Discovered: A Dozen Philatelic Oddities
Some of the oddest things in philately
I would like to share with you today 12 philatelic oddities…
By odd, I mean highly unusual.
As such, they are all very rare.
What strikes me the most though is that some of the rarest hidden oddities in philately can still be picked up for remarkably low prices.
Oddities in philately include the most bizarre printing varieties and errors.
Searching for stamps where genuine errors were made, along with varieties occurring naturally, during the printing process is the spice of life to a stamp collector.
Also, discovering postal history with hidden meaning and, in particular, where the nature of the postal use is anomalous in some way is the obsession of a postal historian.
Because they are so fascinating, there is a big market out there for philatelic oddities.
Being so rare, their appeal leads to high demand, meaning most philatelic oddities you will see are very valuable.
For example, the famous US Inverted Jenny stamp has sold at auction for over $1 million in the past.
This bizarre printing error resulted in the plane being printed upside down…
There are 100 examples in existence of the US Inverted Jenny?
The 12 philatelic oddities I have for you today are different…
So far, they are flying under the radar and remain available at a price way below their rarity factor.
But for how long will they remain so attractively priced?
Unusual printing blunders
1. Doubled perforations
British Virgin Islands 1980 $1 'Tortola' miniature sheet, showing dramatic double strike of perforations, SGMS457var.?
Post Office fresh, unmounted mint with full original gum.
A most unusual stamp error and should not have ever occurred with modern printing techniques.
Price: ￡65
2. You can’t stick this
Australia 1975 Famous Australians 10c Edith Cowan, perforations 14x15, error printed on the gummed side.?
Superb unmounted mint example with full original gum.
Edith Cowan was the first woman to be elected to an Australian parliament.?She became prominent in the women's suffrage movement, which saw women in Western Australia granted the right to vote in 1899.
An interesting, rare and unusual modern stamp error with the image being incorrectly printed on the gum side of the stamp.
Price: ￡140
3. Overprinting “1” by mistake
Somaliland Protectorate 1903 3a brown-orange, overprint at top, variety '1' for first 'I' in 'BRITISH' (R6/4, upper pane), SG5b.?
A very fine mint example with fresh colour and large part original gum. Couple of slightly shortish perforations, mentioned purely for accuracy.
An extremely rare and unusual variety with a maximum of only 66 possible.
The Protectorate Post Office was established on 1 June 1903, when control of British Somaliland was transferred from the Indian Government to the British Foreign Office.
The first stamps used were the Indian stamps overprinted with "BRITISH SOMALILAND". These were only used until the following year, when in?1904 the Protectorate issued its own stamps, featuring a profile of King Edward VII.
The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is ￡450.
Price: ￡375
4. When two halves don’t make a whole
Niger Coast 1894 (Aug-Sept) '?' on left half of 1d vermilion, type 15 surcharge (partially doubled) in VIOLET, Opobo bisect provisional, tied to piece by 'OPOBO RIVER' circular date stamp, dated 'OC 31 94', SG63var.?
A fine used example with attractive central cancellation.
A most unusual example showing distinct doubling of the hand stamp.?A very rare piece with only 240 stamps being issued of all three colours?and particularly rare with the variety.
In May 1894 British overprinted stamps were replaced with new designs inscribed correctly “NIGER COAST PROTECTORATE” featuring the same portrait of Queen Victoria. These stamps were issued on unwatermarked paper.
Also in 1894, there was an expanded need for ?d and 1d stamps. So all bisected 1d and 2d stamps were overprinted.
Accompanied by a British Philatelic Association (BPA) certificate of authenticity as former SG60 (1949).
Price: ￡750
5. Winter is coming
Great Britain 1966 6d Landscapes “Antrim, Northern Ireland”, SG690var.?
Very fine unmounted mint with full original gum strip of three corner marginal, showing a progressive dry print of the green, giving the fields and mountains a 'snow-clad' appearance on the right stamp.
A most unusual and vivid printing variety.
Price: ￡850
Unusual postal history
6. Lots of postal strikes!?
Falkland Islands Dependencies 1946 (20 SEP) locally addressed cover, bearing 1946 "Thick Map" set of 8 and Falkland Islands 1938-50 2s6d to ￡1 (1938 second printings), all tied by seven strikes of South Georgia type SG6 circular date stamps in violet, SGG1/8, SGZ85/8.?
A very fine and attractive cover and most unusual with the "combination" franking.
On the introduction of special stamps for South Georgia up to the 1 shilling value, higher values continued to be provided by the 1938-50 Falkland Islands set.
Stanley Gibbons catalogue value for the stamps in used condition off cover is ￡607.
Price: ￡550
7. A letter from a boy soldier?
Gibraltar 1860 (Mar) soldier's cover addressed to 'His Grace, Duke of Norfolk, No 21 St James Square, London, England', correctly endorsed from 'J. Cunniff Boy. On Board H.M.S. James Watt. Gibraltar' and countersigned by Lt Lawson in place of the commanding officer, franked at 1d concessionary rate by GB 1856-58 1d rose-red.?
领英推荐
Tied by London Foreign Branch '30' numeral with red London 'BO/LONDON/MR 20 60' arrival backstamp.
Carried per P&O "Ceylon" departed Gibraltar 14/3/1860; arrived Southampton 19/3/1860.
A delightful cover despite small repaired?fault to flap, far above average condition for a soldier's cover, and most unusual from a 'Boy'.
