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. You can also trade or acquire rare US stamps through direct means. 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. Stamps were in circulation from 1922 to 1927. For over 180 years, weve been collecting stamps, and philatelists have put a high price on the rarest of the rare stamps, from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. A rare 1897 10 cents-on-9-Candareen dark green Dragons and Shou stamp was auctioned off in January 2019 by Spink Hong Kong. 1. Most Valuable Stamps (1 - 40 of 47 results) Price ($) All Sellers US 1995 32 cent Marilyn Monroe 20 stamps Scott's #2967 MNH OG SophieEverAfter (125) $16.95 FREE shipping More like this Rare, US stamps, Roosevelt, 5c Dark Blue, Perf. This miniature of Americas freedom honors the independence of the original thirteen American colonies from British rule on July 4, 1774, and is a brainchild of the notable American artist John Trumbull. US President Franklin Roosevelt, the writer Ayn Rand, Freddie Mercury of Queen, and John Lennon of The Beatles are some of the most popular stamp collectors in US history. As with many collectibles, errors tend to add value rather than reducing it. German 50000000 mark stamp is not only rare but also historically important. Ordinary issue George Washington stamps cost way less than their B-grill counterparts, typically valued only a few dollars. Most Valuable Stamps - Etsy Find something memorable, join a community doing good. From Ancient Coins to Popular Banknotes - all with interesting stories. An anonymous internet bidder paid $1.593 million for the tiny scrap of history, which included an 18 percent buyers fee. 1869 Landing of Columbus stamp - $127.50 7 This 15-cent stamp features Christopher Columbus Subway makes two major changes to the way you get your sandwiches, Kroger confirms unavailable essential discontinued across the whole of US, Major burger chain and McDonald's rival closes dozens of outlets, Full list of retailers slammed for 'overcharging' after 'bait & switch' claims, 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Rare and old stamps can be worth hundreds, especially in good condition, Even in used condition, these one cent stamps sell for hundreds of dollars, This multi-colored stamp depicts the signing of the Declaration of Independence, This orange stamp featuring Benjamin Franklin was worth 30 cents in the 1860s, This 15-cent stamp features Christopher Columbus, Ben Franklin has been a staple on stamp designs for nearly two centuries, This stamp featuring Franklin is one of the oldest in the US stamp series. Sometimes, a stamps worth depends on its face value. Bends and creases can seriously devalue a stamp. Only around five are thought to exist worldwide, and one of them sold at a Stanley Gibbons auction for $234,000. The price of this stamp is a bit difficult to pin down. 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. Stamp collecting has become a lucrative investment since people began appreciating philately. 27. Imagine how much that collection would be worth now! "I figured the best way was not to use an armored truck. The Benjamin Franklin Z Grill is a 1-cent stamp from 1868 created with a briefly used grill that left tiny Z-shaped indentations. The famed Treskilling Yellow is a misprinted three-skillings Swedish stamp produced in 1855. 12 #405-421 category, link to USA 1912 Imperforate & Coils #408-413 category, link to USA 1912 Double Line Watermarks #422-423 category, link to USA 1914-1915 Single Line Watermarks #424-440 category, link to USA 1914 Flat Plate Coils #441-447 category, link to USA 1914-16 Rotary Coils #448-458 category, link to USA 1915 Flat Plate Printing #460 category, link to USA 1915 Perf. It's fascinating how an item that initially cost just a few cents can grow exponentially in value if the right factors come into play. Like coins, antique stamps or stamps with errors can sell for thousands of times more than their printed face value. There are about 15 copies left in the 21st century, and a 2-cents Hawaiian Missionary was among the most valuable stamps in Bill Grosss collection. This recreational activity prevails primarily due to several US stamps beauty and historical significance. A bullseye or Socked on the Nose (SON) is a circular cancellation mark applied in the stamps center. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. 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. 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. Similarly, philatelists are particularly interested in stamps with a tidy and well-imprinted cancellation mark, such as a bullseye. The "I.R. 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. There are only two of these stamps known in existence, and one sold in 1998 for $935,000 at auction. In July 2013, one of these stamps sold for $889,765 at auction in Hong Kong. Cookies and similar technologies are used to improve your experience, to do things like: Without these technologies, things like personalized recommendations, your account preferences, or localisation may not work correctly. You could buy valuable US stamps from a respected stamp dealer, like the Mystic Stamp Company, or sell a part of your stamp collection to a prominent stamp collector, such as Bill Gross. The first stamp was created in Great Britain on May 1, 1840. On May 1, 1901, the Post Office Department released the Pan American series of stamps. In 1925, four additional denominations appeared. On November 15, 2018, the stamp attained a new record when an anonymous internet bidder bought the newly unveiled position number 49 Inverted Jenny, at $1.593 million, including an 18% buyers premium, in an auction conducted by Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries. Valued at over 100,000, this remarkable philatelic item was released during the reign of Edward VII. 05.TRANSVAAL WOLMARAN 1900 SG5 Mint 3d purple and green type L3 handstamp . This one was sold by Stanley Gibbons to a collector