I haven't been to a show in years, but expect I might see younger people now that I'm in my 60s. I know that when I took my 8-year old niece to a coin show, the dealers were giving her coins and saying we need more women in the hobby. That was 32 years ago.
Thank you for that wonderful countdown. My favorite is the Inverted Jenny because of a book written in 1939, by award-winning mystery author Hugh Pentecost. The author was friends with Spencer Anderson a New York stamp dealer who had sold a four block of the Inverted Jenny. Pentecost found the stamp so interesting he wrote CANCELLED IN RED, a mystery novel about a four-block of inverted stamps involving theft, murder and intrigue. In 1955, life imitated art and the real Inverted Jenny was stolen. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY reviewed the novel when it was recently reprinted: "First published in 1939, this reissue marks the debut of NYPD Insp. Luke Bradley. A formulaic whodunit set in the stamp collecting world ... many readers will enjoy this installment and want to seek out Pentecost's other works." - Publishers Weekly
Graham, your videos are of the highest quality and are severely *under-viewed*. Your TH-cam channel has inspired me to start my own stamp collection this past summer. I am a high school history/geography teacher, and I sometimes use my stamps as teaching tools. Thanks again for sharing your passion with us! Godspeed, Austin
Hi Austin. Thank you for this awesome compliment :) and congrats on starting your collection. I love that you are using stamps as teaching tools, they are perfect for it! Real artifacts from a time and place. Please feel free to use any of my content in your classroom, and thank you very much for watching the channel. - Graham
@@ExploringStamps I have a big collection for sale the every land illustrated postage stamp album some of these stamps like the upside-down Plains were taken from it there's still a lot left I'd rather they go to someone who apressiates them
@@ExploringStamps there's another book of stamps 1800s and early 1900s the victory all British stamp album fourteenth edition there's a lot of stamps from all over the world my grandfather was Ronald Phillips there's royal envelopes with E-R and coronation 2-je-53 mail stamps I'd say they ed be the holly grail of stamps collections I've disowned my family cause I don't like the way they treat people and oppress and judge others and the whole racism thing help me sell them and I'll gift some of the most valuble ones to you I'm guessing by the sounds of your videos the most valuble would be in the millions
Too bad for me, I have no stamp of those you mentioned! I will watch other videos on your channel for more information. Thank you for this wonderful presentation, see you soon ...
Great work Graham. As a retired "thematic stamp dealer" it is great to see people still promoting philately as a hobby. Thanks so much. R ex Haron Stamps - Retired since 2003
Another excellent video. Finds can occur. I bought a letter from a dealer's stock for £95. It was seemingly ordinary - a 1d Red plate 9, which is reasonably common. But this was dated 12th Feb 1841, which makes it the very first 1d red ever used (there's another one used the same day). That makes it very valuable indeed. I also found a 1d red plate 9 with the watermark upside down, for which I paid £3. There are just 9 examples known and it's worth about £5000. Another friend found not one, but two 1d red plate 168 perfs, of which 7 are now known. Worth several thousands each. So keep looking. You never know what will turn up. But study stamps: the more knowledge you have, the more chance you have of recognising a rarity if one turns up.
Great scene...from a great movie. Every stamp collector should watch that film. Absolute intrigue..involving stamps..and one of the world's greatest actresses.....not to mention Matheau and Grant.....among others...
Truly interesting......had no idea about some of these stamps. I can't imagine how much research you must do before producing one of your incredible videos! As always thank you for such a rich lesson!
Thanks for bringing this to my attention Tom... I just went and read a couple great articles about how the stamp went off the radar and its whereabouts unknown since the sheet was broken up... and apparently its in superb condition. Very cool!
You are the stamp master my friend and I have a lot of stamps I am putting together and I listen to your stamp stories as I do my stamps..Thank u again my friend
A beautiful and amazing show. My thanks, appreciation and respect to you. I wish you permanent happiness, success and progress in your wonderful work. Health and safety to all of you with the utmost thanks and respect. Greetings.💕💕💕💕💕
The most interesting valuable stamps that I have is a block of four Scott #2 stamps. The interesting part is the back story. At the time I acquired it I had been obtaining stamps primarily by going to auctions, estate sales and flea markets. I collected by buying collections then picking through them for the ones I wanted then selling off the rest as smaller lots. So I went to this auction and one of the last items was a stamp collection of mostly U.S. stamps in a small box roughly the size of a shoe box. There were a few thousand stamps and they looked like mostly lower value stamps but still something I could get a couple of decent stamps from and could make some money on if I got them for the right price. I was prepared to pay $100 for the lot as I felt I could get about three times that amount reselling them and there is of course the thrill of finding something really nice which I hoped for. So the item came up for bid and the auctioneer tried to start the bidding at $50. I didn't want to go first so I sat back. There were about five of us left and none of the other four bid. So the auctioneer lowered the starting bid to $25 and still no bids. So again he lowered the starting bid to $10 and I looked around and the other four were completely uninterested. So I figured that was a bargain price and I bid the $10. A couple of minutes later the auctioneer declared "Sold to the only smart person in the room!" I thought that was an overstatement because there had been two previous lots won by a single bid that looked like good deals to me but not my cup of tea. I didn't go through them until I got home and in fact it was not for a couple of days before I got that far into the collection and then in one glassine envelope I saw them off paper and almost died. I figured I must not be looking at it right or it was a photo copy someone had made to fill a space or maybe one of the souvenir sheets other nations had produced on the subject (we have produced two that I know of but sure enough after taking it out of the envelope and carefully comparing it with what was in the Scott catalog I was literally doing a happy dance. Best stamp deal I ever made by far and still the favorite in my collection. As a side note I have an error version of the first souvenir sheet of Scott #1 and #2. I'm not sure if error is the right term. It somehow got folded in the printing process and so there is a white triangle in the middle of the image with part of the image out of kilter. My grandfather who had been a postmaster had seen it and saved it and he gave it to my Dad who gave it to me on my 12th birthday. That was the original prize of my collection. I have both along with the two U.S. Souvenir sheets of same in normal mint condition on one page together in my album. I have one more postal item that is not an actual stamp but I value it as much as any. Two of my ancestors signed the Declaration of Independence. Both from New England states and one was a bit more famous than the other. I have a cover addressed to the less famous of the two that was hand addressed and signed by the more famous of the two in 1795 a few weeks before one of them died. The other died six years later. Inside is the actual letter. Of course that was half a decade before we had