Articles

During World War I, the small island "Mafia" at the mouth of the Rufiji River leased by Zanzibar in Germany, was part of the German territory of East Africa. It was occupied by British troops as a base against the Allied raiders.

This review will not cover a wide variety of stamps belonging to different epochs or series. In fact, our readers will get a chance to see how greatly prices may vary for the same types of stamps. All these stamps of Brazil are extremely rare and valuable.

This review is an overview of some of the most interesting lots belonging to the category of colonial stamps. Some of them are extremely rare stamps while other lots have an interesting provenance. All of these stamps were sold at stamp auctions and are now kept in private collections.

Canada is one of the largest countries in the world in terms of territory and among the ten most developed countries in the world. Before the formation of the Confederation, each colony issued its postage stamps. In this review, you will find the most valuable stamps of this country from different periods.

It is curious that not so many collectors hunt for Australian postage stamps, and this means that they miss quite a few interesting pieces. In this review, you will find ten beautiful and valuable lots that were sold at various online stamp auctions and regular philatelic events.

Stamps of Japan can often be observed at different stamp auctions all around the globe. Interestingly, this country has a variety of rare and valuable stamps; however, they do not always get high realization prices at philatelic events. This article will reveal the most expensive postal items of Japan sold at stamp auctions during the past years.

In this review, our readers will find the rarest stamps ever issued in Italy. Please note that, with the time, this list may require an update since stamps of this country are popular among collectors and new varieties are found quite often.

Stamps of France are valued by philatelists from various countries. In this article, you will find information about 10 rare stamps that have an interesting history of creation and will definitely be appreciated by any experienced collector.

In the south of the Arabian Peninsula, there is a federation of seven Arab states, which is currently called the United Arab Emirates (UAE). At the turn of the seventies of the 19th century, these small Arab principalities became the most famous countries in the world of philately.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.