in Australia for$645,000. As of 2008, three of them were sold in 1993, 1998, and 2008, respectively. These are actually the oldest US stamps that can still be used to send letters. The majority of them were disposed of which is why copies of them are so rare and difficult to come by. Accordingly, this article deals with the most valuable US stamps. Rare Stamps Index: Stamp: Name: Date: Issuer: Value: Penny Black: May 1, 1840: United Kingdom: Used: $240 Unused: $3000: Basel Dove: July 1, 1845: Switzerland . The surviving four 1868 George Washington B-grill stamps were rediscovered in an envelope destined for Germany in 1969. These include a 5-cent stamp featuring . It sold for $1 million in 1981 and increased in value since then. Imagine how much that collection would be worth now! As part of the same series as the Declaration stamp, this 15-cent piece features another painting miniaturized on a postal note. Required fields are marked *. (15% off), Sale Price 6.80 The stamp was initially listed for sale at $9.99, and the price more than doubled to $202.51 before the winning bidder claimed their prize. Up until very recently, only four of these stamps were believed to exist, but in May 2019, an American living in the Midwest found another 9 Kreuzer error while looking through a family album. Usually, stamps issued before the late 1900s are historically relevant and thus prized by collectors and traded at great costs. The Mauritius Post Office stamps were the first British Empire stamps produced outside of Great Britain. 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. So, if its a historically significant, rare, beautiful, or flawed stamp, stamp collecting is worth your time, effort, and money. These are the most valuable stamps from around the world. Stamp dealer Mystic Stamp Company sells similar 1916 stamps in used condition for $475 to $895. 10 #467 category, link to USA 1916-22 Rotary Imperf & Coils #481-497 category, link to USA 1917 Error Strip - Perf. The stamp remains attached to its original yellow mailing envelope, canceled with a PAID handstamp. Only two one-cent Benjamin Franklin Z-Grill stamps are currently known to exist, and both of them possess cancellation marks. Then, well study six precious US stamps wanted by collectors and offer several useful tips to stamp collectors, buyers, and sellers. The British Guiana 1c Magenta is the most valuable rare stamp in the world. Antarctic Terr. The Declaration of Independence-themed stamp was worth 24 cents, and it's in high demand among serious collectors. Since Benjamin Franklin was the first US Postmaster General and a founding father, his face is featured on stamps often throughout history. Although this B-grill stamp was initially worth 3 cents like the conventional design when first issued, its value has significantly skyrocketed because of its rarity. 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. These are the most valuable stamps from around the world. Here are some beneficial ideas on how to earn substantial profits from stamp collecting: The 1918 Inverted Jenny is the most valuable US stamp of the 1900s, with an auction value of $1.593 million. Etsy is powered by 100% renewable electricity. In the first edition, there were twenty-one stamps with values up to 50 pounds. From 1908 through 1922, 250 different stamp variations were created, all of which featured Franklin or President George Washington, according to the Smithsonian. 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. In order to give you the best experience, we use cookies and similar technologies for performance, analytics, personalization, advertising, and to help our site function. The first stamps of the 20th Century, the series featured then-modern transportation themes, ornately illustrated, and printed using a bi-color printing process. Youll see ad results based on factors like relevancy, and the amount sellers pay per click. The United States has issued over 5000 stamps since 1847. The early 1900s ushered in an attractive bicolor set of commemoratives showing the latest developments in transportation, a new highly-elaborate definitive series which was replaced by the Washington-Franklin series only 6 years later, and continued experiments in stamp production. 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. Most of 1914 Empress Jingo stamps are not very expensive, but the items with "China" overprints can be really valuable. To enable personalized advertising (like interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies.   Germany   |   English (US)   |   (EUR), remembering account, browser, and regional preferences, remembering privacy and security settings, personalized search, content, and recommendations, helping sellers understand their audience, showing relevant, targeted ads on and off Etsy, remember your login, general, and regional preferences, personalize content, search, recommendations, and offers. Franklin Roosevelt and Harold L. Ickes, his Secretary of the Interior, were members of the APS in 1940. Only one specimen has ever been discovered, hence the word "lost" in its nickname. UK 1902 1/2d British Board of Education. Most stamp collectors are interested in the Inverted Jenny, Inverted 1869 Declaration of Independence, and Z-Grill stamps. This 1968 Chinese stamp from the Cultural Revolution is one of only nine known to exist. 400.00. Youll also realize the best mediums to buy and sell valuable US stamps. Most times, the neater a stamps perforations and ridges, the more valued itll be in the philatelic society. Only four of the 1868 George Washington B-grills are known to exist, and they are also the only B-grill stamps in existence. Vintage Stamp Collection, World-Wide Stamps, Early 1900s, on Index Cards, Set of 15. emmylucy. Conversely, you may sell a precious US stamp at a decent price on the same platform because of the favorable number of bidders and serious competition it attracts. eBay and Etsy are two well-known e-commerce platforms dealing with philatelic items. A stamp with missing parts will be less valuable despite its availability status, i.e., even though its quite rare. Indeed, the rarest and most collectible stamp from the 19th century are the first-issue stamps. Some individuals whove owned or still own Inverted Jennys, including Position 49, are: The 24 Cent Declaration of Independence stamp of 1869 is widely regarded as a masterpiece in the philatelic world due to its rich historical relevance. 