our first stamps so it does not count as a stamp but it is of philatelic interest and no you could not even pry it from my cold dead hands. I'm going to figure out how to take that one with me when I complete my mortal coil. Honorable mention is a sheet of fifty state flowers where the perforation is out of kilter with the sheet. The perforation is at an angle of about 2 degrees out of square and off to one side by about a 16th of an inch at the worst end (the top) and half the holes on the row of perforations at one end are not punched through all the way and some of the other holes in the other rows are also not punched through all the way. I actually bought that one at a post office in Florida. The clerk handed it to me and I handed him the payment and I was about to put it in my big glassine envelope I brought with me (I always bring glassines to the post office) when he said "Oh that sheet looks damaged, let me get you one you can actually use. I hadn't noticed at that point and I looked down and noticed the perforations and said "No that's OK I'll make them work." He tried to argue with me but the transaction was concluded and I escaped the post office with my loot. I wasn't sure at the time if it could be regarded as an actual error sheet or simply a very low grade sheet but a dealer has offered me a nice sum for it but I declined. Another honorable mention or I should say the rest of the honorable mentions also are not necessarily stamps themselves. As I said my grandfather was a postmaster. He in fact served 1932-1956 (excluding 1942-1945 when he built battle ships, at that point my grandmother temporarily took over). During that time one of the things some post masters did was design cancelations. He designed over 100 cancelations between 1932 and 1956 including during the war years. His most prolific year was 1943 when he designed 19 almost all were what some people would call wartime propaganda. He was very patriotic having served in WWI. He was also the president of the local stamp club for several years. He was an avid collector himself and I have most of his stamps including the old inventory of demonetized stamps from before the Civil War that had been kept by several previous postmasters to keep the books straight. When he took over in 1932 he found a lot of irregularities. So he actually fixed that by buying the entire inventory with his own money and put that into the post office accounts while simultaneously enriching his own collection. They were supposed to be destroyed but a Civil War era postmaster was incompetent and forget to send them back in time to get credit. So anyways, I have not only all the cancelations my grandfather designed but his original artwork and the actual canceling rubber stamp he actually used as well as a lot of the invoices from the company in Boston that manufactured the rubber stamps. They have value of course but not as much as similar items for actual stamp designs. I once saw a defaced plate used for printing stamps come up for auction. There was a gouge across the middle of each stamp position in the plate to ensure it not be used to print bogus stamps but it was still a valuable collectible. I think it auctioned off for over $5000. I doubt my rubber canceling stamps would fetch 10% of that. There was also one first day of issue that was issued from his post office and I got about 50 of those that he canceled himself. Being very conscious of the collector in mind he was extremely careful to impact the design of the stamp as little as possible while maintaining a very crisp and evenly applied cancelation. I consider those a work of art the way he did them though only a handful have cachets. My aunt, his daughter was an artist and she hand drew in 8 colors of ink a design related to that stamp. I have five of those. Other family members got them but I'm the only one who collects stamps so I acquired some from relatives. I have a ton of postal memorabilia like my Dad's leather letter carrier bag from 1959, but those are the only things that are specifically philatelic in nature. The rest of my stamp collection is ho hum normal stuff and nothing else worth over $500. My Scott #1 has too many defects to be worth much. I have a Jenny that is Not inverted (I wish I could flip the middle image). And I have the common variation of most of the issues with a rare and valuable variation. I wish I had that Z grill stamp though I have another grill not nearly as valuable. Stuff like that. One I value too much that has no really value is a sheet of patriotic flag stamps from the 1960's all six cents. I love the design but there isn't a lot of value and I like the Cape Cod National Seashore set of four that came out around the same time since my family came from Cape Cod and I loved the beach. And as a collector of Seashells as well I have a large number of seashell topicals which aren't worth much but they appeal to both of my collecting preferences. Sometimes favorites don't have much value in terms of money but are still favorites.
Great video. As far as to answer your question: If I had 10 of of thousands of dollars? Sure! I would buy them, but I am just a stamp collector that started at the age of 8 (1972), and never was that rich, nor will I ever be that rich to ask myself that question. But I still love stamp collecting and am still doing it after 46 years. David Barban
Yeah, if I was very wealthy I would also consider buying one. But just like you, I enjoy the hobby without the need to have expensive items. Thanks for watching David and I am glad you enjoyed the video :)
For a long time I'd been putting off watching this video because I'm a passion collector and don't care a whole lot about the value of my stamps. But you made this interesting.
I collect old postcards, pre 1930's mostly and I came across a person who sold me a box of 200 postcards for $8 dollars USD and to my shockthe lady who sold them to me left about 2000, possibly more, stamps from just about everywhere in the world. Many of them were in protective covers, but about 3 quarters of them just loose in the box. They are all mostly in good shape. I'm hoping they are worth some good money. I have multiple Chinese stamps, phillipines, Zaire, Rhodesia, Belize, some Islamic countries, Nigeria, Eastern European countries, Australia, Canada, Chile, and many many more. I have no clue what they could be worth, if anything, but some are really really cool. I even have some old Soviet stamps. Now I have to buy some sort of sleeves for them lol.
Hi, I consider stamps as being part of a treasury of government exchanges to mailing and receiving items through its postal systems with a added cancellation if such is made and saved.
Whoa, 6 Jennies and the Magenta in one show! that's awesome, I imagine the security was well planned, its a lot of value in one room. Thanks for watching Mark!
Yeah, they actually had a security guard sitting there looking at the stamp the whole time. That show changed my life! It was the first stamp show I ever attended, even though I had been collecting for over 15 years at that point. But I took a half day and went to a job fair, ended up getting a job from it! Not sure how your feed showed up, but I'll keep watching!
Dude- you are AWESOME. Insta-fan. Long time collector here, wish I had more time to invest in my collection. Maybe when I retire. :) I subscribed, and look forward to your videos in the future. Keep up the great work!
I don’t usually watch “Top 10” ‘s but I collect stamps of the world, and as you mention, it’s worth noting what to look out for. Very interesting video and i will need to look at my German States closer, but I wondered if you might know anything about some other stamps. Namely those of Heligoland? Maybe a video of them would be up your street. Regards from a new subscriber.
Thank you John, glad you found the channel :) I have a stock book page filled with Heligoland stamps that I find really fascinating, I actually plan on using them in a video at some point. Stay tuned!
