This is a list of postage stamps that are especially notable in some way, often due to antiquity or a

postage stamp error In philately, errors, freaks, and oddities (EFO) collectively refers to the wide variety of mistakes that can happen in the production of postage stamps. It encompasses everything from major design errors to stamps that are just poorly printed and ...

. Among the best-known stamps are: *

Penny Black The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was first issued in the United Kingdom (referred to in philatelic circles as Great Britain), on 1 May 1840, but was not valid for use until 6 May. ...

(Great Britain) *

Treskilling Yellow The "Treskilling" Yellow, or three schilling banco error of color ( sv, Gul tre skilling banco, literally "yellow three skilling banco"), is a Swedish postage stamp of which only one example is known to exist. This stamp was cancelled at Nya Kopp ...

(Sweden) * Bull's Eye (Brazil) *

British Guiana 1c magenta The British Guiana 1c magenta is regarded by many philatelists as the world's most famous rare stamp. It was issued in limited numbers in British Guiana (now Guyana) in 1856, and only one specimen is now known to exist. It is the only major p ...

Mauritius "Post Office" Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...

Inverted Jenny The Inverted Jenny (also known as an Upside Down Jenny, Jenny Invert) is a 24 cent 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 is printed upside-down; it is ...

(United States) *

Basel Dove The Basel Dove (Basel German: ''Basler Dybli'', ) is a notable stamp issued by the Switzerland, Swiss Basel (canton), canton of Basel on 1 July 1845Hertsch, Max. ''Famous Stamps of the World''. Berne: Hallwag Ltd., 1968, p.12. with a value of 2� ...

(Switzerland)

Current political entities

Austria

Red Mercury Red mercury is purportedly a substance of uncertain composition used in the creation of nuclear weapons, as well as other weapons systems. Because of the great secrecy surrounding the development and manufacturing of nuclear weapons, there is no ...

– newspaper stamp

Belgium

* Leopold with the Epaulettes (1849) *

Inverted Dendermonde The Inverted Dendermonde is a Belgian postage stamp, issued in 1920. Its catalogue number is: *124F ( Michel catalog). *139a (Scott catalog). *182A ( Yvert catalog) *182A-Dr ( Officiële Postzegelcatalogus van België) Background Th ...

(1920)

Bermuda

Perot provisional Perot may refer to: People * Ross Perot (1930–2019), United States business leader and presidential candidate * H. Ross Perot, Jr. (born 1958), United States businessman and son of Ross Perot * Alfred Pérot (1863–1925), French physicist * ...

Brazil

* Bull's Eye * Goat's Eye

Canada

Canada 12d black Canada 12d black or The Black Empress of Canada is the rarest Canadian postage stamp, issued in 1851. The 12- pence stamp shows the portrait of Queen Victoria and is the third stamp issued by the province. History In 1851, the Province of Canad ...

Canada 2c Large Queen on laid paper The 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 three have been found, all used. Many more could exist as at least one sheet must have been printed, and po ...

– Rarest Canadian stamp *

Bluenose ''Bluenose'' was a fishing and racing gaff rig schooner built in 1921 in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada. A celebrated racing ship and fishing vessel, ''Bluenose'' under the command of Angus Walters, became a provincial icon for Nova Scotia and ...

* St. Lawrence Seaway invert *Canada Scott 10 – 6d Deep Reddish Purple Pence 1857 *Canada Scott 13 – 6d Perforated Pence 1859 *Canada Scott 40e – Ten Cent Small Queen Pale Milky Rose Lilac First Montreal Printing 1874

China

Red Revenue The Red Revenues () are Qing dynasty Chinese revenue stamps that were overprinted (surcharged) to be used as postage stamps in 1897. Their limited number, fine design and the intaglio (printmaking), intaglio process made the stamps in this series ...

s – 1897 provisionals, issued by the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

Big Dragon stamp Big or BIG may refer to: * Big, of great size or degree Film and television * ''Big'' (film), a 1988 fantasy-comedy film starring Tom Hanks * '' Big!'', a Discovery Channel television show * ''Richard Hammond's Big'', a television show present ...

