The rarest brand. The most expensive and exclusive postage stamps in the world

12.08.2019

Any philatelist dreams of having in his collection the most expensive brands the world, the cost of which sometimes amounts to millions. Not in rubles, of course, but in convertible currency. Not every collector can afford to buy a rare postage stamp for an incredible price. Only wealthy, rich people can do this.

Many people know what a postage stamp is, especially middle-aged and older people. Before the advent of the computer, mobile communications, at disabilities wired telephone communication, and when it did not yet exist, people mostly communicated with each other by sending letters to each other.

They wrote a message on paper, it was put in a special envelope, a postage stamp was stuck on it, and then the letter was sent to the addressee anywhere in the world. In correspondence, a stamp played a huge role in the world; without it, a letter would not be accepted at the post office.

Collecting some objects, things, etc. people have been interested in it for a long time. They collected collections from them and organized exhibitions. They exchanged, sold, bought them. Collecting postage stamps, match labels, postcards, etc. was especially popular.

Envelope with postage stamps

A true philatelist will not collect all stamps in a row. It's simply impossible to do. Since they appeared stamps, there are so many of them released in the world that no one can say at least approximately their number. Only a part has survived in the collections of philatelists. Rare stamps are especially valuable. What are they, and why do people chase them?

The value of rarities lies in the peculiarity and unusualness of the postage stamp. It is prestigious for any philatelist to have the most expensive postage stamps in his collection. This increases his authority among his friends and competitors. But whether it is truly rare and whether it is actually valuable remains to be seen.

By what principles can this be done?

Age of the brand.
Circulation.
Presence of typographical defect.
Exclusive story.

Marriage has become a rarity

Many years ago, would any printer, artist, or designer have thought that a mistake made by one of them when designing or printing a postage stamp could turn it into a rarity. A rare specimen, the value of which will increase year by year. If a defect was discovered, the circulation was, as a rule, destroyed, and the culprits were punished.

But at that time there were also lovers of such blunders. They hid several of these defective stamps for themselves and friends. When philatelists showed interest in them, the marriage quickly turned into a rarity, and brought good income, because good money was paid for it. There were cases when the entire defective edition was left, and it was on sale along with normal stamps.

"Holy Grail"

This most expensive stamp in the world was issued in the USA. Currently, its value is estimated at $2,970,000. This postage stamp, with a face value of B, was published in 1868. It depicts Benjamin Franklin, the first postmaster of the United States. The stamp has a waffle (a grille pressed into the back). This technique is typical for issues that were produced in the 1860s.

Currently, it is known where 2 copies of this rarity are stored. One of them can be admired in the public library, which is located in New York, and the second was purchased by a private collector at Siegel's auction in 1998 for $935,000. In 2005, this example was exchanged for the Inverted Jenny apartment block, which was valued at $2,970,000.

Sicilian color bug

In 1859, only one postal series was published in the Kingdom of Sicily. It included seven stamps. Already in 1860, in connection with the process, defective copies were withdrawn from circulation.

The smallest denomination stamp was issued in the correct yellow color. However, even it has various shades from bright yellow to orange. The price of one copy can vary tenfold and exceed thirty thousand euros.

Yellow three-skilling

The next most expensive stamp in the world is a copy issued in 1855 in Sweden. Interest in it can be explained by a color error. Three-skilling stamps in the correct tones were printed in green. However, due to someone’s oversight, a rarity arose that attracted the attention of philatelists. Currently, there is only one copy of this stamp series left. “Swedish Unique” was purchased at Feldman’s auction in 1996 for $2,300,000.

Baden color error

This rarity occupies the fourth position in the ranking, which includes the most expensive postage stamps in the world. The famous "Baden Color Error" is an example with a black design printed on blue-green paper.

The denomination of this stamp is nine kreuzers. It is one of the first series produced by the Duchy of Baden in 1851. This issue included stamps in 4 denominations, which were printed on paper various colors. Nine kreuzers were printed on a pink sheet. However, there was some misunderstanding. As a result, one of the sheets of this denomination was printed using green paper, which was used for stamps of lower value.