I got some of those Victoria Heligoland stamps, but they are all the inexpensive reprints and 3 of them are downright forgeries. At the time I had to consult with an expert in my local club to find out about their authenticity. Heligoland for your information is German today. A territorial trade with GB and Germany was made before WW1.
The weird thing about the missing inverted jenny is that, even if you found it, you wouldn't be rich. The missing plate# 66 is technically stolen property, and it could be seized from you legally. Donald Sundman (the guy who traded the 1c z-grill for the inverted jenny plate block) has offered a $100,000 reward to whoever returns it to its rightful owners, no questions asked. That's about the best outcome you could expect if you actually found it!
I remember that for years & years, the Hawaiian Missionary was always listed as the 2nd most valuable stamp (after the British Guiana of course). I recall that another Hawaiian stamp (I'm from Hawaii BTW 😉) was usually listed as the 3rd most valuable as well. I believe it was the 13 cent.
Amazingly interesting high quality video. Trying to find out who you are, don’t see it anywhere. You are a gifted speaker with a terrific voice. Congrats on a great video. I just pulled out my 1965 era stamp collection. Praying for a miracle.😂😂
Great work! I was hoping you would do an episode about the most rare and interesting stamps. Their histories turn a small piece of paper into a treasure. Thanks for taking the time to create superior graphics and sound so that learning about the complex world of stamps for new collectors is enjoyable. And, yeah, fun for ancients like me too.
You may want to check that Belgium pair. I noticed one was surcharged and one was not. For germany this is usually an error and a pair like this has a big premium. Not sure about Belgium. So you might just have a treasure there!
I bothered to look it up. It is listed in Scott specialized as 143a pair one without surcharge for a CV around $5. Not rare, but an interesting stamp and a variety!
Oh wow, can you imagine it was worth something... that would have been a twist in the video. Thanks for looking it up Jason. Still as you mention, it is an interesting stamp and variety that I should look into further. :)
Loved the list. I once almost shat myself when I found a blue Mauritius. But alas it was same as yours. Took a while anyway for me not to have an actual heart attack :)
I've been an avid stamp collector since the early 1970's. Back in those days my girl friend and I used to hitch hike into Halifax ( NS, not GB ) and rummage around in the several stamp stores in the city. One used to keep a large barrel of stamps to rummage through for a cent or two per stamp. It was an hour or so of free entertainment. The stamp store has gone the way of the do do bird now. There are a few people who deal from their home, but the last real stamp store in my area disappeared a few years ago, I get my stuff now either on line or from a local dealer whose family has run an approval service since I started collecting. I really miss the stamp stores, but I doubt if they will ever return. Why don't you do a video about the old time stamp stores and how people used to collect years ago? I started collecting in 1972 because a hardware store near my university sold stamps - one of the workers there was a stamp collector and sold supplies!
I also miss the stamp stores of the past. I miss being able to speak with the dealer in the store and get advice in person, not having that today is a big loss. That is definitely an idea for a video, I lightly touch on the topic of buying stamps in stores in another video I made about the history of stamp collecting, not sure if you have already seen it: th-cam.com/video/5mZYZJxgDME/w-d-xo.html
Speaking as someone way out in the sticks... been collecting for around 35 years, was better when I was a townie as there was a weekly club, lost out on all of that once we moved in the 90s, when youtube came along all of a sudden the community exploded for some of us, wont beat the face to face interactions of course *or the aromas... still love a good book store for that too* but it's great being part of a real community again all the same ✌
Love your videos. Very well made at a professional level and the amount of knowledge presented makes them extremely interesting. Thank you for putting them together.
Min. 0:26 - for curious people : the 3rd stamp at right, it's a Romanian stamp; the text says : "PORTO SCRISORI 82" in Cyrillic letters used until 1862. PORTO = Fee payable for mailing a letter, a package, a sum of money, etc. - from Italian "port". SCRISORI = (mail) letters 82 = value of "82" para; The Romanian word "para" is a loanword from the Turkish "para". The word "para" in Turkish ("currency, money, small coin,") comes from Persian "pāre" پاره ("piece"). Romania was under Turkish occupation between 1418-1878, using Turkish money. The Ottomans didn't allow Romanian Principalities and Romania to mint its own money. The same word "para" was used for the small money (coins) in Yugoslavia (Kingdom and Republic). The first Romanian stamp, issued by the Principality of Moldavia in 1858, is the most expensive in Romania and is estimated at 100,000 euros. The "Cap de Bour" (Aurochs head) stamp was one of the first in Southeast Europe. After being printed on paper (which was then glued with Arabic gum) in 1858 in the Principality of Moldavia, the stamps were launched in Greece in 1861, in Serbia in 1866, and in Bulgaria in 1879. According to a catalog made by an Irish collector, an unused 81-pound "Cap de Bour" stamp is estimated at 70,000 to 100,000 euros. There are only 750 such pieces on the philatelic market.
HI Graham, Thank you for your helpful and informative video, I have 3 boxes of stamps which were saved and stored about 60 years ago. Many are attached to official documents or foreign embassies worldwide. Unfortunately they are not documented in any order. Having a quick browse through a random handful, there seems to be a lot of old stamps with many from the early Victorian era. I Live in North London and would most welcome any recommendation you can offer to have them looked at.
fantastic video! such a nice change from the older guys who don't put a lot of production values into the videos but transmit a lot of knowledge nevertheless. if there was 3 thumbs up, I'd give it to ya! Thanks again. I've subscribed to your channel.
I think another episode twist might be to talk about how world Dynamics can influence stamp markets. Case in point... Indian feudal states. I started collecting these about 2005, but largely stopped in 2015 due to inflation in the market. You see large numbers of Indians were starting to see growing wages and the middle class wanted to invest in their own country's culture. So like China in the late 90s we saw an explosion of prices. Stamps that I might have bought for $5-10 now when for $50-100. So for the material I have, that means I have increased value, but it also turned me away from collecting this region..... That and if you study the condition of these you'll learn why they call it the uglies...! Two areas I find fascinating.... Niger Coast protectorate provisionals and New Republic....
