Description: This historic specimen is a used 1d (one penny) red Kangaroo and Map postage stamp, representing the inaugural national stamp series issued by the Commonwealth of Australia. Following the federation of six separate British colonies in 1901, the young nation continued using localized colonial stamps for over a decade while a fierce political debate raged over a unified design. In 1912, Postmaster-General Charles Frazer boldly bypassed traditional royal portraits in favor of an outline map of Australia enclosing a lone kangaroo. The design explicitly emphasized the geographical unity and unique natural identity of the new continent, deliberately omitting a crown to project a progressive, independent national image.
Circa: 1913
Condition: Used
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