Stamps are considered to be the most collected items on earth
They are the 3rd most traded category on eBay.
Rare stamps are the most valuable commodity on earth by weight with the famous Treskilling yellow weighing in at US$3 million an ounce (As I write gold is currently $1,481 an ounce) .
There are over 48 million stamp collectors around the world .
18m of these are in China alone, where there are also 50,000 government sponsored philatelic societies.
Stamp collecting was actually banned by Chairman Mao but since his death in 1976 the pastime has gained considerably in popularity with world record prices being set month after month.
Stamps also have a pedigree and price history that dates back over 170 years which is invaluable to serious collectors and investors alike.
The demand for stamps is clearly there so how have the rarest stamps performed at auction?
Here's what happened at the Chartwell Collection auction this week...
Described as 'the most famous stamp in the world'.
Estimated £400,000 - 500,000.
Sold for £1,080,000.
This is the first single stamp to sell for over £1m at auction in the United Kingdom. The owner had paid £29,000 in 1972 resulting in a return of 9.7% per annum over the last 39 years.
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Described as 'The legendary "Missing Virgin"' variety.
Estimated at £50,000 - 60,000
Sold for £144,000.
A world record price for a British Virgin Islands stamp.
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Estimated £120,000-150,000.
Sold for £216,000.
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Described as "The finest and most attractive One Penny Black on cover in existence".
Estimated £150,000 - 200,000.
Sold for £348,000.
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It's clear that the top end of the stamps market is thriving.
The reason is very simple. There are very few £100,000+ stamps in the world.
They are priced at that level because they are so incredibly rare so when they do appear at auction they tend to outperform as collectors who have waited years to own an example battle it out on the auction floor.
I would guess that none of these stamps will be seen again for 10-20 years, as they will be held in long term collections. The opportunity to purchase them will be gone for a decade or so.
One anonymous bidder actually bought the Mauritius stamp and the Virgin Islands stamp, shelling out over £1.2m in a matter of minutes.
The Chartwell Collection is such a large accumulation of stamps that it has been spread over many sales and is expected to realise over £20m.
The next sale is in a few months time and collectors can look forward to the appearance of the legendary Great Britain Tyrian plum stamp.
There are only 12 known copies of this rarity, and the Queen owns three of them.
They are safely locked away in the Royal Philatelic Collection at St James' Palace in London.
www.boscastlesupplies.com for your stamp collecting supplies and accessories.
Source: http://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/section.asp?catid=80&docid=7224
They are the 3rd most traded category on eBay.
Rare stamps are the most valuable commodity on earth by weight with the famous Treskilling yellow weighing in at US$3 million an ounce (As I write gold is currently $1,481 an ounce) .
There are over 48 million stamp collectors around the world .
18m of these are in China alone, where there are also 50,000 government sponsored philatelic societies.
Stamp collecting was actually banned by Chairman Mao but since his death in 1976 the pastime has gained considerably in popularity with world record prices being set month after month.
Stamps also have a pedigree and price history that dates back over 170 years which is invaluable to serious collectors and investors alike.
The demand for stamps is clearly there so how have the rarest stamps performed at auction?
Here's what happened at the Chartwell Collection auction this week...
Described as 'the most famous stamp in the world'.
Estimated £400,000 - 500,000.
Sold for £1,080,000.
This is the first single stamp to sell for over £1m at auction in the United Kingdom. The owner had paid £29,000 in 1972 resulting in a return of 9.7% per annum over the last 39 years.
---------
Described as 'The legendary "Missing Virgin"' variety.
Estimated at £50,000 - 60,000
Sold for £144,000.
A world record price for a British Virgin Islands stamp.
--------
Estimated £120,000-150,000.
Sold for £216,000.
--------
Described as "The finest and most attractive One Penny Black on cover in existence".
Estimated £150,000 - 200,000.
Sold for £348,000.
--------
It's clear that the top end of the stamps market is thriving.
The reason is very simple. There are very few £100,000+ stamps in the world.
They are priced at that level because they are so incredibly rare so when they do appear at auction they tend to outperform as collectors who have waited years to own an example battle it out on the auction floor.
I would guess that none of these stamps will be seen again for 10-20 years, as they will be held in long term collections. The opportunity to purchase them will be gone for a decade or so.
One anonymous bidder actually bought the Mauritius stamp and the Virgin Islands stamp, shelling out over £1.2m in a matter of minutes.
The Chartwell Collection is such a large accumulation of stamps that it has been spread over many sales and is expected to realise over £20m.
The next sale is in a few months time and collectors can look forward to the appearance of the legendary Great Britain Tyrian plum stamp.
There are only 12 known copies of this rarity, and the Queen owns three of them.
They are safely locked away in the Royal Philatelic Collection at St James' Palace in London.
www.boscastlesupplies.com for your stamp collecting supplies and accessories.
Source: http://www.paulfrasercollectibles.com/section.asp?catid=80&docid=7224
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