Stay current on stamp-collecting hobby news, resources and expert insight and opinion from the U.S. and around the world, delivered by Philitelic Journalist Brian Harrod
Collectors of any stripe will recognize themselves within the pages of James Barron’s absorbing book, The One-Cent Magenta: Inside the Quest to Own the Most Valuable Stamp in the World ($23.95), published earlier this year.
À la The Red Violin, Barron traces the episodic history of the penny postage issued in British Guiana in 1856 that implausibly became the world’s most expensive stamp when it sold for about $9.5 million in 2014 (auctioneer David Redden, who has sold his share of famous rare books, plays the role of supporting actor in Barron’s book). It all began with a twelve-year-old philatelist who discovered the reddish scrap with clipped corners among his uncle’s old papers. He sold it for six shillings (about $16.83 in today’s dollars, Barron informs us).
After that, the stamp had many adventures and more than a few oddball owners, which Barron, a New York Times journalist, reports with verve.
Hidden away for large blocks of time in a Parisian castle and a New York City bank vault, the unique one-cent magenta became a source of intrigue:
Was it doctored? Over-painted? Was a second discovered and quickly destroyed to bolster its value?
Barron delves into these details without getting bogged down in philatelic minutiae--readers need not have more than a passing interest in postal matters to thoroughly enjoy this book.
Hongkong Post announced today (May 29) the issue of a set of commemorative stamps on the theme of "100 Years of Numbered Typhoon Signals", together with associated philatelic products, on June 13 (Tuesday).
Typhoon signals, originally devised for the marine community, have been widely adopted for general use. In 1917, numbered typhoon signals indicating the wind direction and wind strength associated with tropical cyclones first came into use in Hong Kong for the purpose of warning the public. At first, there were only Signal Nos.
1 to 7. After several enhancements, the signals were replaced with Signal Nos. 1 to 10 in 1931.
Signal Nos. 2, 3 and 4 were used intermittently afterwards before becoming obsolete in the late 1930s. In 1956, Strong Wind Signal No.
3 was introduced. The whole numbered signal system was modified again in 1973 and this system has been used since then. The year 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the introduction of numbered typhoon signals in Hong Kong.
Hongkong Post is issuing a set of five stamps and a stamp sheetlet to commemorate the occasion.
This set of five stamps depicts the numbered typhoon signal system in use today. Each stamp features a typhoon signal, namely Standby Signal No. 1 ($1.70), Strong Wind Signal No.
3 ($2.20), Gale or Storm Signal No. 8 ($2.90), Increasing Gale or Storm Signal No. 9 ($3.70) and Hurricane Signal No.
10 ($5), all printed with Braille ink to highlight the theme. The stamp sheetlet displays the hoisting of Hurricane Signal No. 10 in the old days at the Hong Kong Observatory Headquarters on the left, and the numbered typhoon signal systems adopted in 1917, 1931 and 1973 on the right, narrating the evolution of the numbered typhoon signal system over the past century.
Official First Day Covers will be on sale at $1.30 each at all post offices from May 31.
The stamps and associated philatelic products will be displayed at the General Post Office, Tsim Sha Tsui Post Office, Tsuen Wan Post Office, Sha Tin Central Post Office and Tuen Mun Central Post Office from the same day. Advance orders for servicing self-provided covers will be accepted at all philatelic offices from May 31 to June 6.
The Landing of Columbus, which was originally released in 1869.
This stamp depicts, as the name suggests, the Landing of Columbus in North America.
More specifically, it’s a recreation of the painting of the event by John Vanderlyn, which is a fairly famous painting.
What’s exactly so special about this stamp?
Well, it was actually one of the first stamps in the United States to be printed using two colors.
In order to create this stamp, it had to be run through a press twice.
The Landing of Columbus was only in circulation for a year, and although it cost 15 cents back in 1869, today even a more used stamp can be worth over $300.
An unused inverted sample of the Landing of Columbus is capable of fetching up to $275,000.
The Declaration of Independence stamp was printed in 1869, and it is also one of the first stamps in the United States to be printed in two colors: green and violet.
This stamp cost 24 cents during its circulation, and features a recreation of the famous John Trumbull painting.
The Declaration of Independence is a highly detailed stamp, and even in relatively poor condition it is worth a few hundred dollars.
