On the 50 reis stamp of Brazil 1906, we can find face of Cabral, the discoverer of Brazil (or rather second discoverer, for Pincon, a companion of Columbus, first discovered the country).

Cabral was born in Portugal about the year 1460 and had just attained manhood when the news of Columbus’s great discovery thrilled the world.

In 1500 he received command of a fleet of vessels to go to the East Indies, but taking a course too far westward the ocean currents carried him to the coast of Brazil, of which he took possession in the name of the King of Portugal. He named the country Terro da Vera Cruz, but the king re-named it Brazil from the red wood which it produces. Brazil remained a colony of Portugal until 1822, and the language of the country is Portuguese today.

Cabral died in Portugal about 1526.

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It certainly would be opportune to give a short sketch of the person whose face first adorned a postage stamp for, although the life of Victoria of England is familiar more or less to all of us, since hers was the first face placed on a stamp used for postage, it would seem that a review of her great and useful life should appear here.

Crowned queen before she was eighteen, it was early in her career as ruler of Britain that the agitation for adhesive postage stamps commenced.  Roland Hill’s scheme for postage stamps was opposed by many but the queen sided with him and approved his plan.  The agitators, to further upset his plans, objected to the placing of the Queen’s picture on the stamps as it would be, they argued, the greatest disrespect to Her Majesty to daily obliterate her picture by canteen, it was early in her career as Queen and she decided that her picture should appear  Thus in 1840 appeared the now famous “penny black” bearing the image of the Queen and her picture was used thereafter on nearly all the postage stamps of the extensive British Empire for more than half a century.  Sixty-three stamp issuing countries at on time or another used her picture on their postage stamps and no other person’s face has appeared on so many stamps as that of Queen Victoria. Some of the stamps that bear her picture can be purchased for a penny while others cost thousands of dollars.  The rare penny stamp of Mauritius of 1847 bears her likeness as does the Canada 12d of 1851 which, though not as rare as its rival of Mauritius, is a rare stamp.

On the stamps of Great Britain the Queen always remained young as she appeared in 1840, when the penny black was issued, but Canada changed their stamps and the latter issues of Canada, notably the beautiful maple leaf issue, shows her a venerable old lady as she appeared in her declining years.

On January 22, 1901, at Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, this grand old lady passed away and the whole world mourned her departure. She was well entitled to the title of England’s greatest queen and also perhaps the world’s greatest woman.

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Though it was given the laugh when it was first introduced by an English Schoolmaster, the civilized world today pays homage to the postage stamp, the friend of humanity, on its hundred and sixty eighth birthday.

Not since the days of printing had there came to humanity such a boon as was launched in England on May 6th, 1840, when the first postage stamps were used.  That date in all history marks the beginning of popular communication, placing within the reach of the poorest peasant the means of writing to friends and relatives. It put the people of the world into closer relationship, it encouraged the art of writing and it spread civilization.

Millions of people in this world to day receive letters, tear open the envelopes and seldom glance at the stamp, and should they do so, the pretty piece of paper would represent to them but the cost of transmission.

An incident relative to its inauguration is interesting to relate, Rowland Hill, the schoolmaster was passing through a rural district of northern England.  At one inn where he stayed overnight, the postman came along with a letter for one of the girls employed by the inn keeper.  The girl took the letter from the carrier’s hand and after looking it over handed it back to him saying that she did not have the one-shilling to pay for its carriage.  We might say here that about this time (1835-40) the postal charges were ‘Cash on Delivery’.  Hill being of a generous heart paid the postman the postage and the letter was duly delivered.  After the carrier had left the girl turned to Hill and thanked him for his kindness, but at the same time told him that his action was entirely unnecessary.  She and her brother had arranged a code which was placed on the outside of the envelope and she had read the short message when she had first taken it from the hand of the postman.

Hill was amazed as such a fraud drafted a scheme to combat them.  This hastily prepared basis is the forerunner of the present day world postal system, and the secret of their success; prepayment of postage by postage stamps.

