One sold for 400,000 in 2010 ($535,000 today). The 1987 Red Revenue, better known as the Red Maiden in the Green Robe, is extremely rare because it was produced during a phase of currency reforms. One of the best-looking stamps in the world of philately is also one of the very first ever used and the first to ever use an adhesive backing. Still, you may benefit from this predisposition if you possess a rare and valuable US stamp you wish to sell. Some stamps may be valued at just a few dollars, while others cost up to a million dollars on auction platforms. The unprecedented cost of the Inverted Jenny sold in 2018 was due to its pristine condition, as it had previously been secured in a safe deposit box for 100 years, shielding it from extreme sunlight. They include: Well extensively discuss these mediums in the successive paragraphs. (15% off), Sale Price 6.80 Today, only four Inverted varieties are known to exist. Surprisingly, little information about the stamp itself is available, but the stamp is said to be in excellent condition and one of only two known in existence. "My goodness, an armored truck pulling out from Sothebys could give some hooligans something to think about.". Basel Dove. Collect the world with these money-saving collections, Give That Collector Exactly What They Want, Make a Payment to your Kenmore Credit Plan Account. The Blue Boy went up for sale at a public auction in June 2019. Du Pont had purchased it for a then-record-setting $935,000 in 1980. Avid stamp collectors, like Mr. Buffett, have made stamp collecting the most prevalent and fascinating aspect of philately (the study and collection of stamps). Fascinating Albums and Stamp Collections from around the world that are professionally arranged and mounted. Early variations of the 1918 stamp had an orange frame, but the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing corrected most versions with a red outline, as seen above. 27. Youll see ad results based on factors like relevancy, and the amount sellers pay per click. He died in prison in 2010, and the stamp was sold by his estate. A normal 1868 George Washington stamp is only worth a few bucks. 6.80, 11.73 Hence, stamp holders auction stamps with such market appeal at significant prices. (4,734) $4.50. Lets quickly warm you up with the three most desired US stamps before treating you to the main course in the subsequent section of this piece. Oklahoma became the 46th state in 1907, and the Louisiana Purchase Exposition stamps also came out in the early 1900s, both being important events in American history. And didn't have to wait long to find out just how much it's worth now. The 1851 12d Black Empress is far from the rarest Canadian stamp, but it still commands astronomical prices at auctions. It held the award for highest price ever sold for a British Commonwealth stamp for over 20 years. This one is the only specimen discovered in an unused state. The 1869 Pictorial Issue designed a 30-cent Shield, Eagles and Flags in 1869, but they made a pretty big mistake: A few copies were printed with the flags inverted. Theyre so named because they were commonly seen in missionaries correspondence. As with many collectibles, errors tend to add value rather than reducing it. According to the Smithsonian, the flourishes around the portrait of Benjamin Franklin appear more or less complete on different stamps, due to technical difficulties while printing them. 400.00. You will also find a 10c stamp, as well as a 15c, 20c, 34c, and 80c stamp. The Belgian Congo grew out of the Congo Free State in 1908. You can order US stamps from the American Philatelic Society (APS) via mail at a selected price. Online auction and stamp-dealing platforms are a reasonable choice to sell or purchase valuable US stamps if youre employing trustworthy sites. If you're one of the more than 5million stamp collectors in the US, or just have some old postage lying around, keep an eye out for these valuable stamps. The numbers that follow SG mean nothing, however, you can learn something from the letters that follow SG. Shop & Save on 100s of US and Worldwide stamps in our monthly promo bulletins! 