– the first official Chinese stamps, issued by the Qing dynasty * The Whole Country is Red – 1968 design error stamp *

Golden Monkey stamp The Golden Monkey Stamp or Gēngshēn Monkey is a postage stamp issued in China in 1980 of which 5 million copies were printed. Although not rare, the stamp has come to symbolise the strong market for collectable postage stamps in Asia. Demand f ...

– 1980

Chinese zodiac The Chinese zodiac is a traditional classification scheme based on the lunar calendar that assigns an animal and its reputed attributes to each year in a repeating twelve-year cycle. Originating from China, the zodiac and its variations remain ...

stamp

Hong Kong

Hong Kong Jubilee 1891 Hong may refer to: Places *Høng, a town in Denmark *Hong Kong, a city and a special administrative region in China *Hong, Nigeria *Hong River in China and Vietnam *Lake Hong in China Surnames *Hong (Chinese name) *Hong (Korean name) Organiz ...

– First overprinted commemorative stamp in the world ( Commons Image) *

George VI - Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee 1948 George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Preside ...

Finland

Finland Zeppelin "1830" Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothn ...

Finland 20k black stamped envelope Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothn ...

– Most valuable postal stationery

France

Ceres Ceres most commonly refers to: * Ceres (dwarf planet), the largest asteroid * Ceres (mythology), the Roman goddess of agriculture Ceres may also refer to: Places Brazil * Ceres, Goiás, Brazil * Ceres Microregion, in north-central Goiás ...

– France's first stamp *

One franc vermilion 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...

Black twenty centimes Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have ...

Germany

* Baden 9 Kreuzer error – stamp printed on blue-green instead of pink paper *

One kreuzer black The 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 1 November 1849. 832,500 copies were printed on handmad ...

– issued 1849 in Bavaria, first German postage stamp *

Sachsen 3 Pfennige red The Sachsen 3 Pfennige red, commonly called ''Sachsendreier'', issued on 29 June 1850 and valid from 1 July 1850 until 31 December 1867, was the first postage stamp of the Kingdom of Saxony, making Saxony the second among the German States (after ...

– Saxony was the second German state to issue postage stamps * Saxony 1/2g on light blue paper error *

Vineta provisional The Vineta Provisional (german: Vineta-Provisorium) is a German postage stamp made on 13 April 1901 on board the cruiser SMS ''Vineta''. The postal officer had not been supplied with 3 Pfennig Germania stamps, so he bisected his 5 Pfennig sta ...

– an unauthorized issue *

Yacht issue The Yacht issue was a series of postage stamps, bearing the image of German Kaiser's yacht, '' SMY Hohenzollern II'', that were used in all of Germany's overseas colonies. Millions of stamps were produced and they were the principal means of po ...

– a common design of postage stamps for the German colonies

Greece

* "Solferino" – Large Hermes head of 40 lepta, lilac-rose on greenish paper (1871) –

image An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...

Honduras

* – Black airmail overprint (two currently known)

India

Scinde Dawk Scinde Dawk was a postal system of runners that served the Indus Valley of Sindh, an area of present-day Pakistan. The term also refers to the first adhesive postage stamps in Asia, the forerunners of the adhesive stamps used throughout India, ...

– First stamps in Asia *

Inverted Head Four Annas Inverse or invert may refer to: Science and mathematics * Inverse (logic), a type of conditional sentence which is an immediate inference made from another conditional sentence * Additive inverse (negation), the inverse of a number that, when a ...

Indian 10 Rupee Mahatma Gandhi postage stamp The 10 Rupees Postage stamp depicting Mahatma Gandhi, issued by India in 1948, is one of India's most famous stamps. On 15 August 1948, on the occasion of the first anniversary of India's Independence Day, Gandhi was honored as the first Indian ...