Having convinced himself, he had to convince the people.  In the year 1837 he made a study of the statistical reports of the then postal “system” and the next year wrote a booklet “The Post Office Reform” in which he advocated a one-penny rate for all letters weighing less than one ounce, that were addressed for delivery in the United Kingdom.  Previous to this time, and the same was true of all other countries; the rates of postal charges were based on the distance schedule.  Now along came a schoolmaster who claimed to be able to put in use a one-penny rate when the one then in use was a one-shilling, twelve times more.

After the first roars of laughed had rolled away there were some who came forward and openly agreed with him.  That was enough.  Now he had to spring the plan on Parliament.

The government was slow to appreciate the farsightedness of this gentleman, and even resented the interference as he held no office in the English government.  The people and a few newspapers began boosting Hill and his scheme.  The Parliament gave way to accept his suggestions.

He claimed that the high cost of mail service was directly due to irregularities of the mail service, such as reckoning the charges by the number of sheets contained in an envelope and rated by the distance schedule, and collecting the charges from the addressee.

In his booklet he called for the one-penny rate, and “any difficulties in that plan”, to quote the booklet, “might be easily settled by using a bit of paper just big enough to bear the stamp and having on the reverse side some sort of glutinous substance which when moistened would hold the stamp to the back of the envelope”.

The invention of the postage stamp dates from his modestly advanced suggestion.

January 10th, 1840, saw the penny postage rate effective in Britain, but it was several months later, May 6th 1840, hundred and sixty eight years ago, that the first postage stamp was put in use.

Roland Hill was knighted for his efforts and received a gift of nine thousand pounds sterling for his work, raised by public subscription, besides a big job in the post office department.  In 1854 he was made chief secretary and was retired in 1864.  After his retirement he wrote several books on his research.  The History of the Penny Post was one of these.

This closes the story of Sir Rowland Hill, but let us says a word of the postal activities in relation to the new postal system.

In 1839 the letters carried totaled 76,000,000; 1840, 169,000,000.  Because of the lowered rates the postal revenue fell from pounds 478,000 to pounds 278,000 and the net profit from pounds 326,000 to pound 100,000.  It was more than ten years before receipts again totaled those of 1839, but the number of letters carried increased constantly, reaching 350,000,000 in 1850.

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This is the first stamp issued by Bermudians to inaugurate their capital, Hamilton, and is signed by Bermuda postmaster William Bennet Perot. In 1848, the town of Hamilton was incorporated as the Capital of Bermuda, and these stamps were printed under Postmaster William Bennet Perot. He wrote the words “1 penny” above the year stamp and signed his name below.

Till now, only 11 copies of this stamp have been discovered. Most of them are in the possession of European royalty, such as the specimen belonging to Queen Elizabeth II. This stamp’s worth is approximately $100,000.

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Mail in Hawaii used to be carried by ships with no official postal system in place. However, by 1851, traffic in Hawaii was high enough that the government set up a postal office and established official postal rates.

On 1st October, 1851 The stamps went on sale in three denominations covering three rates: the 2-cent stamp was for newspapers going to the US, the 5-cent value was for regular mail to the US, and the 13-cent value was for mail to the US East Coast, combining the 5 cents of Hawaiian postage, a 2-cent ship fee, and 6 cents to cover the transcontinental US rate. These stamps are most often used by missionaries working there at the time.

The top line read “Hawaiian / Postage” for the 2- and 5-cent values, but “H.I. & U.S. / Postage” for the 13-cent value, reflecting its unusual role of paying two different countries’ postage. And design of these stamps was very simple, having a central numeral of the denomination framed by a standard ornament and the denomination repeated in words at the bottom.

Till now there are only 200 stamps of Hawaiian Missionaries have survived, including all values.

The 2-cent is the rarest of the Hawaiian Missionaries, with only 15 copies existing. In 1921 the 2 cent Missionary stamp was sold for US$15,000 and in 1963 the same stamp sold for US$41,000. And Present estimated value of these 2 cent Hawaiian Missionaries stamp is £450,000 for unused copy and £225,000 for used copy.

