List of postage stamps
Encyclopedia
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
s that are especially notable in some way, often due to antiquity or a postage stamp error
Postage stamp error
A postage stamp error is any of several types of failure in the stamp printing process that results in stamps not having the intended appearance. Errors include use of the wrong colors, wrong denominations, missing parts of the design, misplaced or inverted design elements, etc...
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The best-known stamps:
- Treskilling Yellow (Sweden)
- Penny BlackPenny BlackThe Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was issued in Britain on 1 May 1840, for official use from 6 May of that year....
(Britain) - Bull's EyeBull's Eye (postage stamp)The Bull's Eye postage stamps were the first stamps issued by Brazil on 1 August 1843, having face values of 30, 60, and 90 réis. Brazil was the second country in the world, after Great Britain, to issue postage stamps valid within the entire country...
(Brazil) - British Guiana 1c magentaBritish Guiana 1c magentaThe British Guiana 1c magenta is regarded by many philatelists as the world's most famous stamp. It was issued in limited numbers in British Guiana in 1856, and only one specimen is now known to exist....
- Mauritius "Post Office"
- Inverted JennyInverted JennyThe Inverted Jenny is a United States postage stamp first issued on May 10, 1918 in which the image of the Curtiss JN-4 airplane in the center of the design was accidentally printed upside-down; it is probably the most famous error in American philately...
(United States) - Basel DoveBasel DoveThe Basel Dove is a notable stamp issued by the Swiss canton of Basel. It was issued on 1 July 1845 with a value of 2½-rappen and was the only stamp issued by Basel. At the time each canton was responsible for its own postal service and there were no uniform postal rates for Switzerland until after...
(Switzerland) - Benjamin Franklin Z GrillZ GrillThe Benjamin Franklin Z Grill, or simply "Z-Grill", is a 1-cent postage stamp issued by the United States Postal Service in February 1868 depicting Benjamin Franklin. While stamps of this design were the common 1-cent stamps of the 1860s, the Z-Grill is distinguished by having the so-called "Z"...
(United States)
By country:
Canada
- Canada 12d black
- Canada 2c Large Queen on laid paperCanada 2c Large Queen on laid paperThe 2¢ Large Queen on laid paper is the rarest postage stamp of Canada. Printed in 1868, it was not discovered until 1925, and so far only two are known to exist....
- rarest Canadian stamp - BluenoseBluenose (postage stamp)The Bluenose is the nickname for a 50-cent definitive postage stamp issued by the Canadian Post Office on 8 January 1929 as part of the King George V "Scroll Issue”. Scott number is 158 with a perforation of 12...
- St. Lawrence Seaway invert
China
- Chinese Golden Monkey stampChinese Golden Monkey stampThe Chinese Golden Monkey Stamp was a postage stamp issued in China in 1980 of which 5 million copies were printed and which therefore cannot be regarded as rare but which has come to symbolise the strong market for collectable postage stamps in Asia...
- PRC 1980 Chinese zodiacChinese zodiacThe Shēngxiào , better known in English as the Chinese Zodiac, is a scheme that relates each year to an animal and its reputed attributes, according to a 12-year mathematical cycle...
stamp - Red Revenues - 1897 Provisionals
Confederate States
- CSA #10 - rarest Confederate Stamp
France
- CeresCeres series (France)The Ceres series was the first postage stamp series of France, issued in 1849 as a representation of the French Republic.The series bore the effigy of Ceres, goddess of growing plants in Roman mythology. Jacques-Jean Barre did the initial drawing and gravure...
- France's first stamp - One franc vermilion
- Black twenty centimes
Germany
- Baden 9kr blue-green error of colorBaden 9 Kreuzer errorThe Baden 9 Kreuzer Error was a postage stamp error produced by the historical German state of Baden in 1851.On May 1 of that year, Baden's first postage stamps were issued. The "9 Kreuzer Green" stamp was a color misprint of the 9 Kreuzer denomination that was printed in green instead of pink...
- Bavaria one Kreuzer blackOne kreuzer blackThe One kreuzer black, or Schwarzer Einser, was the first postage stamp issued in the kingdom of Bavaria, and the first anywhere in the territories making up modern Germany. It was issued on November 1, 1849...
- Saxony 3pf red sheet
- Saxony 1/2g on light blue paper error
- Vineta provisionalVineta provisionalThe Vineta Provisional is a German stamp made on April 13, 1901 on board the cruiser SMS Vineta. As the postal officer had not been supplied with 3 Pfennig Germania stamps, he bisected his 5 Pfennig stamps of the series and stamped them by hand with a "3 PF" mark...
- Yacht issueYacht issueThe Yacht issue was a series of postage stamps, bearing the image of the German Kaiser's yacht, SMY Hohenzollern II, that were used in all of Germany's overseas colonies. Millions of the stamps were produced and they were the principal means of postage for all German imperial overseas possessions...
