The Most Valuable Stamp in the World was a Misprint!

Stamps have become a worldwide phenomenon. People collect stamps in hopes that they will someday be worth some money, or to show off an impressive collection. Many people seek out rare stamps, even going as far as traveling to different countries to obtain them. You have probably been wondering what the most valuable stamp in the world is and its origins. Well, you would probably be surprised to know that the stamp in question was in fact a mistake on the printer's part.

The Treskilling Yellow is the stamp that has sold for more money than any other stamp. In it's most recent auction in 1996, it sold for 2.3 million dollars. That is more money than some people will make in their entire lives. The postage stamp comes from the country of Sweden.

The stamp was originally part of a five stamp set that depicted different denominations of skillings. Skillings is just another word for shilling, or type of money. The stamp in question was supposed to be a green-blue type color, but somehow ended up being yellow. The yellow color was supposed to be for the 8 skilling stamp.

The printer corrected the error quickly and that is why the stamp is so rare. Over the years, the most valuable stamp in the world has been traded for various sums of money. George Wilhelm Backman is the name of the man who discovered the current stamp that we trade today. He was searching through his grandmother's attic and came across the piece. He sold it for a decent amount of money at the time, and the piece has traded around from there. The stamp was even owned by a king at one point!

Problems in the 1970's caused a ton of drama regarding the authenticity of the most valuable stamp in the world. The Swedish Postal Museum came to the conclusion that the stamp was a forgery! Investigations were launched immediately and it was soon clear that it was not a forgery.

This led to the most recent auction where the treskilling yellow acquired the title of the most expensive stamp of all time. The owner's of the stamp have not revealed who they are, and that is probably how the stamp will stay until it surfaces again and is sold for even more money.

Photo Credits: Sebjarod

Originally posted 2010-07-24 14:53:09.

This post involves:

George Wilhelm Backman, postage stamp, rare stamps, stamp forgery, stamp set, Sweden, Swedish Postal Museum, treskilling yellow

... and focuses on:

European Stamps, Rare Stamps, Valuable Stamps

Posted by Collectible Stamp on January 8, 2012 in European Stamps, Rare Stamps, Valuable Stamps.