Other Rare and Valuable Stamps America’s Rarest Stamp – The 1¢ Z Grill #85A The scarce 1868 One-Cent Z Grill (Scott 85A) pictured to the left is the rarest U.S. stamp. Only two are known. For seven years, Mystic Stamp Company owned the finest example, which is the only 1¢ Z Grill available to collectors. Grills were a security device used on U.S. postage America’s Rarest Stamp stamps from 1867-75. They were made by embossing the stamp – that is, breaking the paper’s fibers. This allowed cancellation ink to thoroughly penetrate the stamp’s paper, making it more difficult to bleach out or remove a cancel and reuse the stamp a second time. The “Z” grill is just one of eleven grill patterns that were used on U.S. stamps. Experts currently value this stamp rarity at around $3 million. The Legendary British Guiana 1¢ Magenta The British Guiana 1¢ magenta is the rarest postage stamp in the world. It was created in 1856, when a newspaper printed an emergency supply of 4¢ stamps. In 1875, school boy Vernon Vaughan found a stamp inscribed “ONE CENT” instead of “FOUR CENTS.” Unaware of the stamp’s potential value, the boy sold the stamp for just six shillings. It was soon sold again for a great deal more. The stamp has had many famous owners. In 1980, John Du Pont acquired the British Guiana 1¢ Magenta for $935,000. In June 2014, entrepreneur Stuart The British Guiana 1¢ Magenta had its corners clipped by an owner unaware of its rarity and value. Weitzman purchased the stamp for $9,480,000 – the highest price ever paid for a postage stamp. The Unique Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block The legendary Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block is the only plate-number block from the only surviving sheet of inverted 1918 24¢ airmail stamps, making it truly unique. Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block The Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block has been the crown jewel in a number of famous stamp collections. The plate-number block sold for record prices each time it changed hands, reflecting its status as America’s greatest stamp rarity.
Download PDF file