A piece of Canadian history was auctioned off in New York on Wednesday, as pre-Confederation stamp proofs that once sold for a few pennies fetched $32,000 US. 

What makes the proofs so special is the scandal they caused when they were issued 146 years ago.  

One of the pre-Confederation stamp proofs that caused a scandal 146 years ago.
(CBC)

New Brunswick postmaster general Charles Connell caused a sensation in 1860 when he put his own face on a five-cent stamp without seeking permission.

New Brunswickers were outraged that Connell would put a picture of himself rather than Queen Victoria on the stamp.

Connell was ordered to cease printing the stamps, and they were never circulated. Rumour has it that Connell burned most of them in the backyard of his Woodstock, N.B., home.

The controversy forced him to resign his position as postmaster general.

The proofs that were auctioned off by Sotheby's in New York were part of the collection of Sir Gawaine Baillie.

Family member longs for stamp

A smattering of the printed stamps are held by private collectors, but Sotheby's stamp expert Richard Ashton says nobody knows how they got them.

"There are very few examples of the actual stamps that have been saved as souvenirs," said Ashton. "But even at the time they were an object of interest, no doubt because of all the local publicity."

Mary Allwood, Connell's great-great-great granddaughter, watched the auction with interest.

She said the stamps were a great embarrassment to her family, who destroyed any that were passed down. However, she now feels differently.

"I wish I had one of the stamps. We don't have any. I think it'd be great to own one."

"It was a great scandal and even today one can imagine if the Queen's image was replaced by someone who was still alive," said Ashton.  "There'd still be a furor about that."

Connell's career eventually recovered and he later became the area's first member of Parliament.