10. A rare 1897 10 cents-on-9-Candareen dark green Dragons and Shou stamp was auctioned off in January 2019 by Spink Hong Kong. Official" overprint was done to designate stamps only for official government usage. The word "China" on these stamps were printed with Japanese hieroglyphs. 10 - no watermark #462-480 category, link to USA 1917 Error Strip - Perf. Lot of 1 Cent Postcards Early 1900s Postmarked, Postage Stamped 1908-1927 (most 1909-1910) Some Franklin 1 c Stamps - 13 Star Flag Postmark link to USA 1847 Imperforate First Stamps #1-2 category, link to USA 1875 Official Reprints of 1847 #3-4 category, link to USA 1851-1856 Imperforate Issues #7-17 category, link to USA 1857-1861 First Perforated Stamps #18-39 category, 1857-1861 First Perforated Stamps #18-39, link to USA 1861-1862 New Designs #63-72 category, link to USA 1861-1866 Issues #73-78 category, link to USA 1867 Grilled Issues #85C-101 category, link to USA 1869 World's First Pictorials #112-122 category, link to USA 1870-1889 #134-218 category, link to USA 1870-1871 National Bank Note #134-155 category, link to USA 1873 Secret Marks #156-166 category, link to USA 1875 Continental Bank Note #178-179 category, link to USA 1879 American Bank Note #182-191 category, link to USA 1881-1882 Re-engraved Designs #206-209 category, link to USA 1883-1888 New Rates & Designs #210-218 category, link to USA 1890-1899 #219-293 category, link to USA 1890-1893 Last Bank Note Definitives #219-229 category, 1890-1893 Last Bank Note Definitives #219-229, link to USA 1893 Columbians #230-245 category, link to USA 1894 First U.S. Government Printing #246-263 category, 1894 First U.S. Government Printing #246-263, link to USA 1895 First Watermarked Issues #264-278 category, link to USA 1898 Universal Postal Union Colors #279-284 category, 1898 Universal Postal Union Colors #279-284, link to USA 1898 Trans-Mississippi Expo #285-293 category, link to USA 1900-1909 #294-373 category, link to USA 1901 Pan-American Exposition #294-299 category, link to USA 1902-1903 Definitive Issues #300-313 category, link to USA 1906-1908 Imperforate Issues #314-320 category, link to USA 1903 Issue Perf. The New York Public Library holds one of the surviving Z-Grills, leaving only one in private possession. Philately has created a special hobby, course, and source of income for a considerable number of individuals. You can change your preferences any time in your Privacy Settings. The King Edward VIII stamp is very expensive because of the fact that it was never officially released. Usually, stamps issued before the late 1900s are historically relevant and thus prized by collectors and traded at great costs. A rare, unused green and violet 24-cent stamp with an inverted depiction of the signing of the Declaration of Independence shocked auctioneer Philip Weiss when it sold for $1.2 million in 2008. This type of data sharing may be considered a sale of information under California privacy laws. Zachary Sundman, the son of the companys president, Donald Sundman, bartered the Z-Grill to stamp investor Bill Gross for a block of four Inverted Jennys worth about $3 million in October 2005. The medium you employ to purchase or auction stamps considerably determines their value and bargain price. One such stamp sold for $152.50 on eBay in May after receiving eight bids. Although the United States Post Office issued 100 of this stamp, beginning from May 10, 1918, at 24 cents, only about 86 of them can be accounted for in recent times. Few specimens exist today, and none have been up for auction since the last one sold for upward of $400,000. One of the most popular from the 1869 National Bank Note Pictorial Issue was this 24-cent stamp that featured John Trumbull's iconic portrait of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in the center. All except for one sheet, which evaded destruction. However, this rule isnt always true for US stamps, as rare models like the one-cent Z-Grill and two-cents Hawaiian Missionary are highly valued regardless of their low face values. 825.00. The 1918 Inverted Jenny tops this list as the most valuable and most famous US stamp with an outstanding value of $1.593 million based on a 2018 sale. Youll also realize the best mediums to buy and sell valuable US stamps. 