Page 24 - Ocean Blue World Fall 2019 Edition

FROM THE CHAIRMAN

STAMP OF APPROVAL

f you look beyond its face value, stamp collecting is far more
than an interesting hobby. It opens your eyes to the larger world
around you and piques a curiosity about the history, culture,
Iprovenance and art surrounding the pieces in your collection.
While the most valuable stamp collections are owned by famous
business magnates and the well-to-do, they can be a smart investment
for anyone. They never lose their value and do not fluctuate as gold, the
stock market or even real estate can.
Five of the Most Valuable Stamps in the World

Hawaiian Missionaries – The Dawson Cover Mauritius “Post Office”
Sold for $2.24M Sold for $4M
Siegel Auctions, New York David Fedlman SA, Geneva
The Hawaiian Missionaries are the first postage stamps of the The tiny island in the southwest Indian Ocean produced these legendary
Kingdom of Hawaii, issued in 1851. As only a handful of these stamps stamps, of which only 27 are left. I am fortunate to have one in my
exist today, they are considered extremely rare. This Dawson cover collection. The incorrect word “office” following the word post, was
is the most valuable and was sold to an American collector for $2.24 changed to “paid,” in future stamps. A single “Post Office” stamp sold
million. It features two three-cent stamps, one five-cent stamp and an for over one million U.S. in 2011.
exceedingly rare two-cent stamp - there are only fifteen in the world.
The stamps were rescued from a fiery factory furnace, as evidenced by British Guiana 1c Magenta
the small scorch mark. Sold for $9.5M
Sotheby’s New York
Treskilling Yellow
Sold for $2.3M The crown jewel of the stamp world was only worth a penny when it was
David Feldman SA, Geneve first put into circulation. Today, it is valued at nine million euros. Queen
Elizabeth’s stamp collection has every stamp in British history with
This Swedish stamp is said to be the only one like it in the world, the exception of this one. That privilege belongs to shoe designer Stuart
which also makes it one of the most valuable. It has an imperfection Weitzman.
- a color error - that caused the normally blue-green stamp to be
printed in yellow. In 1996, it sold for $2.3 million, but its true value Stamp collecting can reap big monetary rewards, but these should not
today is unknown. be overshadowed by the rich rewards that also include learning about
a forgotten place in time, and pivotal, or even just human, moments
Inverted Jenny in history.
Sold for $2.97M
Siegel Auctions, New York
This 24-cent stamp is emblazoned with the image of the Curtiss JN-4
airplane, but here a printing error caused the plane to appear upside
down. This famous flaw is only on 100 stamps, which made them
skyrocket in value. In 2005, billionaire Bill Gross bought a single block Dieter Esch
of four stamps, but later swapped it for a Benjamin Franklin 1-cent Z
Grill. The trade made international news. Chairman

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