Four copies of the rarity have survived to this day. In 2008, the Baden Color Error stamp was purchased at Feldman's auction for $2,000,000.

"Blue Mauritius"

This expensive rarity is one of the very first postage stamps published, the birthplace of which is the island of Mauritius. In 1847, two types of these copies were printed simultaneously. One of them had a denomination of one cent and the second, blue, had a value of twice as much.

Currently, there are twelve copies of the “Blue Mauritius” in the collections of philatelists. The cost of one stamp, formed at the auction, amounted to $1,150,000.

"The whole country is red"

The “Most Expensive Brand in the World” ranking also includes unreleased rarities. One of them is the series “The Whole Country is Red.” This is a relatively “young” postage stamp. Its release was scheduled in China for 1968. In 2012, one of the copies of this series was sold at auction for $1,150,000.

"Pink Mauritius"

The original, which is "correct", uses Orange color. However, “Pink Mauritius” is of interest to philatelists. Currently, fourteen copies of this rarity are known. In 1993, the rare stamp was purchased at auction for $1.070 million.

"Inverted Jenny"

This expensive rarity was issued in the USA in 1918. The denomination of the stamp is twenty-four cents. Some sheets in this issue mistakenly show the aircraft upside down. The marriage was destroyed. However, one sheet was still preserved and went on sale. In 2007, one of the four known copies of the Inverted Jenny sold for $977,500.

"British Guiana"

Collectors gave this rarity another name - “Princess of Philately”. This brand has an octagonal shape. It was released in British Guiana in 1856.

Its denomination is one cent. The rarity was printed using black ink applied to red paper. In the center of the stamp is an image of a three-masted schooner. The rarity has a cancellation and the handwritten signature of E. White. At an auction held in 1980, the British Guiana stamp was purchased for 935 thousand dollars.

"Tiflis Unique"

In tenth place in the list of “The most expensive brands in the world” is a rarity, the cost of which is estimated at 763.6 thousand dollars. “Tiflis Unique” was issued in 1857 for the needs of the city post office. In fact, this is the first Russian brand. Currently, only four copies of the “Tiflis Unique” have survived.

The expensive ones are also of interest to philatelists. The cost of one of them, “Levanevsky with overprint,” was estimated at $603,705. There are also many rare stamps that command quite impressive prices and are coveted by collectors. This list includes the rarity “To the Stars”.

There are several types of these brands. Some of them are overprinted, while others are not. Rare are the block “Twenty-five years of station SP-1”, “Green block”, as well as “Filvystavka”. These five stamps are valued at fifteen thousand rubles.

The first Russian postage stamp was published in December 1857. It was toothless, but not at the whim of the engravers or designers, but because of a banal bureaucratic miscalculation: the punching machine arrived on site very late and faulty. Subsequent stamps were issued with the usual outline. Today, philatelists are ready to pay about 1 million rubles per copy for the first series.

State Russian stamps They were used until 1923, and after that they were replaced by USSR postal signs. Experienced philatelists know which USSR stamps are expensive and which are not of particular value. Almost all known examples of Soviet postal signs are presented at the venerable New York auction house Cherrystone, and in Russia such exhibitions and auctions are held extremely rarely and do not differ in the variety of lots.

So, let's try to figure out what the most expensive postage stamps of the USSR can be seen today, how much they cost and why they are noteworthy for philatelists and other collectors. The list will include all stamps of the Soviet era, including those from the RSFSR period.

"Cardboard"

Previously, the block was called the souvenir sheet of 1932, but thanks to philatelists, the name “Cardboard” was firmly assigned to it. This name was assigned to the sheet also because it was printed on paper with a very high density.

At the above-mentioned auction house in New York, collectors tried to find out which was the most expensive USSR stamp out of the many presented, and came to an almost unanimous decision, valuing the “Carton” at almost 45 million rubles, thereby giving it first place.

The souvenir sheet was issued in an edition of 500 copies and was dedicated to the First All-Union Exhibition dedicated to postage stamps. It took place in 1932 in Moscow, and this most expensive brand of the USSR acted as an invitation to it (photo above).

