Rare and Valuable Stamps of Germany

A rare stamp of Germany or German States can become the highlight of almost any philatelic collection. Some German stamps have been sold for thousands of US dollars, and it is quite likely that they will be passed from one generation to another. In this review, you will find information about some of the valuable stamps of Germany, which cost a lot.

2001 Stamp Sheet with Audrey Hepburn

A sheet of 10 stamps. BBC News image.

Felzmann Auction House has sold several stamps with the image of this talented actress. It is curious that those are modern stamps, and some of them are more expensive than other specimens. The most expensive item from this series is a stamp sheet with Audrey Hepburn.

Audrey Hepburn is pictured with a woman’s cigarette holder instead of the sunglasses on the original photo. “In the original photo, she’s got sunglasses hanging from her mouth, but they (Germany Postal Administration) had flipped the negative and replaced the glasses with the cigarette holder”, told Sean Ferrer, Audrey Hepburn’s son.

In particular, the lot was sold for as much as €430,000. It is known that the sheet went to UNICEF.

1949 Württemberg Minisheet

Block of 4 stamps. Stamp-Up image.

This canceled Württemberg block was sold at a Russian online stamp auction. The price for this block consisting of 4 stamps of the French zone was ₽50,000. The stamps were dedicated to the Red Cross, and they were produced in Württemberg from 1947 to 1949.

Vineta Provisional

1901 Vineta Provisional. Cherrystone image.

This stamp was issued in 1901 in green with a nominal value of 3 pfennigs. The stamp was created on board of a cruiser, as the staff lacked stamps with a face value of 3 pfennigs. It was made from a standard single-color mark (vertically cut). The stamp is one of the greatest rarities of German philately. At one of the Cherrystone events, the stamp was sold for $12,075.

1851 9 Kreuzer Color Error

One of the four known stamps.

One day, during the process of stamp printing, a blue-green sheet of paper was used instead of a pink-lilac sheet. This caused a color error, and the 9-kreuzer stamp became one of the rarest stamps of German philately. There are only 4 copies of this stamp. One of them was sold for €1,314,500 at a philatelic auction.

1920 Danzig with Double Error

The 1920 stamp with center and overprint inverted. Cherrystone image.

This stamp is unique due to the double error it has. This German artifact was printed with the center and "Danzig" inverted. It is assumed that there are 20 examples of this stamp. One of them was sold at Cherrystone for $14,000.

1912 Gelber Hund Stamp

The German Empire stamp with surcharge inverted. Sandafayre image.

These stamps were used at the last years of the German Empire. They are not watermarked and come in 3 different denominations. These stamps are quite valuable, and they always get high hammer prices at online stamp actions. However, the surcharge inverted variety is considered a true rarity; thus, it costs much more than regular stamps from this series.

1849 Schwarzer Einser

One of the Shwarzer Einser copies.

This stamp is not particularly rare; however, it can be expensive enough depending on its condition and history of ownership. This stamp was printed in large quantities and there are different varieties of it. In 1851, it was withdrawn from circulation. Despite the fact that there are enough copies of this stamp, their cost starts from €1000. One such stamp was sold for more than €50,000.

1933 Chicagofahrt Set

The set of “Chicagofahrt” stamps. Auktionshaus Christoph Gaertner image.

This is a set of commemorative stamps. They were created to celebrate the 50th airship ocean crossing. There was a similar issue of these stamps; however, it is less valuable. Catalog price for the set is €16,000. Similar stamp sets were offered at Auktionshaus Christoph Gaertner several times. During one of the stamp auctions, this set was sold for €5,400.

1953 Minister Block

The set of 4 stamps. Sandafayre image.

This block of four stamps is dedicated to the Transport Exhibition in Munich. It is known that the set was printed on handmade paper, and there are approximately 100 such pieces. The block is one of the greatest rarities of the Federal Republic. The price for each block varies depending on its condition and provenance.

1850 Sachsendreier

The rare Sachsen 3 Pfennige red.

This first Kingdom of Saxony stamp is valuable despite the fact that it was issued in a large amount. It should be noted that this stamp is a historically significant object due to the purpose of its creation. Interestingly, at online auctions, this stamp is often offered in the restored state. It can cost quite a lot starting from €4000 (depending on the condition and characteristics). At present, there are about 3-4 thousand copies of the stamp, therefore, there is a fairly high chance you can still get it into your own philatelic collection!