Hong Kong
- Hong Kong Jubilee 1891 - first overprinted commemorative stamp in the world
- George VI - Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee 1948
India
- Scinde DawkScinde DawkScinde Dawk was a very old postal system of runners that served the Indus Valley of Sindh, an area of present-day Pakistan. The term also refers to the first postage stamps in Asia, the forerunners of the adhesive stamps used throughout India, Burma, the Straits Settlements and other areas...
- first stamps of Asia - Inverted Head Four AnnasInverted Head 4 AnnasThe Inverted Head Four Annas of India is a postage stamp prized by collectors. The 1854 first issues of India included a Four Annas value in red and blue...
- Mahatma Gandhi 10 Rupees overprinted "SERVICE"India 10 Rupees Mahatma Gandhi postage stampThe 10 Rupees Postage stamp depicting Mahatma Gandhi issued by India in 1948 is one of India's most famous stamps. A set of 100 of these stamps were overprinted with the word "Service" and provided only to the Governor General of India for his official use. This "Service" overprinted stamp is one...
- Duttia 1894 Issue 2 Annas with red seal - most valuable Indian Feudatory State stamp
Italy
- Tuscany 3-lira ocher
- Tuscany 4-crazie Lion inverted tablet - unique error
- Italy General Balbo triptych
- Gronchi RosaGronchi RosaThe Gronchi Rosa is a rare Italian postage stamp design error. It was part of a 1961 issue for the voyage of president Giovanni Gronchi to three South American countries....
Jamaica
- Jamaica 1sh inverted-frame errorJamaica 1sh inverted-frame errorThe Jamaica 1sh inverted-frame error was discovered in March 1922 at the post office in Manchioneal, a village in the parish of Portland. It is definite that an entire sheet of 60 stamps on multiple CA paper existed but only half of this sheet was sent to Manchioneal...
- Jamaica 6d abolition of slaveryJamaica 6d abolition of slaveryThe Jamaica 6d abolition of slavery was prepared for issue in June, 1921 but as a result of the prevailing political unrest and the controversy surrounding the subject the decision was made to suppress it. By some estimates 416,000 stamps were printed and sent to the island in the form of three...
- Jamaica 1956-58 £1 chocolate and violetJamaica 1956-58 £1 chocolate and violetThe Jamaica 1956 £1 chocolate and violet was a planned, but unissued, Jamaican postage stamp. The stamp's design was identical to the King George VI stamp, issued in 1949, which depicted a scene of workers rolling cigars by hand, but with the vignette image of King George VI replaced with that of...
- Jamaica human rights set of threeJamaica human rights set of threeThe Jamaica 1968 human rights stamps were a set of three postage stamps produced to mark the 1968 Human Rights year. The Jamaican postal administration approved the designs by Jennifer Toombs. Upon receipt there were objections to the look of the graphics of the hands in black and white. A new...
Libya
- "Khadafi" 1986 - ordinary set of 12 stamps; error in design; withdrawn from circulation few hours after the issue on 01.01.1986
- "Khadafi Prize" 1994 - minisheet of 16 stamps; errors in design; not released and substituted with a correct minisheet on 31.12.1994
New Zealand
- 1906 Christchurch Exhibition 1d Claret Colour – miscoloured
- 1996 Teddy Bear Health Stamp – withdrawn because it showed an incorrect use of a car child restraint. However some were sold.http://www.rpsnz.org.nz/content/teddybearpicnic.htm
- Maori Performing Arts stamps – sets of 5 stamps printed but destroyed before release after causing public offence, a very small number were sold by mistake. http://www.glenstephens.com/kapa_haka.html
- 1904 Pictorial 4d Lake Taupo invert1904 Pictorial 4d Lake Taupo invertThe 1904 Pictorial 4d Lake Taupo invert is a postage stamp error considered to be the rarest New Zealand stamp. The centre vignette is inverted in relation to the outer frame. The stamp was discovered in a schoolboy album in 1930 and no other copy has been found since then. The 4d stamp depicts...
- only one copy is known.
Philippines
- Pagsanjan Falls stampPagsanjan Falls stampThe Pagsanjan Falls stamp is a postage stamp issued on 3 May 1932, which is notable for having an error. It is part of a set of seven stamps showing places of interest and landmarks in the Philippines, at that time a United States territory...
- a postage stamp issued on 3 May 1932, which is notable for having an error.
Russia
- Tiflis stamp (Tiflis unique) – one of the rarest Russian stamp issued in Tiflis, GeorgiaGeorgia (country)Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
(1857), only three specimens known - Red Army man – one of the rarest Russian stamp (1922-1923), only 4 specimens known
- Aspidka – a very rare Russian stamp, especially if imperforate (1931), 24 imperforate specimens known
- Consular tax stamp (Consular poltinnik) – a very rare 50-kopeck Russian stamp (1922), 50-75 specimens available (estimate)
- Limonka – a very rare Russian stamp if in mint condition (1925)
- Be a hero! – the first Russian stamp depicting a World War II motif (1941), rare
- Tokyo souvenir sheet (Green block) – the first Russian numbered souvenir sheet (1964), rare
- First Russian stamp – issued in 1857
Sri Lanka
- Dull Rose - a 4 pence denomination issued on 23rd April 1859, considered the most valuable stamp of Sri Lanka
Sweden
- Treskilling Yellow - unique error, world's record auction sales price for a postage stamp.
