Over the years a certain few stamps have emerged as the most sought after objects by stamp collectors. They are…

The “Treskilling” Yellow. This is considered one of the most valuable stamps in the world. This was one of the first stamps distributed by Sweden back in 1855. They created a set of five stamps that ranged from 3 to 24 skillings banco. Each one was printed with a different color. Somehow the 3 skilling stamp got imprinted with the yellow-orange color, which is reserved for the 8 skilling stamp. Speculation is that a plate may have gotten damaged and the wrong plate was substituted for it. The end result is that this error was never caught and shortly after distributing these stamps, Sweden changed their currency and printed out new stamps depicting the new currency. A collector found a 3 skilling stamp with the orange-yellow color and realized that he had a find. After a number of years went by with many collectors searching specifically for this particular stamp, it was realized that this one found in the attic might have been the only surviving stamp of its kind. At this point the value of this stamp rose dramatically. Each consecutive time this Treskilling Yellow stamp has been sold, it has set records on the amount of money exchanged for it.

The Penny Black. This stamp holds the title of being the first official postal stamp to be used. It was issued by Great Britain in 1840. There’s suggestion that adhesive stamps have been used as far back as Greece as a system for postal delivery but the Penny Black was the first official one designed for a prepaid postal system. It’s was only used for a short period of time and printed from 11 different plates. It was switched over to the Penny Red when it was discovered that it was difficult to see a red cancellation stamp over a black. Some found that the red stamp was relatively easy to remove from the stamp also. So it was switched. The Penny Black is not a rare stamp. There were millions printed and put into circulation during that year. Additionally at that time many would write letters fold them and put the stamp directly onto the letter itself for mailing rather than use envelopes. As a result of this many of the stamps are still preserved along with the letters. The only reason this stamp is one of the most desired piece to own among collectors is due to its position of being the first official stamp. Because of this, one can expect to pay a good amount for owning one.

The Basel Dove. The world’s first stamp to be printed using three different colors. This stamp was printed by a canton of Basel. They didn’t have an official postal system until a few years later. Each canton was deemed responsible for their own mail service and Basel was among the first to issue prepaid stamps.