Indian feudal states is an interesting area of philately... I do not know much, but would love to explore it at some point.... Fascinating to hear about the rise in prices over the 10 year span, which gives a very interesting perspective on the influence of world dynamics as you say...(I see the good and the bad in that) Its too bad that you cannot continue it. You certainly have a fascinating range of interests within philately, it shows that there is just so much more for me to explore. :)
Also regarding Hepburn...check out the movie "Wait Until Dark"...an intense thriller. You bring up a great topic..."murder" . Yes, murder to get that collectible or to get that piece. I understand that completely. I deal in art..and I've seen ....well, treachery, backstabbing, forgery. and it goes on. Collecting brings out a passion....a VERY strong passion. Laugh if you will folks..but I"ve seen it..and I'm NOT kidding. Could this occur in collecting stamps? Yes...it very well could...it could occur in any hobby involving collecting rare items. It can be very ugly at times. I've seen it break up families. My son once said to me, "Dad...with the stories you know..and the stories you were a part of...you REALLY should write a book." I simply replied to him..."Maybe...someday I will. But remember this...TRUTH is often stranger than fiction."
I have a 3cent George Washington 1867. It has part of a postmark on it and it's in an international stamp book in the 1867 spot it goes in. Hopefully it's worth a ton
I've been re-watching a few of your videos and you mentioned the Z-grill US stamp. I have several stamps with grills that I have picked up over the years. One comment - If you get your stamps from stamp dealers, be careful with these. Some are very expensive and the grills can be very difficult to find since sometimes the grill is very lightly added. Make sure that any very expensive stamp comes from a reputable dealer who provides documentation to authenticate the stamp. There are some countries you really have to watch out for as well. I collect Poland as one of my areas and early Poland stamps are extensively faked. Stay away from on-line bargains and insist on documentation!!! Pass on anyone who will not provide this!
But I want someone who really wants them, a real collector thats passionate. I know I have money sitting in my room and it's time to exchange it with somebody who is seeking for it. If you know anybody that is seeking for stamps or a stamp please let me know 🙏🏻
It's nice to see a younger person interested in stamps. I am not that young, but I am usually the youngest / youngest-looking person at stamp shows.
I know the feeling. I'm 35 and usually the youngest by far at the stamp shows I attend.
I haven't been to a show in years, but expect I might see younger people now that I'm in my 60s. I know that when I took my 8-year old niece to a coin show, the dealers were giving her coins and saying we need more women in the hobby. That was 32 years ago.
It's good to see a young chap having so much knowledge and interest in selling stories of stamps
instead of a vegvisir-adorned cutie tallying snake stamps and a droll ragtime fan presenter with his alligator puppet companion!
How do I get an answer I have a sheet in front of me I keep asking and can't get an answer
The address or something
Can you name me some stamp collectors
FANTASTIC VIDEO - THANKS !
Thank you too!
Thank you for that wonderful countdown. My favorite is the Inverted Jenny because of a book written in 1939, by award-winning mystery author Hugh Pentecost. The author was friends with Spencer Anderson a New York stamp dealer who had sold a four block of the Inverted Jenny. Pentecost found the stamp so interesting he wrote CANCELLED IN RED, a mystery novel about a four-block of inverted stamps involving theft, murder and intrigue. In 1955, life imitated art and the real Inverted Jenny was stolen. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY reviewed the novel when it was recently reprinted: "First published in 1939, this reissue marks the debut of NYPD Insp. Luke Bradley. A formulaic whodunit set in the stamp collecting world ... many readers will enjoy this installment and want to seek out Pentecost's other works." - Publishers Weekly
This is so fascinating!!! I had no idea about this novel, predicting the future theft in a way. I must look out for it, thank you for sharing 😄
I've always loved stamps and these videos really got me loving these small pieces of sticky paper again.
I have a book of stamps collections for sale if you are interested 😉
Graham, your videos are of the highest quality and are severely *under-viewed*. Your TH-cam channel has inspired me to start my own stamp collection this past summer. I am a high school history/geography teacher, and I sometimes use my stamps as teaching tools. Thanks again for sharing your passion with us!
Godspeed,
Austin
Hi Austin. Thank you for this awesome compliment :) and congrats on starting your collection. I love that you are using stamps as teaching tools, they are perfect for it! Real artifacts from a time and place. Please feel free to use any of my content in your classroom, and thank you very much for watching the channel. - Graham
@MinkeySimon Awesome!! welcome to the hobby and thanks for watching the videos :)
@@ExploringStamps I have a big collection for sale the every land illustrated postage stamp album some of these stamps like the upside-down Plains were taken from it there's still a lot left I'd rather they go to someone who apressiates them
@@ExploringStamps there's another book of stamps 1800s and early 1900s the victory all British stamp album fourteenth edition there's a lot of stamps from all over the world my grandfather was Ronald Phillips there's royal envelopes with E-R and coronation 2-je-53 mail stamps I'd say they ed be the holly grail of stamps collections I've disowned my family cause I don't like the way they treat people and oppress and judge others and the whole racism thing help me sell them and I'll gift some of the most valuble ones to you I'm guessing by the sounds of your videos the most valuble would be in the millions
Nice sharing. Thank for your nice information
Love to see my country Guyana is at the top of the list.
Yeah!!!!
GUY-FREAKING-ANA...🇬🇾
Congratulation on your superb video regarding stamp collection and price and value
Thank you, glad you enjoyed the video :)
Too bad for me, I have no stamp of those you mentioned! I will watch other videos on your channel for more information. Thank you for this wonderful presentation, see you soon ...
Great work Graham. As a retired "thematic stamp dealer" it is great to see people still promoting philately as a hobby. Thanks so much. R ex Haron Stamps - Retired since 2003
Amazing video and amazing channel and amazing job friend 😀😎👍
Real old stamp thanks 4 sharing👍👍👍
I just love stamps. Especially the ones that are old. I don't care if they are valuable or dirt cheap. It's just history and art ❤️
I love stamps too. Sometimes, I still buy the philatelic sheets at the post office when I see some designs that I like 😊..
Love the Hawaii and One Cent Magenta Stamps...thanks ...fascinating!
Those definitely are fascinating. At some point I would love to explore the Hawaiian one in more detail. Thanks for watching :)
Wonderful , Highly informative, thank you very much.
Dr A. KHATIB
You are very welcome :) Thank you for watching!
Another excellent video.
Finds can occur.
I bought a letter from a dealer's stock for £95. It was seemingly ordinary - a 1d Red plate 9, which is reasonably common. But this was dated 12th Feb 1841, which makes it the very first 1d red ever used (there's another one used the same day). That makes it very valuable indeed.