– Mahatma Gandhi 10 rupees stamp overprinted "SERVICE" * Duttia – 2 annas with red seal (1894?), a possibly unique Indian Feudatory State stamp

Ireland

1935 Irish 2d coil stamp The Rare 2d Coil was an experimental vertical coil stamp, denominated 2d, issued by the Irish Post Office in 1935 and is one of the scarcest, and most valuable, Irish stamps. It is often referred to by stamp collectors simply as "Scott 68b" or ...

Italy

* Tuscany 3-lira ocher * Tuscany 4-crazie Lion inverted tablet – Unique error *

Italy General Balbo triptych Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the Italy (geographical region) ...

Gronchi Rosa The Gronchi Rosa is a rare Italy, Italian postage stamp design error showing outdated country boundaries between Peru and Ecuador. It was one of the stamps of a 1961 issue for the voyage of president Giovanni Gronchi to three South American count ...

Jamaica

* Jamaica 1 shilling inverted-frame stamp error *

Jamaica 6d abolition of slavery postage stamp The Jamaica 6d abolition of slavery postage stamp was prepared for issue in June 1921 but cancelled shortly before issue due to political unrest and the controversial subject matter. By some estimates, 416,000 stamps were printed and sent to the ...

* Jamaica 1956-58 £1 chocolate and violet *

Jamaica 1968 human rights stamps The 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 t ...

Japan

* Japan 500m Dragon invert

Libya

* "Khadafi" 1986 – Ordinary set of 12 stamps; error in design resulted in its withdraw from circulation hours after being issued on 1 January 1986 * "Khadafi Prize" 1994 – Minisheet of 16 stamps; errors in design resulted in them not being released and instead substituted with a correct mini sheet on 31 December 1994

Malta

* Halfpenny Yellow (1860–84) – Malta's first stamp * Saint Paul 10s black (1919) – one of Malta's rarest stamps *

Melita issue The Melita issue is a series of dual-purpose postage and revenue stamps issued by the Crown Colony of Malta between 1922 and 1926, depicting the national personification Melita. They were commemorative stamps since they celebrated the islands ...

(1922–26) – stamp issue commemorating Malta's self-government

Mauritius

* Mauritius "Post Office" stamps

The Netherlands

Wilhelmina 5 cent orange Wilhelmina may refer to: *Wilhelmina (given name), a given name and list of people with the name People * Wilhelmina of the Netherlands (1880–1962), Queen of the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1890 to 1948 * Wilhelmine Amalie of Brunswick (1673 ...

(1891) – Creation of Carl Gietzelt, an employee of Joh. Enschedé; mentioned in NVPH as 35f.; 24 are known to exist, 10 are used of which 3 on cover * 7½ cent dark violet, syncopated type D (1927) – Three-hole, four-sided interrupted perforation

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, though a number were still sold * Maori Performing Arts stamps – Sets of five stamps printed but destroyed before release, after causing public offense (with a very small number sold by mistake)glenstephens.com
/ref> * 1904 Pictorial 4d Lake Taupo invert – Only one copy known

Romania

* Moldavian Bull's Heads – Issued by the principality of Moldavia in 1858

Russia

Russian Empire

* (Tiflis unique) (1857) – One of the rarest Russian stamps, issued in

Tiflis Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

; only three specimens known * First stamp of the Russian Empire (1857) * (1908) – A very rare Russian stamp; 15–20 specimens may exist

RSFSR

* (1922) – A rare 50-kopeck Russian consular tax stamp with Air Post and 1,200m overprint; estimated 50–75 specimens in existence; overprint type IV occurs only twice per setting of 25, hence only four can exist * R.S.F.S.R. Definitives tête-bêche block (1922) – 7,500-ruble blue, horizontal watermark, gutter tête-bêche block of four; possibly unique *

70r Red Army Soldier error The 70r Red Army Soldier error or RSFSR 70r error of 1922 is one of the rarest postage stamps issued by Soviet Russia. Due to the double printing error, one cliché of the imperforate 25- stamp sheet has a 70-ruble value instead of the correct 10 ...