On 25 souvenir sheets there was an inscription “To the best drummer-philatelist”, and on three more there was a personalized engraving. The one that was presented to the chairman of the society was precisely what was valued at the New York auction in 2008. There was practically no bidding, because the most expensive stamp of the USSR was almost immediately bought at face value by a famous philatelist.

"Levanevsky with overprint"

The postal sign depicts the Soviet pilot Levanevsky S.A. The series was aimed at attracting public attention to the “Saving Chelyuskinites” movement. The most expensive stamp of the USSR was issued in 1935, and some copies bear the inscription “Flight Moscow - San Francisco.”

A separate series of stamps was supposed to be produced for this event, but they didn’t have time, so the corresponding stamps were put on the existing signs. In addition, in a hurry and due to the carelessness of employees, some stamps received an upside-down overprint, and the city of San Francisco was written with a small letter “f”. It was thanks to such a seemingly stupid mistake that the most expensive postage stamp of the USSR appeared.

The printing house managed to issue two sheets of stamps with an incorrect overprint, that is, 50 stamps. Today, only six copies are registered with philatelic communities. This postal sign is valued at approximately 35 million rubles.

"Consular fifty dollars"

Another very expensive postage stamp of the USSR, highly appreciated by philatelists around the world. Surely admirers literary works the Strugatsky brothers were spotted by one interesting fact regarding this sign. Charismatic character Weingarten, from the famous book “A Billion Years Before the End of the World,” showed increased interest in only two mysterious things: the “Consular fifty-kopeck piece” and the “two-kopeck piece” of 1934.

This expensive USSR stamp (photo above) was printed by order of the Soviet Embassy in Germany. It was not just a postal sign and was used for franking official letters that were transported by air from Germany to Moscow. Eight denominations of the sign were provided - from 12 to 12,000 German marks. The value was indicated by a corresponding overprint on the front side.

But all the nuances of the issue were never agreed upon with the Soviet People's Commissariat for Postal Service, so the latter issued a clear order to remove the signs from circulation and stop further reproduction. “Consular fifty dollars” (50 kopecks) is the most expensive USSR stamp of this series and has the imprint “1200 German. stamps." In total, about 50 signs of this denomination were issued, and up to today, according to philatelic societies, only 4 copies survived. The brand is valued at almost 13 million rubles.

"Airmail"

The first series of airmail and now expensive USSR stamps was issued in 1923. It depicts a flying Foker F-111 aircraft and, depending on the denomination (from 1 to 10 rubles), the color changed. The series, alas, never entered widespread circulation, because flights were temporarily suspended for the winter.

Only a few months later the sign was revalued in the spring, and the brand came into circulation with a new overprint. But the printing house made a small mistake, where one sheet from the entire batch turned out to be defective: the number “5” looks noticeably wider when compared with the inscriptions of the rest of the edition.

Philatelists were able to find about 40 pieces of substandard signs made on white and yellow paper. It was the “fat” five who were able to turn an ordinary postal sign into an expensive stamp of the USSR, turning it into a rarity. The latter is estimated at approximately 5 million rubles.

Block “Congress of Architects”

The first congress of architects from all over the Union opened in Moscow on June 16, 1937. For this event, a series of eight signs called “Architecture of New Moscow” was released. At the same time, a special block without teeth was issued, consisting of four stamps with a face value of 40 kopecks. They depicted the design of the Palace of the Soviets with the inscription of the timed event.

The block was published in a circulation of 84 thousand copies, but some sheets were without inscriptions. These are the ones that represent the greatest value for philatelists. No one can say about the exact number of such “defects,” but individual copies are valued at more than 2 million rubles.

"International Polar Year"

Another expensive USSR stamp dedicated to air travel. It was released after the 2nd International Polar Year event in 1932. The sign shows separate territory of the polar basin in the form of a map, and on the sides an airplane with an icebreaker.

The established denomination of the stamp is 50 kopecks or 1 ruble. It was used mainly for franking air mail traveling from Arkhangelsk to Franz Josef Land. The usual edition version was made with perforation in pitch 12.25. Again, due to typography errors, a very small part of the characters received a pitch of 10.5. It is these rare specimens that have become rarities, and philatelists are willing to pay almost 2 million rubles for them.