United Kingdom
- Penny BlackPenny BlackThe Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was issued in Britain on 1 May 1840, for official use from 6 May of that year....
- world's first postage stamp - Penny BluePenny BlueThe Penny Blue is an unissued type of postage stamp of Britain. It is from a series of proof impressions which were made at the time Rowland Hill was looking at the new colours which were to be used for the stamps which were to replace the Penny Black and the original 1840 issue of the Two pence...
- Trial printings from a penny blackPenny BlackThe Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was issued in Britain on 1 May 1840, for official use from 6 May of that year....
plate - Two pence blueTwo pence blueThe Two Penny Blue was the world’s second official postage stamp, issued after the Penny Black.It was issued in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and was first sold to the public at the London Inland revenue office in the afternoon of May 8th 1840. Except for its denomination of the...
- issued for second rate step, at same time as Penny Black - VR officialVR officialThe VR official was one of three postage stamps introduced by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in May 1840 for the pre-payment of postage. While the Penny Black and the Two Pence Blue were for use by the general public, as were the Mulready envelopes and letter sheets, the VR...
- first official stamp - Prince Consort EssayPrince Consort EssayThe Prince Consort Essay was a surface printed printer's sample stamp created in 1850 as an example of the surface printed stamps that Henry Archer proposed to print and perforate under contract with the British government at a lower price than the current printing firm of Perkins Bacon...
- Penny RedPenny RedThe Penny Red was a British postage stamp, issued in 1841. It succeeded the Penny Black and continued as the main type of postage stamp in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until 1879, with only minor changes to the design during that time...
- improved follow-ons to the Penny Black - Archer Roulette - experimental separation of stamps
- Edward VII 2d Tyrian plumEdward VII 2d Tyrian plumThe two pence Tyrian plum was a postage stamp produced by Britain in 1910 as a replacement for the existing two colour 2d stamp of King Edward VII....
- withdrawn before issue, but one used - Postal Union Congress £1 stampPostal Union Congress £1 stampThe Postal Union Congress £1 stamp is one of a series of postage stamps of Great Britain issued in 1929. It is one of the classics of British philately and is considered one of the most beautiful stamps ever produced. The stamp was only the second British commemorative stamp to be issued...
See also list of British postage stamps
United States
- St. Louis Bear
- Alexandria "Blue Boy" Postmaster's Provisional - Unique, entire.
- New York Postmaster's Provisional
- 1c Z grillZ GrillThe Benjamin Franklin Z Grill, or simply "Z-Grill", is a 1-cent postage stamp issued by the United States Postal Service in February 1868 depicting Benjamin Franklin. While stamps of this design were the common 1-cent stamps of the 1860s, the Z-Grill is distinguished by having the so-called "Z"...
- rarest US stamp - Black BullTrans-Mississippi IssueBlack Bull redirects here, for the F-Zero machine, see F-Zero RacersThe Trans-Mississippi Issue, or "Trans-Miss" for short, is a set of nine commemorative postage stamps issued by the United States to mark the 1898 Trans-Mississippi Exposition held in Omaha, Nebraska...
- dollar value of 1898 Trans-Mississippi - Pan-American invertPan-American invertAs part of the Pan-American Exposition held in Buffalo in 1901 the United States Post Office Department issued a series of six commemorative stamps. The stamps were issued with ornate colored frames enclosing a black-and-white image of various means of transportation. In the standard American...
- Inverted JennyInverted JennyThe Inverted Jenny is a United States postage stamp first issued on May 10, 1918 in which the image of the Curtiss JN-4 airplane in the center of the design was accidentally printed upside-down; it is probably the most famous error in American philately...
- the "upside-down airplane" - Dag Hammarskjöld invertDag Hammarskjöld invertThe Dag Hammarskjöld invert is a 4 cent value postage stamp error issued on 23 October 1962 by the United States Postal Service one year after the death of Dag Hammarskjöld, Secretary-General of the United Nations, in an airplane crash...
- error deliberately mass-produced - CIA invertCIA invertThe CIA invert is a one-dollar value postage stamp error issued by the United States Postal Service. It is one stamp from the Americana series that were produced between 1975 and 1981. The $1 colonial rushlight holder stamp was first issued on July 2, 1979 and one sheet of 100 stamps was issued...
- modern error - Statue of Liberty Forever Stamp (2011)- largest run of an error on a US postage stamp (10.5 billion)
See also list of United States airmail stamps or Commons:Stamps of the United States
External links
- Stamp Magazine online World's rarest stamps