The 3 Highest Priced Postages In The Stamp Collecting World

In the fascinating world of stamp collecting, the collectible status of a particular postage stamp is determined by its value, and value is determined by rarity. The rarer the postage stamp is, the higher the price it will command.

Hence, stamp collectors from all over the world are on a constant crusade to find and acquire the rarest stamps of today. Not only will such postage stamps become the crowning glory of their collection, not only will the possession of the same provide a very rewarding experience, but the fact that such rare stamps will only fetch higher values as the years go by could only mean promising things for enterprising hobbyists.

So, which of the hundreds of thousands of stamps that have been published in the past 4 centuries can be considered as the rarest of the rare in the stamp collecting industry?

Here's a list of the 3 rarest and most valuable postage stamps of today straight from prominent stamp collecting databases.

Sweden Three Skilling Banco, Yellow, 1855 Stamp

1. Sweden Three Skilling Banco, Yellow, 1855. Published 15 years after the very first postal stamp was introduced to the world, the Sweden Three Skilling Banco, though commanding a fair price in today's market, isn't really what we can consider as a "big game." Rather, it's its yellow counterpart - a printing error - that stamp collecting hobbyists are going ga-ga about. Fetching the highest price for a stamp at $2.3 million, one thing is certain about this particular stamp: only one person can ever own it. All indications point to the conclusion that this stamp is unique, and there is exists nothing like it in every nook and cranny of stamp collecting.

Post Office Mauritius, 1847 Postage Stamp

2. Post Office Mauritius, 1847. Published by the British colony of Mauritius as the very first stamp it has ever issued, this piece of collectible fetches an average of $600,000 not because of its historic significance, but because of another printing error. There are 2 types of this stamp, one is a 1 penny stamp, and the other is a 2 pennies stamp. It is said that 200 copies of both stamps bear the words "Post Office" instead of the mark "Post Paid." Though 200 copies were erroneously distributed, only a handful ever saw light in the stamp collecting world. In 1993, these 2 stamps bearing the same error were sold for a whopping $3.8 million.

U.S. Franklin Z-Grill, 1867 Postage Stamp

3. U.S. Franklin Z-Grill, 1867. In 1867, a new technology was introduced to stamp publishing: the Z-grill. It was discovered that during such period, many people actually cheated the requirement of paying for postage stamps by using old ones and erasing the ink mark. The Z-grill was supposed to make the stamp absorb the ink in a more effective way that will render its cancellation impossible. The cost of production for canvasses with Z-grills, however, was deemed impractical as it will cause a significant increase in postal fees. However, several copies of the U.S. Franklin stamp, which used the Z-grill canvasses, were released. Only 2, however, are known to the stamp collecting community, both of which fetched an average of @ 930,000.

The stamp collecting values of these rarities are sure to rise even further in the coming years. This is testament to the established nature of the postage stamp collecting industry and the timeless appeal and significant postal history of these collectibles.

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The 3 Highest Priced Postages In The Stamp Collecting World