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FAMOUS
STAMPS
Over the years a certain few stamps have emerged as the most
sought after objects by stamp collectors. They are…
The “Treskilling” Yellow.
This is
considered one of the most valuable stamps in the world. This was
one of the first stamps distributed by Sweden back in 1855. They
created a set of five stamps that ranged from 3 to 24 skillings
banco. Each one was printed with a different color. Somehow the 3
skilling stamp got imprinted with the yellow-orange color, which
is reserved for the 8 skilling stamp. Speculation is that a plate
may have gotten damaged and the wrong plate was substituted for
it. The end result is that this error was never caught and shortly
after distributing these stamps, Sweden changed their currency and
printed out new stamps depicting the new currency. A collector
found a 3 skilling stamp with the orange-yellow color and realized
that he had a find. After a number of years went by with many
collectors searching specifically for this particular stamp, it
was realized that this one found in the attic might have been the
only surviving stamp of its kind. At this point the value of this
stamp rose dramatically. Each consecutive time this Treskilling
Yellow stamp has been sold, it has set records on the amount of
money exchanged for it.
The Penny Black.
This
stamp holds the title of being the first official postal stamp to
be used. It was issued by Great Britain in 1840. There’s
suggestion that adhesive stamps have been used as far back as
Greece as a system for postal delivery but the Penny Black was the
first official one designed for a prepaid postal system. It’s was
only used for a short period of time and printed from 11 different
plates. It was switched over to the Penny Red when it was
discovered that it was difficult to see a red cancellation stamp
over a black. Some found that the red stamp was relatively easy to
remove from the stamp also. So it was switched. The Penny Black is
not a rare stamp. There were millions printed and put into
circulation during that year. Additionally at that time many would
write letters, fold them and put the stamp directly onto the
letter itself for mailing rather than use envelopes. As a result
of this many of the stamps are still preserved along with the
letters. The only reason this stamp is one of the most desired
piece to own among collectors is due to its position of being the
first official stamp. Because of this, one can expect to pay a
good amount for owning one.
The Basel Dove.
The
world’s first stamp to be printed using three different colors.
This stamp was printed by a canton of Basel. They didn’t have an
official postal system until a few years later. Each canton was
deemed responsible for their own mail service and Basel was among
the first to issue prepaid stamps.
Original Article Source:
http://www.RareStamp.com |