(1922) – 70-ruble perforated 12.5 or imperforate orange red error; position 72 in part of the issue; 4 imperforate specimens known

Soviet Union

* Soviet Air Post "Wide 5" surcharged (1924) – A surcharge of 10 kopecks on 5-ruble green type II, basic stamp wide "5", complete pane of 25; unique * (1925) – 15-kopeck yellow, "Peasant",

Gold Standard issue The Gold Standard issue or Small Head issue was the first definitive series of postage stamps issued by the Soviet Union between 1923 and 1927. The stamps were designed by Ivan Shadr. History The RSFSR Government re-issued definitive stamps w ...

, if in mint condition * (1931) – A very rare Soviet stamp, especially if imperforate; 24 imperforate specimens known * (1932) – "All-Soviet Philatelic Exhibition" in Moscow, souvenir sheet of four on thick card, with three line overprint "To the best shock worker of the All Russian Philatelic Society – President of the Moscow Philatelic Organization E.M. Nurk"; 25 were issued * (1935) – San Francisco inverted surcharge with small Cyrillic "f"; possibly unique (see also '' Overprint#Commemorative overprints'') * (1964) – Plate error (asymmetric star) of the first Soviet numbered Tokyo Olympic souvenir sheet

South Africa

* Cape 4d black Triangle * Cape 4d red error of color

Sweden

– Unique error, world's record auction sales price for a postage stamp

Switzerland

* Double Geneva *

Zurich 4 and 6 The Zürich 4 and 6 were the first postage stamps issued in continental Europe, on 1 March 1843. Both were inscribed "Zürich" at the top. The 4-rappen A Rappen (pl. Rappen) originally was a variant of the medieval Pfennig ("penny") coin ...

Trinidad

* Lady McLeod private local post

Uganda

Uganda Cowries The Uganda Cowries, also known as the Uganda Missionaries, were the first adhesive postage stamps of Uganda. Because there was no printing press in Uganda, the stamps were made on a typewriter by the Rev. E. Millar of the Church Missionary Societ ...

– The first stamps of Uganda, typewritten

United Kingdom

– World's first postage stamp *

Penny Blue {{Infobox rare stamps , common_name = Penny Blue , image = Onepennyblue.jpg , country_of_production = United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , location_of_production = London , date_of_producti ...

– Trial printings from a

penny black The Penny Black was the world's first adhesive postage stamp used in a public postal system. It was first issued in the United Kingdom (referred to in philatelic circles as Great Britain), on 1 May 1840, but was not valid for use until 6 May. ...

plate *

Two pence blue The Two Penny Blue or The Two Pence Blue was the world's second official postage stamp, produced in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and issued after the Penny Black. Initial printing took place from 1 May 1840, and in all 6, ...

– Issued for second rate step, at the same time as Penny Black *

VR official VR may refer to: Arts, entertainment and education * Virtual reality, a computer technology that simulates an environment with which a user may interact as if it was actually there * ''Virtua Racing'', a 1992 arcade racing game by Sega * Vocatio ...

– First official stamp *

Prince Consort Essay The Prince Consort Essay was a surface printed printer's sample stamp created in 1851 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 t ...

* Penny Red – Improved follow-ons to the Penny Black *

Archer Roulette For postage stamps, separation is the means by which individual stamps are made easily detachable from each other. Methods of separation include: # perforation: cutting rows and columns of small holes # rouletting: small horizontal and vert ...

– Experimental separation of stamps * Edward VII 2d Tyrian plum – Withdrawn before issue, but one used *

Postal Union Congress £1 stamp The Postal Union Congress (PUC) £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 has been described as one of the most beautiful British stamps ever issued.

Falkland Islands

* HMS ''Glasgow'' error

Gibraltar

* Gibraltar 10c missing-value error

United States

* St. Louis Bears *

Alexandria "Blue Boy" Postmaster's Provisional The Alexandria "Blue Boy" is a very rare stamp. It takes its name from the feature that makes it unique: its color. One of the few surviving stamps from a rare issue—the Postmaster's Provisionals produced in Alexandria, D.C., beginning in 18 ...

