Stamps that most of us haven't seen

ABRAHAM LINCOLN, 1867

In the heat of the Civil War, the US government annulled the existing stamps and adopted revamped designs. The ‘60s issue added two new political leaders – Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln. These are actually the oldest US stamps that can still be used to send letters.
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th US president who took office in 1861, just one month before the Confederate forces went into the assault on Fort Sumter. Known as a strong and decisive governor, he led the nation through the bloodiest war in its history into a free and fair world. His political achievements include the abolition of slavery, economy modernization and consolidation of government. No wonder the 1897 stamp depicting Abraham Lincoln in black color was one of the most important and expensive in the country. It cost as much as 15 cents, five times the value of most other US stamps of that period.
What differentiated the ‘60s series from earlier samples was the process known as grilling. The use of grills made it harder to wash off cancellations, which prevented dishonest senders from reusing stamps. Depending on the number of points in the grill and the size of the covered area, grills were given Latin letters from A to Z. The 1867 Abraham Lincoln stamp features a very rare “Z” grill that has horizontal ridges rather than vertical ones used in other grill types.
Given the extreme rarity of the stamp and its significance during the Civil War period, it is now valued at $200,000.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, 1867

An alternate prevalent stamp connected with the Civil War issue contains the picture Benjamin Franklin, a well known political scholar, negotiator, creator, researcher and the president of Pennsylvania. Named "the First American" for his broad political fight in backing of pioneer solidarity, Franklin had key influence in forming the American attitude as the union of functional qualities and social tolerance. The Post Office Department utilized his profile taken from Houdon's bust for various stamp outlines beginning from 1847.

The 1c Benjamin Franklin stamp issued in 1867 peculiarities an uncommon Z-barbecue with even edges, much the same as two different outlines from the arrangement portraying Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. At present, there are just two current examples esteemed at an incredible $935,000 each.

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, 1869

This stamp honoring the memorable announcement of the United States autonomy is one of the finest samples of the 1969 pictorial issue. On July fourth, 1776, thirteen American settlements that were included in a bleeding war with Great Britain announced themselves autonomous states and declined to perceive the principle of the British Empire. Various countries everywhere throughout the world emulated the sample of the U.s. by making their own particular freedom announcements, which established the frameworks of worldwide majority rules system and reasonable global relationship.

Like different stamps of the issue, the Declaration of Independence is printed in two colors, green and violet, and could be legitimately called a smaller than normal magnum opus. Craftsman John Smillie made an impeccable and exceedingly exact duplicate of the likewise named painting by John Trumbull, having engraved 42 persons with six primary figures unmistakable just through an amplifying glass.

The 24 penny stamp utilizes a G barbecue and accompanies part flame broil, twofold flame broil or fundamental gum. An unused example with a transformed focus is presently esteemed at $275,000.

GEORGE WASHINGTON, 1867

The primary president of the U.s., or rather his representation, was widely included in the historical backdrop of American postal printing. His profile delegated the 1867 stamp arrangement and was accessible in a few varieties. Be that as it may, our fundamental investment lies with the three penny B barbecue stamp in rose printing.

George Washington is one of the key figures in the historical backdrop of the United States. He essentially helped the country on his shoulders through the Revolutionary War and directed the making of the first American Constitution. Without him, the U.s. would have never turned into the solid, prosperous and persuasive nation it is presently.

In spite of the fact that the issue was very sizeable and numbered in excess of 1000 specimens, there are just four known pieces saved, each one evaluated at $160,000.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, 1908

Following severe critical attacks on the previous ornate issue, the Post Office Department released a series of stamps with a simple and cleaner design in 1908-1909. It is widely known as the Washington-Franklin issue, since it mainly focused on these two politicians. All stamps came with identical frames, which minimized production expenses and allowed for more effective use of steel printing plates.
Let’s look at the pair of stamps depicting Benjamin Franklin in blue and green colors with a one cent denomination. What differs this stamp from previous designs is the use of double line paper covered with the USPS (U.S. Postal Service) watermark. Since the letters were printed across the entire sheet, very often only a portion of the watermark would appear on a stamp, usually in a backwards, sideways or topside position. That’s why there is no universal rule as to the placement of the watermark on the stamp and each individual variation is eligible for sale.
An unused pair of the 1908 Benjamin Franklin stamp is currently valued at $100,000.

Buenos Aires 1859 1p "In Ps" tete-beche pair

Buenos Aires 1859 1p "In Ps" tete-beche pair is an extremely unique and rare postage stamp. It is also one of the most famous printing errors and this is the only one "tete-beche" pair of postage stamps produced on the territory of the State of Buenos Aires. Only one copy of this pair stamp left and it is estimated in $575,000. Originally it cost only 1 peso.

 

British Guiana One Cent Black on Magenta, 1856

For a very long time, the 1856 one cent "Black on Magenta" of British Guiana was considered to be the world's rarest and most expensive stamp.
In 1856, the former colony of British Guiana urgently required an extra supply of stamps and couldn’t wait for a fresh stock of new stamps to arrive from England where they were normally produced. The postmaster of British Guiana asked the publishers of the Official Gazette newspaper in Georgetown to print an emergency issue for local use. Rather crude looking designs were printed in one cent and four cent denominations. One cent stamps were meant for newspapers, while their four cent counterparts were intended for postal correspondence.
The local designs were printed in black ink on low-quality magenta-colored paper. They featured an image of a sailing ship, the lettering “Black Guiana” and an inscription of the colony's Latin motto "Damus Petimus que Vicissim" ("We Give and We Seek in Return"). The stamp had a rectangular shape with its corners snipped off, which made it look more like an octagon. Each sample was initialed by a post office employee as a security measure against possible forgeries. However, production of the stamps was soon discontinued.
In 1873, a 12-year-old Guaianian boy discovered an octagon-shaped one cent "Black on Magenta", postmarked April 4, 1856 and bearing the initials "E.D.W" in his family's attic. He later sold the stamp to N. R. McKinnon, a local collector, for a very small sum. Over the years, the uniqueness of this stamp created an uproar in the philatelic circles, as no other copy was ever discovered. In 1980, it was auctioned to John Dupont at a huge price of $935,000.
According to recent rumors, “Black on Magenta” will go under the hammer once again at a New York auction that will take place on June 17th, 2014. The world’s most valuable stamp will reportedly sell for a record price of $10-$20 million. Before the auction, it will be displayed in London, Hong Kong and New York.
 

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