I also found a 1d red plate 9 with the watermark upside down, for which I paid £3. There are just 9 examples known and it's worth about £5000.
Another friend found not one, but two 1d red plate 168 perfs, of which 7 are now known. Worth several thousands each.
So keep looking. You never know what will turn up. But study stamps: the more knowledge you have, the more chance you have of recognising a rarity if one turns up.
Interesting stamps Stuff !
Great scene...from a great movie. Every stamp collector should watch that film. Absolute intrigue..involving stamps..and one of the world's greatest actresses.....not to mention Matheau and Grant.....among others...
Truly interesting......had no idea about some of these stamps. I can't imagine how much research you must do before producing one of your incredible videos! As always thank you for such a rich lesson!
Thanks for watching Gary, always glad to hear that someone enjoys and learns from the video. :)
Just a fragrance, and future fountain pen collector here, visiting to see what other collectors are up to. Don’t mind me I’m just a guest.
Great video!
Thank you Kevin, glad you like it 😀
As usual, a fantastic video. I just read that inverted Jenny position 49 surfaced recently. ~TH~
Thanks for bringing this to my attention Tom... I just went and read a couple great articles about how the stamp went off the radar and its whereabouts unknown since the sheet was broken up... and apparently its in superb condition. Very cool!
You are the stamp master my friend and I have a lot of stamps I am putting together and I listen to your stamp stories as I do my stamps..Thank u again my friend
A beautiful and amazing show. My thanks, appreciation and respect to you. I wish you permanent happiness, success and progress in your wonderful work. Health and safety to all of you with the utmost thanks and respect. Greetings.💕💕💕💕💕
The most interesting valuable stamps that I have is a block of four Scott #2 stamps.
The interesting part is the back story. At the time I acquired it I had been obtaining stamps primarily by going to auctions, estate sales and flea markets. I collected by buying collections then picking through them for the ones I wanted then selling off the rest as smaller lots. So I went to this auction and one of the last items was a stamp collection of mostly U.S. stamps in a small box roughly the size of a shoe box. There were a few thousand stamps and they looked like mostly lower value stamps but still something I could get a couple of decent stamps from and could make some money on if I got them for the right price. I was prepared to pay $100 for the lot as I felt I could get about three times that amount reselling them and there is of course the thrill of finding something really nice which I hoped for. So the item came up for bid and the auctioneer tried to start the bidding at $50. I didn't want to go first so I sat back. There were about five of us left and none of the other four bid. So the auctioneer lowered the starting bid to $25 and still no bids. So again he lowered the starting bid to $10 and I looked around and the other four were completely uninterested. So I figured that was a bargain price and I bid the $10. A couple of minutes later the auctioneer declared "Sold to the only smart person in the room!" I thought that was an overstatement because there had been two previous lots won by a single bid that looked like good deals to me but not my cup of tea. I didn't go through them until I got home and in fact it was not for a couple of days before I got that far into the collection and then in one glassine envelope I saw them off paper and almost died. I figured I must not be looking at it right or it was a photo copy someone had made to fill a space or maybe one of the souvenir sheets other nations had produced on the subject (we have produced two that I know of but sure enough after taking it out of the envelope and carefully comparing it with what was in the Scott catalog I was literally doing a happy dance. Best stamp deal I ever made by far and still the favorite in my collection.
As a side note I have an error version of the first souvenir sheet of Scott #1 and #2. I'm not sure if error is the right term. It somehow got folded in the printing process and so there is a white triangle in the middle of the image with part of the image out of kilter. My grandfather who had been a postmaster had seen it and saved it and he gave it to my Dad who gave it to me on my 12th birthday. That was the original prize of my collection. I have both along with the two U.S. Souvenir sheets of same in normal mint condition on one page together in my album.
I have one more postal item that is not an actual stamp but I value it as much as any. Two of my ancestors signed the Declaration of Independence. Both from New England states and one was a bit more famous than the other. I have a cover addressed to the less famous of the two that was hand addressed and signed by the more famous of the two in 1795 a few weeks before one of them died. The other died six years later. Inside is the actual letter. Of course that was half a decade before we had our first stamps so it does not count as a stamp but it is of philatelic interest and no you could not even pry it from my cold dead hands. I'm going to figure out how to take that one with me when I complete my mortal coil.
Honorable mention is a sheet of fifty state flowers where the perforation is out of kilter with the sheet. The perforation is at an angle of about 2 degrees out of square and off to one side by about a 16th of an inch at the worst end (the top) and half the holes on the row of perforations at one end are not punched through all the way and some of the other holes in the other rows are also not punched through all the way. I actually bought that one at a post office in Florida. The clerk handed it to me and I handed him the payment and I was about to put it in my big glassine envelope I brought with me (I always bring glassines to the post office) when he said "Oh that sheet looks damaged, let me get you one you can actually use. I hadn't noticed at that point and I looked down and noticed the perforations and said "No that's OK I'll make them work." He tried to argue with me but the transaction was concluded and I escaped the post office with my loot. I wasn't sure at the time if it could be regarded as an actual error sheet or simply a very low grade sheet but a dealer has offered me a nice sum for it but I declined.
Another honorable mention or I should say the rest of the honorable mentions also are not necessarily stamps themselves. As I said my grandfather was a postmaster. He in fact served 1932-1956 (excluding 1942-1945 when he built battle ships, at that point my grandmother temporarily took over). During that time one of the things some post masters did was design cancelations. He designed over 100 cancelations between 1932 and 1956 including during the war years. His most prolific year was 1943 when he designed 19 almost all were what some people would call wartime propaganda. He was very patriotic having served in WWI. He was also the president of the local stamp club for several years. He was an avid collector himself and I have most of his stamps including the old inventory of demonetized stamps from before the Civil War that had been kept by several previous postmasters to keep the books straight. When he took over in 1932 he found a lot of irregularities. So he actually fixed that by buying the entire inventory with his own money and put that into the post office accounts while simultaneously enriching his own collection. They were supposed to be destroyed but a Civil War era postmaster was incompetent and forget to send them back in time to get credit. So anyways, I have not only all the cancelations my grandfather designed but his original artwork and the actual canceling rubber stamp he actually used as well as a lot of the invoices from the company in Boston that manufactured the rubber stamps. They have value of course but not as much as similar items for actual stamp designs. I once saw a defaced plate used for printing stamps come up for auction. There was a gouge across the middle of each stamp position in the plate to ensure it not be used to print bogus stamps but it was still a valuable collectible. I think it auctioned off for over $5000. I doubt my rubber canceling stamps would fetch 10% of that. There was also one first day of issue that was issued from his post office and I got about 50 of those that he canceled himself. Being very conscious of the collector in mind he was extremely careful to impact the design of the stamp as little as possible while maintaining a very crisp and evenly applied cancelation. I consider those a work of art the way he did them though only a handful have cachets. My aunt, his daughter was an artist and she hand drew in 8 colors of ink a design related to that stamp. I have five of those. Other family members got them but I'm the only one who collects stamps so I acquired some from relatives.
