The Rarest Of The Rare Postage Stamps Collectors Are Willing To Pay Millions To Own

By Peter Allen


People collect all kinds of things. It amazes many, who have not been bitten by the collecting bug, that a little, imprinted piece of paper can create intense interest in certain individuals, or have much value. The truth is that a stamp can bring in the millions of dollars at auction, and that a display of rare postage stamps can bring serious philatelists together from all corners of the globe.

A stamp known as the olive colored Queen Victoria's head is a great example of a mistake made by the printer. This stamp was first printed in 1864 in Hong Kong, and was intended to be brownish gray. The error came with fifty-two sheets that were printed in olive. There was an mistake in the placement of the cc and the watermark style as well. The original stamp cost ninety-six cents in Hong Kong. A block of four sold for $6.5 million Hong Kong dollars in 2012.
The British Guiana 1 Cent Magenta is one of the most highly prized in the world. It is printed with black ink on magenta paper. This stamp came about because the postmaster in British Guiana had run out of his regular supply and asked a local newspaper to print an emergency batch. To prevent forgery, a postal employee had to initial each one. In 1980 this stamp brought $850,000 at auction.

The Post Office Mauritius is another printing error that happened when someone got in a hurry. The governor's wife held a ball in 1847, and the post office issued a special stamp for the invitations. Unfortunately, instead of imprinting post paid on the stamp, the sheets went out with post office printed. One of the only twelve two pennies known to exist sold in 2011 for $1.6 million U. S. Dollars.

The Inverted Jenny was the first air mail stamp. It was issued in 1918. The rare ones show the plane upside down. The mistake was easy to make at the time. The sheet of a hundred stamps had to pass through the press twice. One set was turned the wrong way on the second pass resulting in the error. It got out without anybody noticing. A block of four sold for $3 million in 2005.

The very first stamp was the 1840 Penny Black. It has the face of Queen Victoria in profile as seen during a 1827 London visit. The stamp was only circulated for one year because the background made the cancellation mark too hard to make out. It is believed that only two of these Penny Blacks still exist. One of them was recently purchased by an American for $5 million.

The Treskilling Yellow is the most sought after and expensive stamp in the world. It is a Swedish stamp that was supposed to be green, but is yellow. It was last sold in 2010 for an undisclosed amount. All the auctioneer would say is that it is more expensive than any other single stamp on the planet.

The Inverted Jenny was the first air mail stamp. It was issued in 1918. The rare ones show the plane upside down. The mistake was easy to make at the time. The sheet of a hundred stamps had to pass through the press twice. One set was turned the wrong way on the second pass resulting in the error. It got out without anybody noticing. A block of four sold for $3 million in 2005.

The very first stamp was the 1840 Penny Black. It has the face of Queen Victoria in profile as seen during a 1827 London visit. The stamp was only circulated for one year because the background made the cancellation mark too hard to make out. It is believed that only two of these Penny Blacks still exist. One of them was recently purchased by an American for $5 million.

The Treskilling Yellow is the most sought after and expensive stamp in the world. It is a Swedish stamp that was supposed to be green, but is yellow. It was last sold in 2010 for an undisclosed amount. All the auctioneer would say is that it is more expensive than any other single stamp on the planet.

These stamps may not look like much to most. Apparently philatelists are willing to pay millions for these prized pieces of paper. The history behind them, and the rarity, create the value.




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