Some Of The Rare Postage Stamps That Get Serious Collectors Excited

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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.

One example of a printing error creating a rare stamp is Britain's olive colored Queen Victoria's head. This stamp was printed in 1864 in Hong Kong. It was meant to be grayish brown. By mistake fifty-two sheets were printed olive. The original stamps sold for ninety-six cents Hong Kong. In 2012 a block of four sold for almost six point five million dollars Hong Kong.

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.

Mistakes happen when people get in a hurry. The Post Office Mauritius is a good example of this. In 1847 the wife of the governor of Mauritius was planning a ball. The post office had a special stamp issued just for the occasion. The stamp was used on the invitations, but instead of saying postage paid, the stamp read post office. In 2011 one of these twelve two pennies left sold for $1.6 million dollars.

Even non-collectors will recognize the Inverted Jenny. This was the very first air mail stamp issued. The ones that are rare show the plane upside down. This mistake was not hard to make because the stamped sheets had to be fed manually through the press twice. A set of sheets were fed through the wrong way, resulting in an inverted plan. In 2005 someone bought a block of four for $3 million.

The 1840 Penny Black was the first stamp ever made. It shows Queen Victoria as she appeared in 1837. This stamp was only used for a year because the cancellation mark was too hard to see. Only two of them are known to be left. An American businessman bought one of them recently 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.

It might be hard for some to see the wisdom of paying millions for a tiny piece of paper. For philatelists, who have the money and means, a rare stamp is a prize. There is no telling what another enthusiast will be willing to pay in the future.




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