"Aspidka"

The stamp was issued in large quantities in 1931 and belongs to the series “Airship Construction in the USSR”. The sign received a denomination of 50 kopecks and an image of an airship. For some reason, the printing house changed the background gamma on the stamp and it turned out to be a slate blue color.

Before the workers noticed their mistake, the machine managed to print several sheets in this range. It is because of its color that the brand got its name - “Aspidka”. Only 24 copies of this sign appear in philatelist catalogs. As such, it was not evaluated at auctions, but some copies were purchased, as they say, second-hand for 1.5-2 million rubles.

"Limonka"

The postal sign began to be printed in 1925 in a fairly impressive circulation. During the printing of the 15-kopeck denomination, the punching equipment broke down, while others coped with their task in full. In order not to lose face and not disrupt the promised deliveries, the Goznak authorities decided to transfer everything that they had managed to do, without waiting for the remainder of the order to be printed.

That is why the circulation of “Limonka” turned out to be small, and 15-kopeck stamps were barely enough to pay off obligations to the post office. A little less than a hundred copies have survived to this day, and these are highly valued by philatelists. They are willing to pay more than 1 million rubles for each stamp.

"Be a hero!"

The postal sign was issued on August 12, 1941 by order Soviet government. The face of the brand was V. Koretsky’s poster dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. The sign does not have typographical defects and does not have any remarkable features.

The stamp is considered rare due to its rarity. During the war, a good half of the circulation was destroyed by the Nazis, fires and bombings, and only a small part has survived to this day. After the end of hostilities, the stamp was included in the list of rare postal publications by Order of the USSR Ministry of Culture. And those were not allowed to be exported abroad and sold at auctions.

By and large, such an instruction meant the confiscation of signs from the population for their further transfer to museums and state philatelic societies. The exact number of stamps that have survived to this day is unknown, as is the official auction value. On the black market they are valued at approximately 1 million rubles.

"250 years of the Battle of Poltava"

This is a stamp from an unreleased edition planned for early 1959. The sign depicts Swedish troops surrendering and throwing their standards in front of Peter I. At the head of the defeated army, Prime Minister Karl Pieper and several military leaders were clearly visible. The stamp received a face value of 40 kopecks and was made in color.

The circulation of the postage stamp has already been accepted by the commission and is ready for issue. Literally a few days later diplomatic relations relations with Sweden were successfully established, and after the visit of the country’s representative Erlander to Soviet Union Khrushchev was planning a return visit to the country.

In order not to offend diplomats and not to compromise the newly created strong relationships With this country being insulted by their defeat in the Battle of Poltava, the leadership of the USSR decided to completely destroy the finished circulation.

Officially, the postal sign went on sale for only a few minutes, after which the remains were removed from distribution points and used as fuel for open-hearth furnaces. Only 40 copies have survived to this day. At well-known auctions, the lot was valued at approximately 800 thousand rubles.

"Blue Gymnast"

The postal sign, now known as the "Blue Gymnast", was issued on the eve of the 40th anniversary of the Soviet circus. But, alas, the stamp did not make it into the general circulation. The reason for this was the abundant disagreements in the Ministry of Culture. The management could not agree among themselves on which year should be considered the founding of the circus.

Some insistently argued that 1920 was the same date, while others disagreed, providing some facts pointing to 1921. Still others believed that the countdown should start from 1934. After many years of disputes, a “compromise” date was set - 1919, so the postal sign was released only in 1979.

But philatelists and collectors of that time did not wait for everyone’s decision controversial issues and managed through some of their channels to buy back several ready-made batches stamps with an “approximate” date. Only a few dozen “Blue Gymnast” have survived to this day, with each copy valued at just over 800 thousand rubles.

Series "Space"

Postal signs from the “Cosmos” series were issued not only for Cosmonautics Day. In fact, with their help, artists reflected the history of the development of the entire aviation industry. Here we're talking about O important events that occurred in the Soviet Union: the launch of the T-5, T-7 spacecraft in 1982, space physics 1978, Phobos 1988, Grechko and Gubarev 1975, etc.