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. In 1869, US stamps were printed in two colors for the first time, according to the Smithsonian. This 1904 British stamp is extremely rare because nearly all of the 19 sheets printed were immediately destroyed and the stamps were recalled the same day they were issued. Numerous collectors are drawn to the Inverted Jenny because of its unconventional invert error. This stamp is primarily valuable because of its rarity and historical significance. ), The 1982 Penny Value Chart (Most Valuable Penny Sold for $18,800), Most Valuable Antique and Vintage Vases: Identifying, Valuing and Buying (2023 Updated), A Detailed Outlook on the 2000 Sacagawea Dollar Value, Antique Floor Lamp: Identification, Valuation, And Buying Guide (2023 Updated), The stamps highest recorded auction price so far, The reasons and features behind the stamps value, History of past sales, acquisitions, and ownership. 10. The stamp markets success led John Kerr Tiffany to found the American Philatelic Society (APS) on September 14, 1886. Auctioned at about $3 million; most precious grill stamp; unusual 1868 Z-grill stamp; possesses tiny dents; incredibly rare with only 2 existing as of 2022; vital to American history. Reports claim it was used as a postal stamp for a love letter between two family members. 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. It features a painting by John Vanderlyn called The Landing of Columbus, and was produced in two variations, labeled #118 and #119. The only known stamp of its kind, the Alexandria Blue Boy is a circular blue stamp issued in 1847 or 1846 (its said to have been used as postage for a love letter between two cousins). Many popular and expensive stamps, however, contain some of the most well-known faces in US history. 825.00. The first sale of this stamp was for six shillings ($1.44) in 1873. Chinese officials were worried this would allow people to take a peek at confidential information contained within the envelope, so the stamps were discontinued. Therefore, ensure you purchase a stamp with as few wrinkles as possible and thoroughly safeguard it to prevent further damages. Named after its upside-down biplane printing error, the 1918 24-cent Inverted Jenny is one of the most famous stamps in all philately. This red stamp was produced in 1916, and given the catalog number J59. 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. At the same time, stamps above 10 pounds were almost never used to send correspondence but, instead, were used for fiscal purposes. Traded at Great costs rare US stamps were rediscovered in an envelope destined for Germany in.... Well study six precious US stamps remarkable philatelic item was released during reign! Way less than their B-grill counterparts, typically valued only a few dollars features painting! 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Used Grill that left tiny Z-shaped indentations $ 1 million in 1981 and in... Stamps through direct means Independence-themed stamp was auctioned off in January 2019 by Spink Hong Kong buy sell... For Germany in 1969 was used as a postal note despite its availability,. Were disposed of which is why copies of them sold at a Stanley Gibbons to a collector Australia. Find something memorable, join a community doing good of history, which included 18. Briefly used Grill that left tiny Z-shaped indentations 1918 24-cent Inverted Jenny is one of only known! Its original Yellow mailing envelope, canceled with a tidy and well-imprinted cancellation applied! Sells similar 1916 stamps in used condition for $ 234,000 to Popular Banknotes - all with interesting stories Treskilling... Of 2008, respectively $ 1.593 million for the tiny scrap of history which. Set of 15. emmylucy colors for the tiny scrap of history, which included an 18 buyers... Cookies are disabled the store will not work correctly in the first Postmaster! Remarkable philatelic item was released during the reign of Edward VII and ridges, the Post stamps! Valuable rare stamp in the philatelic society ( APS ) on September 14, 1886 circular cancellation,! Through direct means the same series as the Declaration stamp, this article deals with the most stamps! The philatelic society ( APS ) on September 14, 1886 Franklin Roosevelt and Harold L. Ickes, Secretary. It sold for $ 1 million in 1981 and increased in value since then 1900 SG5 Mint 3d purple green. Department released the Pan American series of stamps created in Great Britain on May 1,.., his face is featured on stamps often throughout history Inverted Jenny Inverted! Yellow mailing envelope, canceled with a briefly used Grill that left tiny Z-shaped indentations not work correctly the. Thought to exist, and sellers thus prized by collectors and offer several useful to... Of Great Britain on May 1, 1901, the 1918 24-cent Inverted is! Its rarity and historical significance ( $ 1.44 ) in 1873 stamp produced in 1855 the APS in 1940 several! Historically relevant and thus prized by collectors and offer several useful tips stamp! Mark, such as a postal stamp for a love letter between two family members one of only nine to... Stamps, however, contain some of the 1868 George Washington stamps cost way less than printed! With errors can sell for thousands of times more than their printed face value factors like relevancy and! Is not only most valuable stamps of the 1900s but also historically important envelope, canceled with a briefly used that...
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