I have a ton of postal memorabilia like my Dad's leather letter carrier bag from 1959, but those are the only things that are specifically philatelic in nature. The rest of my stamp collection is ho hum normal stuff and nothing else worth over $500. My Scott #1 has too many defects to be worth much. I have a Jenny that is Not inverted (I wish I could flip the middle image). And I have the common variation of most of the issues with a rare and valuable variation. I wish I had that Z grill stamp though I have another grill not nearly as valuable. Stuff like that. One I value too much that has no really value is a sheet of patriotic flag stamps from the 1960's all six cents. I love the design but there isn't a lot of value and I like the Cape Cod National Seashore set of four that came out around the same time since my family came from Cape Cod and I loved the beach. And as a collector of Seashells as well I have a large number of seashell topicals which aren't worth much but they appeal to both of my collecting preferences. Sometimes favorites don't have much value in terms of money but are still favorites.
Loved reading your post!! Thank you for taking the time to write it out.
⁹00
Great video. As far as to answer your question: If I had 10 of of thousands of dollars? Sure! I would buy them, but I am just a stamp collector that started at the age of 8 (1972), and never was that rich, nor will I ever be that rich to ask myself that question. But I still love stamp collecting and am still doing it after 46 years. David Barban
Yeah, if I was very wealthy I would also consider buying one. But just like you, I enjoy the hobby without the need to have expensive items. Thanks for watching David and I am glad you enjoyed the video :)
I just read your answer. I hope you will do other videos. In the mid dime, enjoy, as I do, collecting stamps. David Barban
cheers friend ,my sentiments exactly
Love these stamps and the naration. When I have the time, I rewatch for the fun of it. David
For a long time I'd been putting off watching this video because I'm a passion collector and don't care a whole lot about the value of my stamps. But you made this interesting.
I love reading these kinds of comments! Too many people are obsessed with the value, stamps are so much more than just a price. 🙂
Art.
Nice to see that I am not alone in the 21st Century, collecting stamps....
Conan C no you are not!!😀. Check out the rest of my channel providing content for the 21st century stamp collector. Thanks for watching!
I collect old postcards, pre 1930's mostly and I came across a person who sold me a box of 200 postcards for $8 dollars USD and to my shockthe lady who sold them to me left about 2000, possibly more, stamps from just about everywhere in the world. Many of them were in protective covers, but about 3 quarters of them just loose in the box. They are all mostly in good shape. I'm hoping they are worth some good money. I have multiple Chinese stamps, phillipines, Zaire, Rhodesia, Belize, some Islamic countries, Nigeria, Eastern European countries, Australia, Canada, Chile, and many many more. I have no clue what they could be worth, if anything, but some are really really cool. I even have some old Soviet stamps. Now I have to buy some sort of sleeves for them lol.
Good one
It’s good to know about some expensive stamps of the world
Especially when you are inheriting from family stamp albums
Wow ... great job 👍🏻 . Keep it up
Thank you :)
Love your videos! You make stamp collecting look fun! We need more of that. Thanks!
Thanks for watching Greg, glad you enjoy the videos. :)
Hi, I consider stamps as being part of a treasury of government exchanges to mailing and receiving items through its postal systems with a added cancellation if such is made and saved.
Got to see the Magenta in 1986 when it was part of an exhibit at Ameripex. There were also 6 of the inverted Jennies there as well!
Whoa, 6 Jennies and the Magenta in one show! that's awesome, I imagine the security was well planned, its a lot of value in one room. Thanks for watching Mark!
Yeah, they actually had a security guard sitting there looking at the stamp the whole time. That show changed my life! It was the first stamp show I ever attended, even though I had been collecting for over 15 years at that point. But I took a half day and went to a job fair, ended up getting a job from it! Not sure how your feed showed up, but I'll keep watching!
One very rare stamp is the famous Greek 'Solferino', a 40 lepta Large Hermes Head stamp. Printed in 1868 and nowadays only 13 items exist.
Dude- you are AWESOME. Insta-fan. Long time collector here, wish I had more time to invest in my collection. Maybe when I retire. :) I subscribed, and look forward to your videos in the future. Keep up the great work!
Thank you Mario! You are awesome for subscribing :D Thanks for watching and more videos coming!
Graham, you are the best! Congrats!!!
Thank you! Glad you like the channel :)
I don’t usually watch “Top 10” ‘s but I collect stamps of the world, and as you mention, it’s worth noting what to look out for. Very interesting video and i will need to look at my German States closer, but I wondered if you might know anything about some other stamps. Namely those of Heligoland? Maybe a video of them would be up your street. Regards from a new subscriber.
Thank you John, glad you found the channel :) I have a stock book page filled with Heligoland stamps that I find really fascinating, I actually plan on using them in a video at some point. Stay tuned!
I got some of those Victoria Heligoland stamps, but they are all the inexpensive reprints and 3 of them are downright forgeries. At the time I had to consult with an expert in my local club to find out about their authenticity. Heligoland for your information is German today. A territorial trade with GB and Germany was made before WW1.
Rare stamps are very fascinating
They sure are! Thanks for watching Tsuki.
Hi
Are you interested in rare stamps.?
I had no idea about the Audrey Stamp... I am on a mission to find one now! ;)
Good luck Claire! I am sure there is one waiting for you out there :)
Keeping my fingers crossed for good luck :) :) LOL
Keep dreaming and beware of forgeries using modern day computer technology.
The weird thing about the missing inverted jenny is that, even if you found it, you wouldn't be rich. The missing plate# 66 is technically stolen property, and it could be seized from you legally. Donald Sundman (the guy who traded the 1c z-grill for the inverted jenny plate block) has offered a $100,000 reward to whoever returns it to its rightful owners, no questions asked. That's about the best outcome you could expect if you actually found it!
