Expensive Stamps Ranging from 1843 to 1849

Collecting expensive stamps is every stamp collector's dream, but some of these stamps will always remain a dream - that is unless you have hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of dollars you can do without.

And believe me, there aren't many, but there are still a few very old and rare stamps that have a price tag of $1 million or more. These are the stamps we can only dream about! But even the ones that are in the four or five figure range may be too expensive for some of us.

What determines the value of these stamps? Well for one, when the stamp was printed. Other factors that determine the price is how many of the stamps are left, are they hinged or unhinged, were there any misprints, irregular perforations or centering problems, have the stamps been used or are they unused, is there a cancellation ink stamp, and the condition the stamp is in overall.

The following expensive stamps have been listed according to the year they were printed, along with a little history - then the latest recorded price of the stamp.

Switzerland 1843 - Geneva Pair

Even though Zürich issued their stamp on March 1, 1843... Geneva issued their first stamp on October 1, 1843, so in Europe - this is the second oldest stamp.

The stamps are yellow-green with black print, and they are called the "Double Geneva." Along with the city's arms, the bottom of each stamp has "Port Local" printed, and at the top is printed "Poste de Genéve". Then on top of each stamp, the words "10 PORT CANTONAL Cent" were printed.

People could either use a single stamp, or leave them as a pair. There were only 6,000 of the double stamps printed, so if you happen to run across a pair in good condition, and wanted to sell it, you could probably ask for $45,000 dollars.

Switzerland 1845 - Basel Dove

History states that each Switzerland canton had their own stamps, and that the 1845 Basel Dove stamp is the only stamp that can from the Canton of Basel. The stamp was designed by the Melchoir Berry, who happened to have been an architect, and with black, crimson and blue on it, the Basel Dove is considered to be the first tri-color stamp in the world.

Unfortunately this stamp wasn't very popular with the people, and was canceled. Today however, this stamp is still considered to be one of the most beautiful stamps ever printed. The value of the stamp may not be as high when you compare it to other stamps, but it may still be too high for the majority of us. When one of them was last sold, the price tag was $32,233 dollars.

Massachusetts, United States 1846 - Millbury Provisional

According to documents, the five cent - black on bluish paper - Millbury Provisional was used as early as August 1846. It is also has "Post Office" printed on it, but doesn't have a town name.

This stamp is just one of only two United States provisionals that was issued by Asa Holman Waters, who was postmaster at the time, and they have a portrait on them of which some say is President George Washington.

Stamp collectors know of only 18 examples of this stamp, and some happen to have the town's name spelled "Milbury" instead of "Millbury." So if you find an unused sample of the Millbury Provisional, you could probably sell it for at least $130,000 dollars or more.

Mauritius Island 1847 - 1 Penny Stamp and 2 Pence Stamp

Mauritius Island is a British colony that can be found in the Indian Ocean. In the year 1847, the Governor made the decision to print their first stamps. So that would make these stamps the first stamps to be printed in British Empire.

The contract went to an engraver from Port Louis, whose name was Joseph O. Barnard. Mr Barnard was suppose to make the one penny stamp and a two pence stamp. Which he did rather well. But in the process of printing the stamps, Mr. Barnard inadvertently put "Post Office on the stamps, instead of "Post Paid." Over 200 copies were printed and sold before anyone realized the mistake.

Less than 30 copies of these beautifully colored stamps survived, so that makes them some of the rarest stamps around. This is probably why the only place you can find them today is in museums.

The 1 penny and 2 pence stamps that are left, depending on the condition they're in, is valued at $600,000 dollars or more. A copy of the stamps that came from the Hiroyuki Kanai collection was auctioned for $1,072,260 in 1993. At the same auction, there was a cover that had a one penny and a two pence stamp on it, and it sold
for $3,829,000 dollars.

Bermuda 1848 - Postmaster Provisionals

The 1848 Postmaster Provisionals were printed right after Hamilton became the capital of Bermuda. They were printed with the idea that they would protect the post office against people short changing them.

The stamp was designed by Postmaster William Bennet Perot, and a friend of his, whose name was J. B. Heyl. The name "Perot Provisionals" came about because Mr. Perot personally hand wrote "1 penny" above the year, and then put his signature below.

Collectors know of only 11 existing copies of the Perot Provisionals, and they all belong to European royalty. In fact, it is said Queen Elizabeth owns one. If you come across one and want it for your stamp collection, then expect to shell out over $100,000 dollars.

France 1849 - 1f Vervelle Tete-Beche Pair

Tete-Beche means head-to-tail or simply "head-to-head," and applies to pairs of stamps where one is upside down and the other is right-side up. These stamps can be joined either vertically or horizontally.

The 1f Vervelle Tete-Beche pair is a French stamp that was issued on January 2, 1849. It was meant for letters that weighed from 15 grams to 100 grams.

Some tete-beche stamps are intentionally printed for collectors, but this particular stamp's error was in resembling the color of another popular stamp. This was confusing to people, and the stamp was recalled so they could print it in a different color.

It is said that the printer, Anatole A. Hulot purposely put some of the cliches in upside-down as a control. This was supposedly done in order to detect forged sheets.

In 1895, a Parisian stamp dealer by the name of Ernest Vervelle purchased a sheet of the 1849 ungummed stamps, and this how they got their name. If you were to purchase this sheet today, you would have to spend at least $500,000.