Newfoundland stamps

Newfoundland stamps are the separate postal issues produced for Newfoundland, an island off the eastern coast of North America, before its political incorporation into Canada. The first postage stamps for the Dominion of Newfoundland appeared in 1857. These postal emissions encompassed regular postage stamps, including pictorial definitives, as well as specialised issues created to service pioneering international mail.

The period of issue extended from 1857 until 1949, when Newfoundland entered into confederation with Canada. Following this union, the province discontinued the production of its own separate postage and officially adopted the standard stamps utilised across the rest of Canada. Despite this change, previously released Newfoundland issues remained valid for postal use. During the twentieth century, the island served as the focal point for numerous transatlantic flight attempts, prompting the postal administration to generate special commemorative overprints, dedicated airmail stamps, and flown covers.

A distinctive feature of Newfoundland postal history is its series of early experimental airmail overprints applied to existing stamp stocks for specific aviation milestones. In 1919, mail carried on the successful transatlantic flight of Alcock and Brown was franked with stamps overprinted specifically for the attempt. In October 1930, a flight departing Harbor Grace in the aircraft Columbia transported letters franked with a surcharged commemorative overprint. The postal authorities also introduced a permanent set of four airmail stamps in 1933, with the 75-cent denomination receiving an overprint two months later to mark General Balbo's flight.