The most valuable version of this stamp, an unused sample with an inverted center, has a much larger price tag.
A tete-beche stamp is basically what you call a stamp that has two stamps stuck together horizontally or vertically, where one half serves as a flipped or mirror image of the other half.
Even in its “correct” iteration, this Buenos Aires stamp is incredibly valuable, with stamps in high condition being worth thousands of dollars.
Only one of these “error stamps” are known to exist.
There was a second stamp several decades ago, printed horizontally instead of vertically.
However, it is suspected that that stamp is no longer in existence.
A stamp, known simply as Post Office Mauritius, or Mauritius Post Office, which were first produced in 1847.
There are two versions of these stamps, one in orange and one in blue. The orange stamp would have cost you a penny, and the blue stamp would have cost you two pence.
They were originally issued by Mauritius, which was a British Colony that is now known as an independent island nation.
This stamp was one of the first British postage stamps that were produced outside of the actual country, and it’s suspected that no more than 30 of these stamps are still existing today.
These stamps are pretty famous for being some of the most rare of all time, and both of these stamps on cover sold for a whopping $4 million back in 1993.
Hawaiian Missionaries, which are some of the first stamps to ever be issued by Hawaii.
Back when these stamps were issued in 1851, Hawaii as we know it today was known as the Kingdom of Hawaii, which consisted of the islansd Hawai’i, O’ahu, Maui, Moloka’i, and Lana’i.
Hawaii didn’t deal a lot with the American mainland during this time, but the California Gold Rush and the settlement of the American West meant that mail became a much more prevalent thing.
As a result, a post office was created and these stamps were also printed, using the printing press of a government newspaper.
They originally cost 15 cents, and they were predominantly used by missionaries who were working in Hawaii, which is where the name of this stamp came from.
Today, less than 20 of these stamps are known to exist.
This stamp was issued in 1867, shortly after the American Civil War.
It belongs to a series which featured the faces of other notable old Americans, including Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. (As a fun fact, certain versions of the Abraham Lincoln 1867 stamp are worth up to $200,000 in their own right.)
Multiple stamp designs used this particular picture of Benjamin Franklin, but this stamp is the most rare of all of them.
The rarest version of this stamp features a z-grill with horizontal ridges.
An 1867 Benjamin Franklin stamp featuring this design can be sold for up to $935,000, and only a couple are known to exist.
Not everyone knows a lot about stamps, but the British Guiana one cent magenta stamp is well-known as being one of the most famous, rare stamps of all time.
This incredible stamp was originally produced in Georgetown in 1856, in British Guiana, a British Colony. British Guiana has since won its independence, and it is known more widely as Guyana, or the Co-operative Republic of Guyana.
This magenta and black stamp has a face value of 1 c, and its design features a small black ship and “Damus Petimus Que Vicissim”, which was the colony’s Latin motto.
The reason why this stamp is so rare is due to the fact that it was in such limited print.
They were originally printed as “emergency stamps” because stamps that the colony had already ordered had never arrived. it is estimated that this stamp can sell for an average of $935,000.
The Baden 9 Kreuzer Error is the most famous and most valuable stamp to ever come out of Germany, and only four known copies of this stamp exist.
What exactly is so special about this stamp?
This stamp was originally produced in Baden, a German state, in 1851. Baden 9 Kreuzer Error has a face value of 9-Kreuzer, but the thing is, 9-Kreuzer stamps were meant to be colored pink. 6-Kreuzer stamps are the ones that are supposed to be printed in green.
These postage stamps are some of the first to ever come out of Baden, and the green error version of the stamps are highly valuable.
The rarest postage stamp of all time, Sweden’s three schilling banco, also known as Treskilling Yellow. Literally only one of these stamps is known to exist.
They were produced in 1855, back when Sweden was rolling out their very first postage stamps.
The three-skilling stamp was meant to be printed in blue while the eight-skilling stamp was supposed to be printed in yellow.
These yellow three skilling stamps, then, exist as a result of total error.
Although it’s possible that many yellow three skilling stamps were produced, only one has ever been found today.
