Rare and Unique Pieces of History

Ever wondered what the world’s most valuable stamp is worth? You may be shocked to know that to date it has been recorded at 9.5 million U.S. dollars. Interested to know the story behind this?

The stamp which currently holds the title of most valuable in monetary terms is the British Guiana one cent stamp (black on magenta). The value of this stamp is a combination of a deep rooted history, as well as the past of its infamous ex-owner. It is fascinating to think that a piece of paper that is only 2,54 cm by 3,18 cm could carry this much value. It all started in 1856 when the postmaster of British Guiana, today known as Guyana, produced provisional stamps as a contingency stash to fill the gap while waiting for a shipment of stamps that was coming all the way from Great Britain.

The batch that the postmaster produced consisted of only one cent and four cent stamps. Today, a number of four cent stamps still exist; however, there is only a single one cent stamp remaining - the star of this article.

Let’s go back in time to relive the journey of the British Guiana one cent stamp and see how its value increased over time. In 1873, seventeen years after its creation, this stamp was discovered in a 12-year old boy’s stamp collection. Its value increased again and again as it was bought and sold by a number of collectors over the span of 107 years. Then, in 1980, the infamous John Eleuthere du Pont bought the stamp for 935,000 U.S. dollars.

The plot thickens as we explore the life story of John E. du Pont to find out the reason why he became infamous. Du Pont was a millionaire, the heir of a chemical company and lived a very luxurious and privileged life. He filled a number of roles; he was  an author, conservationist, sports patron and a wrestling coach. In 1996, du Pont was declared mentally ill after committing murder in the third degree. He shot and killed David Schultz who was a U.S. wrestling champion. This resulted in him serving a 13 to 30 year jail sentence. In 2010, du Pont died in a state prison as a paranoid schizophrenic. Du Pont’s will was contested a number of times by his family members. In it, he designated 80 percent of the proceeds from the stamp to former wrestler Valentin Jordanov Dimitrov. The remaining 20 percent he assigned to a wildlife organisation he founded called Eurasia Pacific Wildlife Conservation Foundation.

We might have deviated a bit from the star of the show, so let’s go back to the British Guiana one cent stamp and all its glory. This stamp is of high significance and incredible value. Below are just a few of the praises this stamp received.

Sotheby’s spokesman Darrell Rocha said: “The British Guiana one-cent magenta, which du Pont acquired in 1980 for 935 000 dollars, is truly unique.”

Saul Weitz of Harold B. Weitz Inc, dealers of rare coins, currency and stamps said: “It’s the Cadillac of Cadillacs in the stamp world.”

The Philatelic Record formally acknowledged that the British Guiana was “without doubt, in our opinion, the rarest stamp in the world, in its solitary grandeur.”

Since we are appreciating stamps and their rarity, here are five more valuable stamps recognised around the world.

The Inverted Jenny

This unique stamp features a Curtiss JN-4 airplane which was meant to honour the United States first air mail carrier. This stamp is rare because the plane featured on the stamp was accidentally printed upside down. The initial batch was printed way back in 1918 and was sold on auction for 1,175,000 U.S. dollars.

The Tyrian Plum

The Tyrian Plum was created in Britain during the reign of Edward VIII but ironically was released the day he died. The stamp was immediately removed. However, a few stamps were accidentally leaked into the market and were already released. These stamps are worth over 100,000 British pounds.

The Roses Error

This British stamp was created in 1978 and it is unique because there are only three remaining. Of those three, the Queen owns two stamps. The reason for its rarity is because the 13p depicting the value, was not printed on the stamps. Today, these stamps are worth 130,000 British pounds.

The Penny Black

The world’s first stamp is the the penny black, this is why it is so iconic and highly valuable. It was first issued in Britain on 1 May 1840. Penny Blacks are worth tens of thousands of pounds, they have and will continue to increase in price over time.

The Penny Red

The Penny Red is in a very poor condition, making its value 550,000 British pounds. Currently there are only nine in the world. Why is it rare, you might ask? Well, the British Post Office decided to destroy the printing plate as it was not doing a great job and was not up to scratch. One sheet, however, got into circulation.

If you are interested in the art of collecting stamps and already have a collection or would like to start the hobby, take a look at our wide variety of collectible stamps on Bob Shop. There you can buy or sell rare and unique stamps.