Provenance: Ex Geoffrey Osborn (private transaction), Stanley Gibbons.
Boys aged between 14 and 18 could enlist. Boy 3rd Class was the lowest rank in the Royal Navy.
Price: ￡650
8. Two Kings on one cover
Falkland Islands 1915 (JY 21) King George V 1d red Postal Stationery envelope (type I, 1913 issue), uprated by 1904-12 King Edward VII ?d deep yellow-green (1911 printing) and 1912-20 King George V 1d orange-red (1912 printing) to pay 2?d foreign rate, addressed to New York, with two light strikes of type F4C circular date stamps.?
A rare and attractive mixed reign commercial franking, carried by 'Oriana'. A most unusual piece of postal history.
Stefan Heijtz Falkland Islands specialised catalogue number:?E2a.
Price: ￡750
9. A postal historian’s delight
Zanzibar 1931 (SP 10) incoming underpaid printed cover to "Ahmed Mossaid Bin Omar Baomar, ZANZIBAR", probably posted on a ship from India via Mombasa but with India 1926-33 1a chocolate pair disallowed and uncancelled, showing on face.?
Very fine MOMBASA transit (?) circular date stamp of "8 SE 31" and hexagonal "T/50 CENTIMES" due mark.
On arrival in Zanzibar (backstamp "SP 9 31"), the deficiency was recalculated as 40 (gold centimes) and paid by 1930-33 25c black/rose postage due, SGD23 (first setting, R2/2), tied by "SP 10 31" type D8 circular date stamp.
A fine quality cover despite some small faults (vertical fold).
A rare and interesting usage, unusually showing P.O. register number in RED crayon (rather than blue).
Provenance: Ex Griffith-Jones (discussed on pp.302-3 of his book, with illustration Fig.11.21; census F.119).
Price: ￡850
10. Exceedingly rare cover to this destination (and should never have arrived!)
Great Britain 1850 overseas mail, Belfast to Mexico, SG55.?
Very fine entire envelope sent from Belfast to Mexico bearing a horizontal pair of 1s green's (SG 55, Die W.W.2). The left hand example is touched at top and the right hand stamp touched at foot, both tied by crisply struck black Belfast "62" Irish numerals.
Endorsed at top left "P West Indies Mail", sent per steamer "RMS Trent" from Southampton to St Thomas and "RMS Clyde" from St Thomas to Vera Cruz.
Back stamped by a blue Belfast circular date stamp for ‘JY.31.1850’. and a part red arrival circular date stamp for ‘SP.2.1850’.
Scarce and attractive overseas destination entire envelope, unusually underpaid at 2 shillings and not the correct rate of 2s3d that was in use from 1840 to 1863.
GB Specialised Catalogue No: H1(2).
The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value for a single used example of the 1 shilling green is ￡1,000.
Price: ￡950
11. The last of its kind
Pitcairn Islands 1925 stampless cover to Alleton, Mass., U.S.A., Washburn correspondence, with fine (slightly doubled) 'POSTED IN PITCAIRN ISLAND/1924 NO STAMPS AVAILABLE' large cachet in black (as type IV), with the year deleted in black M/S, SGC9.?
A very fine 'CRISTOBAL CANAL ZONE’ machine transit date stamp on reverse.
Typical slight cover faults but a rare and highly unusual 'late' use of this cachet (clearly after 1/1/25!). The arrangement of letters being sent without postage stamps was ended in 1926.
A very interesting and philatelically important piece of early postal history from the Pitcairn Islands.
The mail service from the Pitcairn Islands was irregular because it depended on passing ships and mail from the island was often sent via Tahiti.
In 1920, a regular mail service was introduced. As there were no stamps available, letters were allowed free postage as long as they carried a cachet, or manuscript endorsement, indicating their origin.
The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value is ￡2,500+.
Price: ￡1,950
12. A most unusual cancellation
Great Britain 1840 1d Mulready Envelope (Forme 3 Stereo A161), SGME2.?
A very fine used example sent from Limerick to Newcastle, County Down neatly cancelled by a crisp strike of the distinctive Limerick Maltese Cross in black.
Back-stamped by a Limerick dispatch circular date stamp for ‘AP.5 1841’, and a Newcastle arrival circular date stamp for the following day showing an unusual variety where the "N" of Newcastle is reversed.
Rockoff and Jackson ‘Encyclopedia of the Maltese Cross’ record only one other Mulready with the distinctive cancellation. A most attractive and exceedingly rare Irish usage.
Accompanied by a 2013 Royal Philatelic Society (RPS) Certificate of Authenticity.
Price: ￡3,250
A collection of philatelic oddities?
If you are interested in buying my entire collection of philatelic oddities, the price is?￡11,130 ($13,850).
This option is of course subject to availability. As you know, I can’t stop people going onto our website and buying individual items from the collection.
If you are keen to acquire the collection before it is broken up, please contact me [email protected]?as soon as possible and I will reserve the collection for you immediately.
Alternatively, give us a call on +44(0)1534 639998 or message us on +44(0)7700702962.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks for reading.
?
Kind regards
Mike Hall, CEO
PS. “Rare stamps offer a triple play of diversification, stability and significant upside potential. First, rare stamps have little correlation to any publicly traded securities market. Second, they are, thankfully, immune from Mr. Market’s mood swings, offering slow steady returns over market cycles. Finally, like the Energizer bunny, the price of rare stamps just keep going and going up”.
Nicholas A. Vardy CFA,?www.marketwatch.com
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