An interesting story about this stamp is: in 1892, one of its earlier owners, Gaston Leroux, was murdered for it by an envious fellow philatelist, Hector Giroux.

An envelope containing a 2 cent and 5 cent Hawaiian Missionary stamp (as well as two other 3 cent stamps) survived to this day and is known as the Dawson Cover, in the 1995 Siegel auction it realized a price of US$1.9 million, and was last sold publicly for $2.09 million, making it one of the highest-priced of all philatelic items.

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It is probable some have wondered at the unusual surcharge on the stamps of Peru in 1894.

The surcharge is the picture of the General Remigio M. Bermudez.

He was born in the Province of Tarapaca, Peru on September 30, 1836. In his early life he was engaged in business in his native Province but during the revolution of 1854 he joined the revolutionary army as a lieutenant and finally overthrew the then existing government.

In 1864 he again joined a revolutionary army which succeeded in over throwing President Castilla.

He was chosen Vice-President of Peru in 1886 and in 1890 was elected to the Presidency of his country.

He died in Lima, Peru on March 31st, 1894 and in the same year his memory was honored by surcharging the 1874-80 issue of stamps with his picture.

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The Red Mercury is the rarest of Austrian stamps (stamps issued for sending newspapers).

Austria issued newspaper stamps for the first time in 1851, they represented a profile of Mercury, the Roman messenger god. The Mercury Stamps did not have a denomination printed on them but was specified with the color of the stamp - Blue, Yellow, and Rose. The color of the stamp indicating the value. Blue said 6 / 10 kreuzer rate for a newspaper, yellow for ten newspapers (6kr), and rose for 50 newspapers (30kr).

In 1856, the model has been replicated in the red (or scarlet), and with the rose, was the equivalent of six kreuzer. However, it was soon replaced by a new model that came out in 1858, and only a few copies have survived.

Recent auctions are estimated at approximately $40,000.

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Except for the stamps that you bought at the post office, it is possible to sell stamps and covers in the same places that you purchased.

That means, sell them back to dealers, advertising or sale in the philatelic exhibitions, or sell them to other collectors at the meetings of your stamp club, have a dealer to sell them at auction, or offer them yourself in an Internet auction. Each stamp show, the dealers are there to buy and sell.

There is lot of sales opportunities by using the so-called “circuit books,” a part of the services of some of the philatelic organizations, and then the organization is moving forward with other collectors in the mail. Beneficiaries may choose what to buy send money to the organization, brochures and sends them to the next collector. Circuit books are an excellent way to sell low and middle price of stamps and covers.

Run an ad in a few publications is an inexpensive way to sell stamps. It is a good idea to try and find the best market for your stamps before its time - corresponding to what you have the best potential buyers. For example, offer your collection United Nations a dealer who specializes in Britain is likely to be a waste of time, although sometimes a dealer is willing to buy “outside” in his area if the matter is something that could be delivered quickly. Maybe the dealer may sell to another dealer at a future stamp show.

It will be advantageous for you to organize your stamps in very specific groups, and then offer for sale separately, rather than mixing together different countries and promote it as “the world.” Sometimes it is best to break it up by categories popular news - a group of birds, or trains, rather than a country collection. The reading ads on the market is a good way to get an idea of what sells, and how, so you can price your collection accordingly. The values listed in places like the Scott catalog are estimated retail price of - that you might spend to buy the stamps in very good condition. It is not the price a dealer would pay you, and it is certainly not the purchase price for stamps and less good condition.

A few words on the stamp value: value depends on the condition, on the quantity available, as well as market demand. These factors offset each other. For example, if there are only a few examples of a certain stamp, and everybody wants one. People are so eager to have they will not mind so many flaws. But if there are millions of mint copies still available, then nobody is going to pay top dollar for your stamp or cover.

There may be a lot of copies, and if they are not popular to collect, it does not matter if the stamps are perfect or imperfect, nobody wants anyway! If there are a lot of copies, and stamps are popular, then the best copies command the best prices, but less perfect copies will always be a market. All this is common sense.

