 620 by 787 pixels before placement in the article image.[6] Enlargement and padding do not add stamp detail. Do not measure perforations, grade paper or judge a scarce shade against the displayed version. An archival design reference answers a different question from a close examination of your own object.

Keep any specimen candidate, proof or unexplained overprint apart from ordinary stock. Photograph all edges and the reverse if safely accessible. Preserve accompanying notes and provenance, but do not treat an old handwritten attribution as a certificate. This guide supplies no qualified asking price for a specimen or proof.

Compare exact stock asks checked October 23, 2026

BW Davis displayed these seven offers on October 23, 2026, without a SOLD marker.[1] Its terms explicitly state US dollars. They also warn that some prices come from basic catalog calculations.[2] Each amount concerns one single stamp. No email inquiry, reservation or purchase confirmed availability. The observation date is not a sale date.

Keep each stock identifier exactly as written, including the lowercase p in p464S42. The two 2c rows are separate stock items at the same displayed ask.[1] They are not two completed transactions. Used carries no finer grade here. MH is the seller's mint-hinged description, not our inspection or a guarantee about original gum.

Shipping is excluded and tax remains unresolved. These are retail asking amounts, not dealer buying offers, auction realizations or delivered totals. The six used low-value rows and one mint-hinged high value do not establish a family-wide price range. Match denomination, inscription, format and condition before using any row.

Keep denomination, gum and faults attached to each price

The USD 20.00 row is a 36c described as MH, while the USD 0.10 rows are used 1c and 3c singles.[1] That comparison changes both denomination and condition. It cannot establish a mint multiplier or prove that every uncancelled Caribou is expensive. An uncancelled front also leaves gum condition unresolved.

Record missing teeth, tears, folds, staining and any visible thinning separately from centering. The stamp condition guide provides a checklist for that record. Photograph the back only when it is accessible without pulling a stuck hinge or mount. Do not write never hinged when the back has not been examined.

Ask for an exact match before seeking a resale estimate. A comparable ordinary used 4c is more relevant to a used 4c than a mint-hinged 36c or specimen. Do not assign a fixed percentage deduction for a fault from these offers. The research did not qualify a matched pair that would support such a rule.

Separate the printer from the contractor and measure safely

BNAPS identifies De La Rue as the recess printer. Whitehead Morris appears in the contracting and design correspondence.[3][7] A specialist page title covering Whitehead Morris issues should not become a claim that the firm physically printed these stamps. Preserve those distinct roles if you add production notes to a collection record.

A general reference lists perforation 14, but Brixton reports finer line and comb measurements and labels its table a work in progress.[4][10] Use the perforation guide on the physical stamp. Measure both directions, state uncertainty, and leave a specialist classification open when the evidence is insufficient. A resized web image is not a gauge.

Avoid importing paper claims from other Newfoundland or Canadian issues. The Large Queen guide explains a different family's paper questions. Its famous paper-specific rarities are not evidence for a Caribou variety. Do not wet, scrape or trim your stamp to make it resemble an attractive catalog entry.

Qualify the 15-cent Prussian Blue question

The 2020 BNAPS ink study compared certified Prussian Blue 15c examples with ordinary comparison stamps. Its tests did not find a difference in pigment chemistry between those groups.[8] That is narrower than saying that every blue stamp looks identical or that no physical shade differences exist. State what the study tested, rather than turning its result into a universal verdict.

The authors report minor physical shade variation associated with pigment particle size.[8] A collector can study those differences without assuming that every darker photograph proves a distinct valuable ink. Screen settings, lighting and an uncalibrated scan do not provide the laboratory evidence discussed in the paper. This guide assigns no shade premium to a reader's 15c.

If an attribution matters to a purchase, retain any certificate with the exact stamp and ask what question it addresses. A certificate for another example does not transfer through a visual resemblance. Keep the basic 15c LANGEMARCK identification separate from an unresolved shade label and seek specialist examination before advertising a premium.

Exclude sold-out sets and mismatched sale units

Arpin's complete-set page currently says sold out.[9] An older search snippet is not evidence of an available whole-set offer. The issue reference's twelve positions are a checklist, not twelve interchangeable objects.[10] Count missing denominations and duplicates before calling an album group complete. Do not add selected single asks and present the sum as an observed set price.

A proof, specimen, block and complete envelope each need a format-matched comparison. Leave joined stamps and surviving margins intact. A dealer's loose-single ask does not price everything attached to that single in an album or on a cover. This article supplies no verified realized sale or qualified complete-set ask.

Apply the same sale-unit discipline when moving between families. The Canada Jubilee guide separates denominations, gum categories and replicas in that issue. Its offers cannot price a Caribou group. Save the source and entire item description, not only a number copied beside a similar-looking stamp.

Read cancellations and leave covers intact

Copy a visible town and date without completing letters hidden outside the stamp. Use the cancellation guide to describe the mark before deciding what it means. A heavy cancel can hide the denomination or inscription. In that case, keep the two-key identification incomplete rather than choosing a value from the colour.

If the stamp remains on an envelope, photograph the full front and back before taking a close-up. Keep the address, other stamps, postal markings and any enclosure together. None of the seven loose-single asks values that complete postal item. Do not detach a stamp merely to make it easier to compare with the table.

Separate the seller's description from what you can verify. A used label is not a specialist opinion on a cancellation, and an apparently early date is not proof of first-day use. Ask a narrow question with an uncropped image when the mark affects the proposed identification or price.

Save each Caribou stamp with a checkable comparison

Create one record per object. Include NEWFOUNDLAND, denomination, bottom inscription, scroll wording, any overprint and single or larger format. Add the front image, a safe reverse image and unresolved condition questions. Keep seller stock IDs separate from catalog references so a later search can find the exact offer again.

For a comparison from this table, save its source URL, October 23, 2026 observation date, USD currency and complete seller description.[1][2] Label the amount as an ask and leave the sale-result field blank. Record the missing fact, such as gum status or a hidden denomination, so you know what to check next.

Use photo identification as a starting point, then compare the result with your two physical inscription keys. Stamp Value Identifier & Scan provides assistive identification and estimated collector context, not official authentication, certification, grading or a formal appraisal. It cannot establish original gum or authenticate a scarce shade from a front photograph.

Frequently asked questions