Rare Stamps

Rare Stamps Which Have Been Sold

One of the most valuable collection of recent years was a collection that took the auctioneer two years to get through it, and philatelists from all over the world fought to obtain some of the more valuable stamps. The collection belonged to Arthur Hind, and in all it sold for about £130,000 (a huge sum in the day). Some of the stamps sold for nearly £3000 more than Mr. Hind had paid for them. So, you see, philately is not only interesting, but it is likely to prove very profitable. You may come across a very rare stamp and, in any case, your collection gains in value the longer you keep it. So stamps collected by children today, many of them could be worth ten times what were paid for them.

What makes a stamp rare ?

What makes a stamp rare you may ask. There are several qualities for stamp rarity, it maybe one of a very small issue made long ago, and perhaps only two or three of the issue can be traced as existing to-day.

The famous Blue Mauritius is a case in point. These stamps were printed with an error, as the designer engraved the words “post office” instead of “post paid” up the left-hand border that ran round the portrait of Queen Victoria. The stamps, of which there were not many printed, were mostly used in sending out invitations to a ball given by the Governor of Mauritius. Only a few of this issue still exist, and they are worth, if in perfect condition, vast amounts.