The single stamp has been put up for auction multiple times over the years, and its value currently floats at around $2.3 million, making it the rarest and most expensive postage stamp of all time.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1428284080527388&set=a.1330075460348251.1073741826.100000374286732&type=3
Get ready to see some history made at this year's U.S. Open. Golf's national championship will be contested at Erin Hills for the first time -- and a first-of-a-kind series of stamp will be revealed by the United States Postal Service. That's right, we said stamps.
The Postal Service's new "Have a Ball!" campaign will kick off at Erin Hills on June 14, the day before the tournament starts. It will feature forever stamps mimicking the look and feel of balls used in eight different sports, including golf.
According to the Postal Service, the dimple-like texture on the golf ball stamp comes from a special coating is applied during the printing process. Here's a look at all eight:....
Stamp collectors sometimes frown at what they consider gimmicky formats for stamps, but two stamp issues scheduled for release this year made me smile.
I find particularly clever the nondenominated (49¢) forever stamp the United States Postal Service will issue June 20. The stamp celebrates the upcoming total solar eclipse that will occur Aug. 21. The total solar eclipse will be visible across parts of the United States.
The stamp features thermochromic ink that is activated by the touch of a finger. The warmth of your finger can transform the image of the solar eclipse (a black disk) on the stamp into an image of the moon... ...
Experience the Canadian story through an outstanding collection of more than 3,000 stamps — every stamp that Canada has ever issued, even before Confederation!
Explore history through artifacts drawn from the Canadian Museum of History’s collections to illustrate little-known stories behind the creation of some of Canada’s most memorable stamps.
This living collection ― the only one of its kind in Canada ― expands with each year’s stamp issue, so there’s always something new to see.
If you're thinking about starting a stamp collection, or you're just interested in learning a bit more about collecting stamps and how postage stamps can become an investment, then this video is for you.
This is an introduction to the hobby of Stamp Collecting.
I show you what the hobby is, how to get stamps, how to put them in albums and I show you a little bit about how stamps are identified.
It is a nice quiet hobby that is very rewarding.
You can collect stamps by country or by a topic that you are interested in.
I have a collection of United States Stamps and I also have a collection of stamps about castles.
Collecting stamps by topic is called “topical collecting”.
I've tried listing on eBay, each stamp and realized that it's very difficult to price and valuate your stamp collection unless you've really spent a lot of time learning all the variables.
My advice on how to answer the question "Are my stamps worth anything?"
Take it to a stamp collector who know's his stuff.
That really is the best way, but that being said it does take some time and they may charge a fee, or charge a fee and then offer to purchase your collection and absorb the fee.
A Stamp collection can become valuable
British stamp dealer Stanley Gibbons has been expanding in Asia in recent years to cater to the growing number of affluent collectors.
Set up over 150 years ago, the firm has also diversified its offerings to include the sale of coins, antiques and even rare books.
The beauty of rare stamps and coins is their complete lack of market correlation, which is driven by the passion of high-end collectors spending money on their hobby
China has been one of the fastest-growing markets in Asia recently
https://youtu.be/iefKibueyJE
If you're thinking about starting a stamp collection, or you're just interested in learning a bit more about collecting stamps and how postage stamps can become an investment, then this video is for you.
This is an introduction to the hobby of Stamp Collecting.
I show you what the hobby is, how to get stamps, how to put them in albums and I show you a little bit about how stamps are identified.
It is a nice quiet hobby that is very rewarding.
You can collect stamps by country or by a topic that you are interested in.
I have a collection of United States Stamps and I also have a collection of stamps about castles.
Collecting stamps by topic is called “topical collecting”.
I've tried listing on eBay, each stamp and realized that it's very difficult to price and valuate your stamp collection unless you've really spent a lot of time learning all the variables.
My advice on how to answer the question "Are my stamps worth anything?"
Take it to a stamp collector who know's his stuff.
That really is the best way, but that being said it does take some time and they may charge a fee, or charge a fee and then offer to purchase your collection and absorb the fee.
A Stamp collection can become valuable
British stamp dealer Stanley Gibbons has been expanding in Asia in recent years to cater to the growing number of affluent collectors.
Set up over 150 years ago, the firm has also diversified its offerings to include the sale of coins, antiques and even rare books.
The beauty of rare stamps and coins is their complete lack of market correlation, which is driven by the passion of high-end collectors spending money on their hobby
China has been one of the fastest-growing markets in Asia recently
