Wednesday, June 27, 2018

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

By Peter Allen


People who collect love all sorts of things. People who don't collect, are frequently puzzled by why things like little pieces of paper fascinate others who are willing to spend incredible sums to purchase them. The fact is that there is a market for rare postage stamps, and collectors will come from everywhere around the earth for the chance to add a one of a kind stamp to their private collections.

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.

A printing error caused by the rush of a special event resulted in the Post Office Mauritius. This stamp was issued to commemorate a ball hosted by the wife of the governor. Unfortunately, when they were printed no one noticed that the stamp read post office instead of post paid. One of the twelve left was purchased for $1.6 million dollars U. S. In 2011.

The Inverted Jenny is the upside down version of the first air mail stamp. These were issued in 1918. The inversion was caused when the sheets went through the press the second time. Someone put the sheets into the press the wrong way, and the plane came out upside down. Nobody noticed when the sheets initially went on sale. In 2005 a collector 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.

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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