The stamps, issued in 1991, branch into several series, where each is dedicated to a particular memorable event: 75 years of P.P. Keres, the anniversary of the birth of Ulyanov, 5 years of the tragedy Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Victory Day, Cosmonautics Day, etc.

But the most expensive “Cosmos” stamps of the USSR were, naturally, considered to be those issued under Khrushchev. Philatelists are especially fond of the series depicting the Soyuz ships. Although the circulation of stamps was quite impressive, not many of them have survived to this day. Therefore, individual copies can be bought from 300 to 700 thousand rubles.

Summarizing

In addition to the issued editions of postage stamps, one should not forget about various types of tests and samples. The latter are of great value to collectors and philatelists, and also cost big money. For example, a sample of the “Hand Cutting a Chain” stamp, dated 1918 with a denomination of 1 and 2 kopecks, was valued at auctions at more than 4 million rubles.

An essay on the postal sign “Count Zeppelin” will cost collectors approximately the same amount. The sample is pasted onto cardboard with the imprint “Project/September 8, 1930.” There are many other stamps and blocks that are not included in our list, having different financial values and philatelic significance. So the above respondents are far from full list postal signs.

Prices for rare postage stamps are constantly rising, reaching several million dollars.
Collecting stamps is one of the most exciting hobbies. Passionate people meet regularly, discuss the latest finds, make exchanges and in every possible way find a way to replenish their collection. Although such an activity seems simple and useless, it can become a significant investment in the future, because prices for rare stamps are rising every year.
In most cases, the high cost of an old stamp, so desired by philatelists, is caused by a defect in its printing.

"Holy Grail" - $2.97 million

The "Holy Grail" (Z-Grill) is a 1-cent postage stamp featuring the first postmaster, Benjamin Franklin, produced in 1868. Today it has been established that there are only two copies of this brand in the world. The first is in the New York Public Library, and the second belongs to the famous American collector Bill Gross, who exchanged a quart block of “Inverted Jenny” worth $2.97 million for it.

“Sicilian Color Error” - $2.72 million.

"Sicilian color error." From the name it becomes clear that the brand has a damaged color scheme, because originally she had yellow, but for some reason a blue one also appeared, which was released in 1859. To date, only 2 such specimens are known.

“Yellow Treskilling” - $2.3 million.

"Yellow three-skilling boy." Another brand where the colors are off. Instead of the original Swedish yellow stamp, of which there were only 7, a green one was printed.

"Baden color error - $2 million"

"Baden color error." This is another rarity that is rarely found in such ratings, but certainly has a great value. It belongs to the first stamp issue in the Grand Duchy of Baden and dates from 1851.

"Blue Mauritius - $1.15 million"

"Blue Mauritius". One of the few postage stamps issued on the island of Mauritius. The date of its creation is 1847, and only 6 such copies with a denomination of 2 cents are known. In 1993, it was acquired by a consortium of Mauritian banks and businesses for $1.15 million. Today, 20 years later, its price has increased significantly, but it is quite difficult to judge exactly.

“The whole country is red” - $1.15 million.

"The whole country is red." A relatively “young” 1968 postage stamp from China was never issued and was sold in May 2012 at the China Guardian auction for 7.3 million yuan (about $1,150,000)

Pink Mauritius - $1.07 million

"Pink Mauritius". Its actual color is orange. Its remarkable feature lies in the fact that it is the first printed stamp of the island of Mauritius. The defect lies in the fact that the inscription “Post Paid” was left on it instead of “Post office”. And this is not an engraver’s mistake, but an officially approved inscription. There are 14 copies of this brand in total.

“Inverted Jenny” - $977.5 thousand.

"Inverted Jenny" An error was made during the printing of this philatelic rarity depicting an aircraft. Aircraft“Curtis-Jenny” was printed upside down, for which the printers were punished, but this is precisely why the stamps of this series are so expensive. The original cost was 24 cents and over 95 years since its creation it has grown to 977.5 thousand dollars!

British Guiana - $935 thousand