Hmm... I guess 100K will do. I'll take it, just gotta find it first.
Holy dang, that is wild.
You know what... If I was very rich, I would love to own an extremely valuable stamp, an Inverted Jenny would be at the top of my list.
Why not! You can't go wrong with the inverted Jenny... Although I think I would prefer the Blue Mauritius, only because I have expensive taste. ;)
i have 4 albums of stamps, dated back from mid 1800s, looks like i better check my collcetion out. been passed down from family generations.
In this movie Charade, the philatelist points out the stamps. One, the 3-cent Blue Hawaiian, doesn't exist. It was in 2, 5 and 13 cents.
Ah yes! I am addressing that scene from Charade in an upcoming video... S3E13 😉
Thank you for information on stamps
I remember that for years & years, the Hawaiian Missionary was always listed as the 2nd most valuable stamp (after the British Guiana of course). I recall that another Hawaiian stamp (I'm from Hawaii BTW 😉) was usually listed as the 3rd most valuable as well. I believe it was the 13 cent.
If you find Audrey Hepburn, give her my regards will you? LOL I suppose if I had the money to buy really rare expensive stamps, then I would!
The blue Swan of Australia I could not find out in my collection but I did manage to find a pink Swan of Western Australia
Amazingly interesting high quality video. Trying to find out who you are, don’t see it anywhere. You are a gifted speaker with a terrific voice. Congrats on a great video.
I just pulled out my 1965 era stamp collection. Praying for a miracle.😂😂
The trade was between Bill Gross and Don Subdman of the Mystic Stamp Company
I live near the Smithsonian postal museum. Its rarely busy and it’s a hidden treasure. The British Guiana magenta is awesome to view.
Great list
Love the inv jenny's myself. 😁
right there with you 👍
I wouldn't spend millions, but some I'd be willing to spend fifty or so on a some really neat stamps.
Thanks for this excellent video.
Glad you liked it, thanks for watching Lisa 😀
Thank you for the video. I just inherited boxes and boxes of stamps from a great aunt so I guess I have months of fun ahead
Very interesting, I collect Canadian and provinces and there are some pricy stamps in these. Great video!
Thank you Duncan. Canadian stamps might be amongst the most beautiful to collect, the classics always catch my eye. Thanks for watching :)
Wow. You are so good at this! Great video. Love your channel and how responsive you are to viewers comments. You are so good at what you do.
😊 Thank you Samantha, glad you are enjoying the channel!
Great work! I was hoping you would do an episode about the most rare and interesting stamps. Their histories turn a small piece of paper into a treasure. Thanks for taking the time to create superior graphics and sound so that learning about the complex world of stamps for new collectors is enjoyable. And, yeah, fun for ancients like me too.
Thank you! I love the way you worded that..."Their histories turn a small piece of paper into a treasure." So true! Glad you liked the video :)
For the Jenny, there is also a cool variety called "Supersonic Jenny/plane" where the plane moves through the frame :)
YES!! It’s a fun one to look at, I must cover it in an upcoming video 😃
I have a stamp collection that was handed down to me.
It’s in my storage unit and I’m a bit excited to go take a look
🙌. You never know what treasures you will find. Enjoy!!
One from Belgium! I didn't know about that stamp. I learn something new every video.
Maybe you have it ;) !! Glad we both learned something new.
You may want to check that Belgium pair. I noticed one was surcharged and one was not. For germany this is usually an error and a pair like this has a big premium. Not sure about Belgium. So you might just have a treasure there!
I bothered to look it up. It is listed in Scott specialized as 143a pair one without surcharge for a CV around $5. Not rare, but an interesting stamp and a variety!
Oh wow, can you imagine it was worth something... that would have been a twist in the video. Thanks for looking it up Jason. Still as you mention, it is an interesting stamp and variety that I should look into further. :)
Loved the list. I once almost shat myself when I found a blue Mauritius. But alas it was same as yours. Took a while anyway for me not to have an actual heart attack :)
LOL, I know the feeling. Still an awesome stamp to own....but it would be sooo much more awesome if it was the 'Post Office' version. :P
I've been an avid stamp collector since the early 1970's. Back in those days my girl friend and I used to hitch hike into Halifax ( NS, not GB ) and rummage around in the several stamp stores in the city. One used to keep a large barrel of stamps to rummage through for a cent or two per stamp. It was an hour or so of free entertainment. The stamp store has gone the way of the do do bird now. There are a few people who deal from their home, but the last real stamp store in my area disappeared a few years ago, I get my stuff now either on line or from a local dealer whose family has run an approval service since I started collecting. I really miss the stamp stores, but I doubt if they will ever return. Why don't you do a video about the old time stamp stores and how people used to collect years ago? I started collecting in 1972 because a hardware store near my university sold stamps - one of the workers there was a stamp collector and sold supplies!
I also miss the stamp stores of the past. I miss being able to speak with the dealer in the store and get advice in person, not having that today is a big loss. That is definitely an idea for a video, I lightly touch on the topic of buying stamps in stores in another video I made about the history of stamp collecting, not sure if you have already seen it: th-cam.com/video/5mZYZJxgDME/w-d-xo.html
Speaking as someone way out in the sticks... been collecting for around 35 years, was better when I was a townie as there was a weekly club, lost out on all of that once we moved in the 90s, when youtube came along all of a sudden the community exploded for some of us, wont beat the face to face interactions of course *or the aromas... still love a good book store for that too* but it's great being part of a real community again all the same ✌
GR8 GR8 VIDEO...VERY PROFESSIONAL...CONGRATS...
Thank you 😊
Good video....thank you!!!-!
I read somewhere that those 1967 Guyana stamps have an error that they are missing the apostrophe in the word 'WORLDS".
very cool and informative video
Thank you!
Cool bro. loved it
FINALLY! Somebody who really loves Philately!!
😊 Welcome to the channel!
Very interesting... I got several stamps of Hollywood celebrities given to me many years ago.. some were mint or unused... I will check them out.. 😅
Excellent videos, I hope you continue making them!
Thank you Calvin, I plan on making a few more :D
The thing I hate about "Charade" is that if you tell people it's about stamps, it gives the plot away!!!
