This article focuses on the top ten rarest stamps issued in the UK over different time periods. They are the most famous and most popular brands that are collected around the world. This article will introduce you to the most valuable and rare stamps that every ardent collector desires.
1. British pink Guiana, 1856 (British Guiana 1-Cent Magenta)US $ 9.5 million
For a long time, the 1856 one-cent British Guiana was considered the rarest and most expensive brand in the world. In 1856, the former colony of British Guiana urgently demanded an additional supply of stamps and could not wait for a new supply to arrive from England, where stamps were usually produced. The Postmaster of British Guiana has asked the publishers of the Georgetown Official Gazette to print a backup for local use. Rough looking designs were printed on one cent and four cent denominations. The one-cent stamps were for newspapers, while their four-cent counterparts were for the mail.
The drawings here were printed in black ink on poor quality pink paper. They depicted a sailing ship, the inscription "Black Guiana" and the colony's motto in Latin "Damus Petimus que Vicissim" ("We give and we hope to receive in return"). The stamp has a rectangular shape with cut corners, which makes it look like an octahedron. Each sample was signed by a postal worker as a security measure against possible counterfeiting. However, the production of stamps was soon stopped. In 1873, a twelve-year-old Guinean boy found such a stamp in an attic, dated April 4, 1856, and bearing the initials "E.D.W" Later, he sold the stamp to N.R. McKinnon, a local collector, for a very small price. Through the years, the uniqueness of this brand has raised a fuss in philatelic circles, since since then not a single copy has been found. In 1980 it was sold to John Dupont for a high price of 935 thousand dollars. British Pink Guiana was sold in New York for $ 9.5 million at Sotheby's in June 2014.
2. Penny BlackUSD 5 million
Penny Black is one of the most interesting stamp collectors, noteworthy for being the first in the world to use an adhesive lining. This unique philatelic specimen was created in 1840. The stamp was priced at one cent and featured a profile of Queen Victoria on a black background. The "Black Penny" stamps have an interesting feature: each face was cut by hand, which led to severe irregularities in shape. Since stamps were produced in huge numbers, many Black Pennies exist to this day, making them a great first purchase for anyone interested in starting a collection of rare British stamps. Although "Black Penny" is not a rare stamp, many philatelists want one in their collection because of its historical significance. Only two pieces of the first edition have been found now, and they are treated like a real treasure. Several years ago, a wealthy businessman bought a copy at an auction for $ 5 million.
3. The Two Penny Blue, 1841USD 4 million
The 1840 Blue Twopence is a rare British stamp that was issued after the Black Penny. It is considered the second official postage stamp in the world. It was officially released in May 1840 and looked the same as the Black Penny, but with a blue background instead of black. While both brands look fairly similar, the Blue Twopence is rarer and more valuable, with a price increase of up to 5 times over the past 10 years. The specificity of this instance is that the brand does not have the name of the country - this makes the brand more interesting and expensive. One of the Blue Penny designs sold for nearly $ 4 million in 1993.
4. Penny Red495 thousand pounds sterling
Penny red is considered the longest-used brand in the UK. The stamp achieved the success of Penny Black and was published in 1841. The color of Penny Black was changed due to the difficulty of visibility of the cancellation mark on the stamp. The black cancellation mark was easier to see against the red Penny Red background. The incredibly rare Penny Red has become the UK's second most valuable stamp after being sold to an unnamed British collector for $ 495,000. The rarest and most expensive variation of the Red Penny is a sheet of seventy-seven Red Pennies that date from 1863. This seventy-seven Red Penny sheet is very interesting in the fact that it shouldn't have existed. The stamps were created, but the post office never sold them after they were considered to be of inferior quality.
5. Sixpense Dull pale purple, 1904 (6d Pale Dull Purple)£ 400
This brand, also known as I.R. Official, was discontinued almost immediately after it was released (March 14, 1904). It is often referred to as Britain's rarest brand. It is so special because it was issued on the same day as the decree removing all official stamps from the press. It is believed that only 19 sheets of stamps were issued and that they were all destroyed when official printing was discontinued. This rare stamp was sold by Stanley Gibbons for £ 400,000.
6. The Tyrian PlumUSD 159,500
Tyrian Plum is one of the rarest brands, with a value of over £ 100,000. It was issued during the reign of King Edward VII to replace the two-tone twopence stamp with the king's profile. Most of the stamps were destroyed and immediately decommissioned due to the unexpected death of the ruler in May of that year. Only a tiny fraction of them made it to the market, and only 12 known examples remained intact. This is the reason why Tyrian Plum stamps are so rare and valuable. This stamp was sold from the Chartwell collection for $ 159,500.
7. Rose error, 1978 (The Roses error stamp)US $ 118.317
The Rose Bug 13p stamp was issued in 1978. The peculiarity of this stamp is that its face value was not printed on three stamps in this series. The reason for this error is unknown. This defect was noticed even before the publication of the stamps, and all copies had to be destroyed. Thus, there are only three Rose Bug marks left in the world. Two of them are owned by the Queen, and the third was bought by an anonymous collector in 2015 at Stanley Gibbons for $ 118,317. Defective stamps are in great demand among collectors as they are very rare and valuable.
8. Sample Prince Consort (Prince Consort Essay)40 thousand pounds sterling
Proba Prince Consort stamps from 1850 are among the most sought-after and expensive British stamps. This makes them out of the reach of ordinary collectors. The stamps were issued in 1851. They were designed by artist Robert Edward Branston, who used engraving by Samuel William Reynolds. The 12 Prince Consort samples have an exceptional characteristic: the samples were printed in red, red-brown, black and blue colors. The 25 stamps stamped by Archer are insanely rare. Most of all stamps are unstamped and one such specimen is on display in the Royal Stamp Collection. Today the price of the sample is approximately 40 thousand pounds sterling.
9. One-pound brown-lilac stamp, 1884 (1-pound brown-lilac stamp)25 thousand pounds sterling
The 1884 one-pound mauve stamp is the rarest Victorian edition stamp, which has generated a lot of collector's interest in it.The peculiarity of this brand is that it has its own original adhesive - a key factor in determining its value. A rare one-pound stamp from 1884 with a watermark in good condition costs over £ 25,000. These stamps were expensive even when they were first printed, and their prices were higher than the wages of the average worker. Today, the 1884 one-pound mauve mark is considered to be one of the most curious stamps ever produced.
10. Postal Union Congress 1-pound stamp£ 2,700
This brand is considered the most beautiful British brand ever produced. Published in 1929, it was only the second British commemorative stamp. The first were British postage stamps "Imperial Exhibition" 1924-25. This stamp was issued to commemorate the 1929 Postal Union Congress in London. Designed by Harold Nelson, the stamp design features a sophisticated drawing of St George and the dragon, accompanied by a portrait of King George V. Today, the stamp is valued at around £ 2,700.
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