After confederation with Canada in the late nineteenth century, Newfoundland continued to issue its own postage stamps. The classics of Newfoundland are very scarce, but the stamps issued after 1900 are among the most popular in the hobby. Newfoundland used the American Bank Note Company to print its stamps, and it seems that a bit of competitive energy was the reason. The American Bank Note Company (ABNC) had been the printers of United States postage stamps before 1894 when the USPO decided to pull the contract and have the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing do the work. Stung by the loss of such a high profile and prestigious contract, the ANBC put their heart and
 soul into Newfoundland stamps.
For nearly fifty years (until 1948), Newfoundland issued long, finely engraved sets picturing the natural beauties of Newfoundland and its history. And Newfoundland Airmails are among the most popular and scarce in the world, having the distinction of having true postal purpose. Newfoundland is still landfall for flights coming from Europe to the east coast of the United States, and in the early Airmail period, Newfoundland was a stopping off point for the earliest mail and the earliest aviators. The Newfoundland stamps of the twentieth century are beautiful and affordable yet uncommon and challenging (but not overwhelming) to collect. The desire of the American Bank Note Company  to win back the USPO contract and the competition of the master engravers at the ANBC with the BEP engravers created some of our hobby’s finest postage stamps.