...Yep, the one MAJOR spoiler to the whole film. I still enjoy the movie, but I never got to experience it with the true twist, I knew it all along :/
Love your videos. Very well made at a professional level and the amount of knowledge presented makes them extremely interesting. Thank you for putting them together.
Mint video! Very fine condition!
Min. 0:26 - for curious people : the 3rd stamp at right, it's a Romanian stamp; the text says : "PORTO SCRISORI 82" in Cyrillic letters used until 1862.
PORTO = Fee payable for mailing a letter, a package, a sum of money, etc. - from Italian "port".
SCRISORI = (mail) letters
82 = value of "82" para; The Romanian word "para" is a loanword from the Turkish "para". The word "para" in Turkish ("currency, money, small coin,") comes from Persian "pāre" پاره ("piece"). Romania was under Turkish occupation between 1418-1878, using Turkish money. The Ottomans didn't allow Romanian Principalities and Romania to mint its own money. The same word "para" was used for the small money (coins) in Yugoslavia (Kingdom and Republic).
The first Romanian stamp, issued by the Principality of Moldavia in 1858, is the most expensive in Romania and is estimated at 100,000 euros.
The "Cap de Bour" (Aurochs head) stamp was one of the first in Southeast Europe. After being printed on paper (which was then glued with Arabic gum) in 1858 in the Principality of Moldavia, the stamps were launched in Greece in 1861, in Serbia in 1866, and in Bulgaria in 1879. According to a catalog made by an Irish collector, an unused 81-pound "Cap de Bour" stamp is estimated at 70,000 to 100,000 euros. There are only 750 such pieces on the philatelic market.
Good video , l know someone that has a few of those stamps
Found bags of stamp albums in a dumpster, also a lot of old stamped envelopes from late 1800's and first canadian issues from early 1920's.
Shalom... Woderful Clip. I stil colect stamps, And i have much but not those...
Shalom! Thank you for watching, glad you like the video, and also glad to hear that you still collect :D Welcome to the channel.
Great video, luv how u give the history behind each one! U've gained a Sub!
HI Graham,
Thank you for your helpful and informative video,
I have 3 boxes of stamps which were saved and stored about 60 years ago. Many are attached to official documents or foreign embassies worldwide. Unfortunately they are not documented in any order. Having a quick browse through a random handful, there seems to be a lot of old stamps with many from the early Victorian era. I Live in North London and would most welcome any recommendation you can offer to have them looked at.
I know nothing about stamps but the aesthetic video I think I’ve seen. It was so pleasurable to watch. I’ll subscribe and be a fan!
You have taken painstaking efforts to make your videos of high pubishable quality...
fantastic video! such a nice change from the older guys who don't put a lot of production values into the videos but transmit a lot of knowledge nevertheless. if there was 3 thumbs up, I'd give it to ya! Thanks again. I've subscribed to your channel.
Glad you liked it Ali, thanks for subscribing and for the follow on insta. Following you back now! I hope you enjoy the other videos as well :)
Thank you for the video. I learned a lot about stamps. I am an avid collector, trying to complete my American definitives!!
Nice video! Thanks a lot.
I think another episode twist might be to talk about how world Dynamics can influence stamp markets. Case in point... Indian feudal states. I started collecting these about 2005, but largely stopped in 2015 due to inflation in the market. You see large numbers of Indians were starting to see growing wages and the middle class wanted to invest in their own country's culture. So like China in the late 90s we saw an explosion of prices. Stamps that I might have bought for $5-10 now when for $50-100. So for the material I have, that means I have increased value, but it also turned me away from collecting this region..... That and if you study the condition of these you'll learn why they call it the uglies...!
Two areas I find fascinating.... Niger Coast protectorate provisionals and New Republic....
Indian feudal states is an interesting area of philately... I do not know much, but would love to explore it at some point.... Fascinating to hear about the rise in prices over the 10 year span, which gives a very interesting perspective on the influence of world dynamics as you say...(I see the good and the bad in that) Its too bad that you cannot continue it. You certainly have a fascinating range of interests within philately, it shows that there is just so much more for me to explore. :)
Also regarding Hepburn...check out the movie "Wait Until Dark"...an intense thriller. You bring up a great topic..."murder" . Yes, murder to get that collectible or to get that piece. I understand that completely.
I deal in art..and I've seen ....well, treachery, backstabbing, forgery. and it goes on. Collecting brings out a passion....a VERY strong passion. Laugh if you will folks..but I"ve seen it..and I'm NOT kidding. Could this occur in collecting stamps? Yes...it very well could...it could occur in any hobby involving collecting rare items. It can be very ugly at times. I've seen it break up families.
My son once said to me, "Dad...with the stories you know..and the stories you were a part of...you REALLY should write a book."
I simply replied to him..."Maybe...someday I will. But remember this...TRUTH is often stranger than fiction."
good list, nicely done
I have a 3cent George Washington 1867. It has part of a postmark on it and it's in an international stamp book in the 1867 spot it goes in. Hopefully it's worth a ton
These stamps look very cool!
I've been re-watching a few of your videos and you mentioned the Z-grill US stamp. I have several stamps with grills that I have picked up over the years. One comment - If you get your stamps from stamp dealers, be careful with these. Some are very expensive and the grills can be very difficult to find since sometimes the grill is very lightly added. Make sure that any very expensive stamp comes from a reputable dealer who provides documentation to authenticate the stamp. There are some countries you really have to watch out for as well. I collect Poland as one of my areas and early Poland stamps are extensively faked. Stay away from on-line bargains and insist on documentation!!! Pass on anyone who will not provide this!
I have LOTS of stamp booklets. About 10, I just read your comment and was wondering if you are interested in any particular stamp?
I'm up to selling any or everything...
But I want someone who really wants them, a real collector thats passionate. I know I have money sitting in my room and it's time to exchange it with somebody who is seeking for it. If you know anybody that is seeking for stamps or a stamp please let me know 🙏🏻
Stamp story telling at its best.
😃 thanks Suzanne.
Thank you for sharing
Match and medicine stamps are far undervalued based on their scarcity.
A well researched book on the Red and blue Mauritius is ' Blue Mauritius' by Helen Morgan
L
Beautiful Channel to find and explore on a
Sunday night. Many thank you's. Subscribing now.
I have most of these and need to get them sold.
Love your video , very interesting.
I searched "sometimes you just gotta lick the stamps and send it" i'm not dissapointed