While stamp collecting is mostly a hobby for people who enjoy the history of a specific time period or country, some stamps are considered very rare and have been known to sell for millions of dollars. We are going to cover the five most valuable stamps in the world, many of which were printed with errors. Hopefully, you are as amazed as we are!
This stamp sold for $9.48 million. Initially, these stamps were made for newspaper distribution, but part of the shipment disappeared, and an emergency batch was made, which included an additional boat on the face. Stamps often get thrown away, and only one known copy of the stamp survived. It’s currently owned by Stuart Weitzman, an avid collector that designs shoes for a living. This stamp has broken the worldwide record for the highest price placed on a stamp four different times.
While not as valuable as the octagonal British Guiana Magenta, it still sold for $2.6 million. It’s significant because the stamps were supposed to be bluish-green, and a certain number of them came out yellow in 1850. Again, only a single one has been located, but there were many of them made, so you might want to keep an eye out!
Also sold for $2.6 million, this stamp is not only renowned for an error in the color of the ink but also for the preservation of the stamp. It makes sense that most stamps circulated nearly 200 years ago would have some wear and tear, but this one looks freshly printed. There are two known copies, and it briefly held the world record for most valuable stamp until the British Guiana Magenta took the title.
Sold for $1.5 million, this stamp is notable due to human error. The printer misread the order, seeing a 9 where a 6 was placed and created an entire batch with the wrong number placed upon it. Over half the stamps left were discovered at a philatelic meeting in 1894, when a father and son compared their hauls and discovered three of them at once.
While many famous stamps didn’t originate in the United States, this one did. The Jenny was an airplane printed on a stamp in 1918, but one batch of 100 was published with the biplane upside down. While there are many of these in circulation, one recently sold for $1.6 million. The fame of this stamp has also led to an increase in value of those without the error, which can sell for as much as $50,000.
