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March 20, 2019
Great Britain: Most Expensive and Valuable Stamps
Stamps of Great Britain and the UK are popular among collectors from various countries. In this review, you will find 10 rare and valuable stamps that have interesting provenance and will surely become the highlight of any philatelic collection.
March 10, 2019
The Most Valuable and Rare Stamps of China
Below you can find the most valuable stamps of China sold at various stamp auctions of the past years. Some of them are rare while some of the pieces became extremely expensive due to the printing error.
March 10, 2019
The Most Expensive and Valuable Stamps of India
Stamps of India can frequently be met at various stamp auctions all over the world. Interestingly, there are only a few rare stamps issued in this country, which makes them quite valuable. In this review, you will find information about the most expensive stamps of India (single items) sold at philatelic auctions during the past years.
March 04, 2019
Seebeck Stamps and Reprints
It should be noted that Seebeck's firm became the first philatelic agency selling stamps that appeared on the international arena. Seebeck was an American businessman of German descent who emigrated to the United States in the second half of the 19th century.
February 28, 2019
We changed our website address to oldbid.com
Dear Collectors! We changed our website address to oldbid.com. Using our website, you will soon be able to bid on auctions of many well-known auction houses.
February 18, 2019
Pre-philately, Precursors of the Postage Stamps
Attempts to create an efficient payment method for postal items were made by many people from various countries long before the nineteenth century. The aim of this article is to throw light on the most famous predecessors of postal stamps.
February 17, 2019
Hawaiian Missionaries
These stamps are considered some of the rarest stamps in the world. The rarity of the stamp with a nominal value of 2 cents is also indicated by the fact that it is one of the most popular topics when issuing postage stamps dedicated to philatelic rarities.
February 13, 2019
The Inverted Swan of Australia
It was discovered many years ago in Ireland by a schoolboy, who saw this unusual stamp in his teacher’s collection. The piece attracted the attention of the boy, and he told a rich philatelist about it. The duke gave the boy $16 to purchase it from the teacher.
February 12, 2019
Stamp Auctions: Philately as a Science
It is worth stressing that many researchers have repeatedly noted that philately, and stamps, in particular, are important not only as a resource that helps young people get acquainted with geography, history, art history, foreign languages, and so on but also as a subject of knowledge since postal stamps undoubtedly are objects that capture and display certain historical moments.
January 09, 2019
Stamp Auctions: Online Philatelic Auctions
This quick overview intends to introduce to the reader some of the most popular online stamp auctions across the globe. This list is quite long, yet, it is not exhaustive.
January 08, 2019
Stamp Auctions: Personalities
Stamp auctions have a rich history, which dates back to the middle of the 19th century. It should be noted that the first events immediately attracted the attention of hundreds of people, and eventually, holding regular philatelic auctions became a great tradition for many countries of the world. In this part, you will find the names of the “founding fathers” of the contemporary auction business in philately.
January 07, 2019
Stamp Auctions: First Philatelic Auction Houses
As you most probably know, the first auctions were held in Europe and the US. Despite the evident need for such events, not all of them turned out to be successful and attracted many participants and visitors.
January 07, 2019
Stamp Auctions: The Beginning
Any philatelist knows that the most interesting philatelic material and rare stamps appear on sale at stamp auctions. In 1991, there were about 244 auction firms in the world, and most of them were located in countries such as Switzerland, Germany, England, and the United States.
December 19, 2018
Mauritius “Post Office”: Prehistory and Myths
In 1846, the Governor of Mauritius issued a decree on the transportation and payment of postal items, according to which each letter, newspaper or any other item sent inside the colony (and paid with a stamp issued by the government) was sent without paying a postage fee.
December 18, 2018
The Provenance of the Inverted Jenny
This stamp showing the aircraft Curtis JN-4 was issued in the second decade of the 20th century. On seven sheets, the aircraft was imprinted upside down by mistake. Defective stamps were destroyed, but still, one such sheet went on sale and was divided into separate blocks and stamps. In the same year when issued, a collector named William T. Robey bought this sheet for as much as $24.
December 18, 2018
Basler Taube or The Rare Swiss Basel Dove Stamp
The Basler Taube is the philatelic rarity created and printed in the Swiss canton of Basel. It was issued on July 1, 1845, and this release became one of the first stamp series in the world.
December 17, 2018
Olho-de-Boi: The Story of Brazil’s Bull’s Eyes
It is known that due to the imperfections of the printing equipment, the stamps were created using paints of various thicknesses. This is how several variations of the first Brazilian stamp have appeared, which range from gray to black.
December 17, 2018
The Inverted Dendermonde of Belgium
Belgium is a rather small country with a rich history in philately. Many collectors are glad to acquire the stamps of this country, which can significantly increase the value of their collections. However, one of the stamps is particularly valuable as it has been preserved only in small quantities.
December 16, 2018
One of the Most Scandalous Stamps Issued in the US
"Alcoholism. You can beat it!" says the US stamp dedicated to the fight against this chronic disease. This stamp was issued in a large volume, most of which was later destroyed by the postal service.
December 16, 2018
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Black Penny, or the World’s First Adhesive Stamp
When the Post of England released the first stamp with a circulation of 68 million copies, they could have never assumed that it would become legendary.

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