11 Single Line Watermark #461, 1916-1917 Perf. The 1868 George Washington B-Grill stamp, known for the characteristic waffle-like grill on its posterior aspect, was the first of its kind. These are the most valuable stamps from around the world. In 1856, The British Guiana (now the independent nation of Guyana) post office issued the initial run of 1c magenta stamps for use in newspaper circulation. You may auction or purchase exceptionally valuable US platforms at auction houses or platforms. Read More:The Most Valuable 1 Cent Benjamin Franklin Stamp Value (Worth As Much As $3 Million USD). You may observe pictures of the B-Grill and Z-Grill for better demonstration. In 1981, the Alexandria Blue Boy was purchased for $1 million. After a long day at work, he returns home and cant help but stare proudly at the impressive stamp collection hes amassed over the years. Imagine how much that collection would be worth now! As philately readies itself for a major reveal, we look back at 10 of the rarest stamps in American history. This one was sold by Stanley Gibbons to a collector in Australia for$645,000. Since the US began producing stamps in 1847, the Postal Service has used more than 4,000 designs featuring over 800 people. Stamp collectors designate different 1851 one-cent stamps by "types" based on how finished the exterior design is, with type one being the most complete and rarest. In the first edition, there were twenty-one stamps with values up to 50 pounds. Read our Cookie Policy. In June 2019, it was publicly auctioned for $1.18 million. Before its sale in 2014, the stamp belonged to John E. du Pont, the heir to the du Pont family fortune who murdered a man in 1997 on his Foxcatcher farm (Steve Carell plays du Point in the 2014 film, "Foxcatcher"). The high bidder? Nikosstamps $5,627.46 The Benjamin Franklin Z Grill is a 1-cent stamp from 1868 created with a briefly used grill that left tiny Z-shaped indentations. This era of stamps was aptly named the Washington-Franklins Issue, and the $2 Franklin stamp was one of its few bicolored entries. Bends and creases can seriously devalue a stamp. The higher the stamps face value denomination, the greater its merit. It sold for 1,610,000 Swiss Francs in 1992, equivalent to $2,322,400 in inflation-adjusted 2022 dollars. Grilling allowed the stamp paper to better absorb canceling ink to prevent deceitful reuse. From Ancient Coins to Popular Banknotes - all with interesting stories. 10 - no watermark #462-480, 1917-19 Flat Plate Printing - no watermark #498-518, link to USA 1920-1929 #547-681 category, 1929 Commemoratives #651, 654-57, 680-81, 1929 Kansas-Nebraska Overprints #658-679, link to USA 1930-1939 #682-858 category, 1930-1931 Commemoratives #682-83, 688-90, 702-3, 1932 Washington & Garfield - Rotary Press #720-723, 1933-1934 Commems #726-29, 732-34, 736-39, 1933-1934 Imperforate Sheets #730-31, 735, 750-51, 1935 Farley Special Printings #752-55, 766a-771, 1935 Imperforate National Parks #756-765, link to USA 1940-1949 #859-986 category, link to USA 1940 Famous Americans #859-893 category, link to USA 1940 Commemoratives #894-902 category, link to USA 1941-1943 Commems #903-08 category, link to USA 1943-44 Overrun Nations #909-21 category, link to USA 1944 Commemoratives #922-26 category, link to USA 1945 Commemoratives #927-38 category, link to USA 1946-1947 Commems #939-47, 949-52 category, link to USA 1947 CIPEX Sheet (#948) category, link to USA 1948 Commemoratives #953-80 category, link to USA 1949 Commemoratives #981-86 category, link to USA 1950-1959 #987-1138 category, link to USA 1950 Commemoratives #987-97 category, link to USA 1951-1952 Commems #998-1016 category, link to USA 1953-1954 Commems #1017-29, 1060-63 category, link to USA 1954-1961 Liberty Set #1030-1053 category, link to USA 1954-1965 Liberty Coils #1054-59A category, link to USA 1956 FIPEX Sheet #1075 category, link to USA 1955-1956 Commems #1064-74, 1076-85 category, link to USA 1957 Commemoratives #1086-99 category, link to USA 1958 Commemoratives #1100-23 category, link to USA 1959 Commemoratives #1124-38 category, link to USA 1960-1969 #1139-1386 category, 