There are “modes” and trends of stamps that in other markets and stamps you can not sell today can have their turn at some future time, when circumstances change. But, remember that this is supposed to be a hobby, something to be in the show for fun, not for future profits. Collect for fun and you will never be disappointed.

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Starting a stamp collection is one of the easiest things in the world. Anyone can do it!

It’s really easy:

* Find envelope with a stamp on it you like.

* Soak the envelope (or just rip out the part with the stamp) in warm water for about 20 minutes.

* Make sure the glue is washed off the back of the stamp.

* Come back in a day and you’ll have yourself a stamp ready to be put into an album, an envelope, or wherever you feel like storing your stamps.

You never know, you could be holding the next Treskilling Yellow in your hand!.

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Believe it or not, investing in rare stamps is a normal occurrence.  Usually, the collection and gathering of rare stamps is a hobby that is better appreciated by the advanced collectors.
Unbelievably, rare stamps are investments that are of the tangible kind.  Compared to art they are also a worthwhile  and enjoyable investment especially for enthusiasts.

First things first, the fact is that rare stamps are really, definitely very rare.  But what is it that makes a stamp rare?

The following are some of the reasons as well as circumstances that makes a stamp that rare, expensive stamp that everyone would want to own.
The mother of all rare stamps

Believe it or not, there exists the stamp that would be considered as the mother of all rare stamps and quite possibly the stamp that – if given the chance – would be the one to rule them all.

The stamp that costs one cent is the British Guiana.  This stamp is currently considered as the most rare stamp in the whole world because only one of such kind was made.  This stamp was reportedly discovered by a school boy back in the year 1873.

Another valuable rare stamp is called the Penny Black where it is also considered as a very rare and valuable item for collectors.

The father of all rare stamp collectors

A man with the name Philipp von Ferrary who lived during the years 1850 until 1917  was considered to be the collector of all collectors when he was able to amass stamps from all places in the world.

Ferrary, as he was fondly called by his clients and almost everyone, began the hobby of colleting stamps when he was young.  Since he was able to inherit a great fortune, he made it his life long quest to buy stamps that are rare.

In the fifteenth of January, 1915, he relegated to the Berlin Postmuseum his collections.  But since he was an Austrian – who at that time was residing in France during the first world war – he left his albums to the embassy of Austria & left for Switzerland where he soon died.

Post world war one brought on the government of France to confiscate his collection.  Since then, most rare stamps have a stamp of “ex-Ferrary” on them, because almost always, the stamps may have previously belonged to him.

Rare stamps found in a dresser

You know you have in your possession a rare stamp when people are suing you for them to have it back.

It was one hundred and fifty thousand dollars worth of stamps that a judge granted the stamp’s original owners when it was found that it was included in the dresser a Robert Ganter bought in a used store that sells furniture.

The original owners discovered Ganter’s find when the latter issued an ad in a stamp catalogue for collectors and offering it up to be sold.

Buying rare stamps is a cinch

So how I one supposed to buy rare stamps when they see one?  The best method is by simply buying the best stamp that one could possibly afford.

New rare stamps recently unveiled in Asia
Beginning April of this year, stamps that highlight Vietnam’s birds, specifically the partridges as well as pheasants of the country was launched in Vietnam’s Ministry of Post and Telecommunication.

These rare stamps provide the people who live in Vietnam with a magnificent documentation of how the country’s  birds thrive.  The birds that were included in the stamp include a partridge whose neck is range in color, its scientific name is arborophila davidi.  Other birds in the stamps include lophura hatinhensis or the more popularly known Vietnamese pheasant.

Why are these birds featured in such a stamp series?  For one, putting their pictures on a stamp is one way to immortalize their existence as they are currently considered as endangered.   Their populations have been slowly dwindling due to the loss of their natural habitat as well as hunting.

What do the stamps represent then?  The series also aims to showcase the varied and special life that Vietnam’s birds live.

All in all, collecting rare stamps is a fun, enjoyable and interesting activity to do especially if  rare stamps are your cup of tea.

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