– Unique, entire *

New York Postmaster's Provisional The New York Postmaster's Provisional is, as its designation implies, a postage stamp provided by the New York Post Office to facilitate the prepayment of mail at a time when the United States had not yet issued postage stamps for national use. P ...

* 1c Z grill – Rarest US stamp * Black Bull – Dollar value of the 1898

Trans-Mississippi Issue The Trans-Mississippi Issue is a set of nine commemorative postage stamps issued by the United States to mark the 1898 Trans-Mississippi Exposition held in Omaha, Nebraska. The finely engraved stamps depict various scenes of the West and are pres ...

Pan-American invert As part of the Pan-American Exposition held in Buffalo in 1901 the United States Post Office Department issued a series of six commemorative stamps. Each stamp featured an ornate colored frame enclosing a black-and-white image of some means of ( ...

– The "upside-down airplane" *

Dag Hammarskjöld invert The Dag Hammarskjöld invert is a 4 cent value postage stamp error issued on 23 October 1962 by the United States Postal Service (then known as the Post Office Department) one year after the death of Dag Hammarskjöld, Secretary-General of the U ...

– Error deliberately mass-produced *

CIA invert The 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 J ...

– Modern error *

Statue of Liberty Forever stamp The United States Post Office issued the Statue of Liberty Forever stamp on December 1, 2010. The stamp shows the replica of the Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World'') located at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino on the Las ...

(2011) – Largest run of an error on a US postage stamp (10.5 billion) * Lost Continental – 1875 24c Winfield Scott *

Pagsanjan Falls stamp The 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. It ...

– A postage stamp issued on 3 May 1932, noted for its printing error

Uruguay

* 1856, 80c. green,

Ferrer block The Ferrer block is a corner block of 15 of the 80 centésimos green 1856 'Diligencia' (Suns) postage stamps, and is regarded by many philatelists as the most important item of Uruguayan philately. Fred Melville, speaking philatelically, calle ...

of 15 – Unique * 1858, 120c. blue, tête-bêche vertical pair – Unique * 1858, 180c Sol de Mayo red error of color – Unique * 1858, 180c. green, in mixed franking with 1860 thick figures 60 c. brown lilac – Unique on cover

Former political entities

British Guiana

Ceylon

Dull Rose The Dull Rose is a British Ceylon, Ceylonese (modern-day Sri Lanka) postage stamp that is considered to be the rarest and most valuable stamp issued in the country. 7000 stamps were issued on 23 April 1859, bearing a face value of four pence. Th ...

– A 4 pence denomination issued on 23 April 1859, considered the most valuable stamp of Ceylon

Confederate States of America

* CSA #10 – Rarest Confederate stamp

Kingdom of Hawaii

Hawaiian Missionaries The Hawaiian Missionaries are the first postage stamps of the Kingdom of Hawaii, issued in 1851. They came to be known as the "Missionaries" because they were primarily found on the correspondence of missionaries working in the Hawaiian Island ...

– First stamps of Hawaii

State of Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires 1859 1p "In Ps" tete-beche pair The Buenos Aires 1859 1p "In Ps" tete-beche pair are the only existing pair of a postage stamp error on a tête-bêche pair of stamps issued by the government of the State of Buenos Aires and one of philately's great rarities. One cliché, in p ...

Western Australia (British colony)

Black Swan The black swan (''Cygnus atratus'') is a large waterbird, a species of swan which breeds mainly in the southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Within Australia, the black swan is nomadic, with erratic migration patterns dependent upon c ...

Inverted Swan The Inverted Swan, a 4-pence blue postage stamp issued in 1855 by Western Australia, was one of the world's first invert errors. Technically, it is the frame that is inverted, not the image of the swan, but it has become commonly known as the ...

References

External links

''Stamp Magazine'' online
World's rarest stamps (archived 9 August 2010) {{Postal system *