1966-81 Prominent American Coils #1297-1305E, link to USA 1970-1979 #1387-1802 category, 1976 Commemoratives #1629-32, 1683-85, 1690-1703, 1978 Commemoratives #1731-33, 1744-56, 1758-69, link to USA 1980-1989 #1795-2437 category, 1981-1984 Transportation Coils #1897-1908, 1986 Commems #2167, 2198-211, 2220-4, 2235-45, 1987 Commems #2246-51, 2267-75, 2336-8, 2349-68, 1988 Commems #2339-46, 2369-93, 2395-2400, 1989 Commems #2347, 2401-14, 2416-18, 2420-29, 2434-37, link to USA 1990-1999 #2415-3369 category, 1990-1995 Transportation Coils #2451/2468, 1995-97 Flag Over Porch #2897, 2913-21, 3133, 1995-1997 Special Class Rates #2902-2912B, 1998 Special Class Rates #3207-3208A, 3228-3229, link to USA 2000-2009 #3370-4396 category, link to USA 2010-2022 #4303-5698 category, 1927 Lindbergh's Trans-Atlantic Flight #C10, 1930-1934 Winged Globes #C12, C16-17, C19, link to USA Affordable U.S. At the same time, stamps above 10 pounds were almost never used to send correspondence but, instead, were used for fiscal purposes. 11 #505 category, link to USA 1917-19 Flat Plate Printing - no watermark #498-518 category, link to USA 1917 Issue of 1908 Design #519 category, link to USA 1918 $2 and $5 Issues #523-524 category, link to USA 1918-1920 Offset Printing #525-536 category, link to USA 1919 Victory Commemorative #537 category, link to USA 1919-21 Rotary Coil Waste #538-546 category, link to USA 1920 $2 Franklin #547 category, link to USA 1920 Pilgrim Tercent. St Lucia 1863 (6d) Emerald Green SG8x Wmk Reversed Fine MM Block of 4 Scarce. A pretty set of used condition examples can be purchased for under $100.00. There were several stamps produced by the Chinese military, but the blue one was recalled due to a perplexing error. By 2019, it was worth $1.18 million. St Lucia 1863 1/2d on 6d Emerald Grn SG9x Wmk Reversed Superb MNH/LMM Block of 8 Rare Multiple. The Inverted Jenny (Courtesy of Siegel Auction Gallery) Debatably the rarest. At the time of its production, 15 cents was the standard rate to ship mail to Europe, so it was a popular price point for stamps, according to the Smithsonian. Only a few specimens exist in unused condition, and the prices they've gone for range from $150,000 to $445,000. Well begin by unveiling some memorable segments of Americas stamp history. A stamp with missing parts will be less valuable despite its availability status, i.e., even though its quite rare. As part of the same series as the Declaration stamp, this 15-cent piece features another painting miniaturized on a postal note. St Lucia 1863 (6d) Emerald Green SG8x Wmk Reversed Fine MM Block of 4 Scarce (2) 335.00. The newest stamp on this list, an eBay seller recently made $115 by selling one of these 104-year-old Franklin stamps. The '60s issue added two new political leaders - Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln. Turning off personalized advertising opts you out of these sales. Learn more in our Privacy Policy., Help Center, and Cookies & Similar Technologies Policy. 05.TRANSVAAL WOLMARAN 1900 SG5 Mint 3d purple and green type L3 handstamp . The "Error of Color" is a misprinted Sicilian printed blue instead of orange that sold for 1.8 million($2 million) in 2011. Valuable stamps can also serve as a reasonable investment outside the philatelys reputation as a fun hobby. An unusual mistake, such as a missing color, feature, or invert error due to a production or printing error, can greatly increase a stamps value. The red penny in good centering and lite cancel can be acquired for a couple dollars. Some stamps drive him through the memory lane as he reminisces about several significant moments in American history. You could also purchase a stamp with a a value of $1 or $5. Benjamin Franklin 1 Cent Used Stamps, Rare 1900s Stamps, U.S. Used Stamps, Scott 264, 279, 597, 604, 581, 552, 632 Assortment, Collection Ad vertisement by ADEsignVintageFinds. The British Board of Education didn't usually issue stamps using its popular . Seven (7) years later, the United States joined the postage stamps bandwagon, with the first US general issue postage stamps going up for sale on July 1, 1847, in New York. 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