World Postal Day and Postal Stamp. Stamps are a history testimony and a modern hobby
On October 9, the World Postal Day and a postage stamp are celebrated, commemorating the signing of the Bernese Treaty, which established the World Postal Association. On this occasion, events promoting philatelic as a hobby are organized around the world.
Philatelic, or collecting postage stamps, has its beginnings in the 19th century. The first stamp, the famous Penny Black, was published in 1840 in Great Britain, while in Poland the first stamp appeared in 1860. Initially, philatelic was popular mainly among children and young people, but in time it became a full -fledged hobby for adults.
Postal stamps promote values and topics related to history, culture and achievements of individual countries. They commemorate important anniversaries, historical events, outstanding characters, as well as natural, scientific, sports and religious topics. These small works of art sometimes delight with their graphics on a par with full -format images. Philatelic is a job for real enthusiasts and professionals who after years of collecting can monetize their passion.
The most expensive stamps in the world
Philatelic achieved its peak moment in the 20th century, when collectors from around the world began to collect rare stamps. Stamps from the so -called The classic period (lasting until 1914, and according to some collectors - until 1939) were extremely valued, and today some of them reach dizzying prices.
The most expensive stamp in the world is British Guiana 1C Magenta from 1856, which was sold for a record -breaking $ 9.48 million. This only known copy presents a sailing ship, and its uniqueness makes it the subject of the desire for collectors. Another extremely valuable stamp is the Mauritius Post Office from 1847, the price of which amounted to $ 1.67 million. The printing error significantly affected its value, because instead of "Post Paid" "Post Office" was printed.
In Poland, the rarest stamps, especially those with printing errors, can reach prices of several dozen or even several hundred thousand zlotys, depending on whether they are sold in auction houses or at online auctions. The older the stamp, the higher its value.
One of the most valuable Polish stamps is the first Polish stamp, the value released on January 1, 1860, still during the partitions. This stamp presents the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Poland - a two -headed Russian eagle with a white eagle on his chest. The stamp has the inscription "For the KOP. 10 ”, which meant that it cost 10 kopecks and allowed for sending letters weighing up to half Łuta (12.7 grams) within the borders of the Polish Kingdom and the Russian Empire. It was withdrawn from circulation on April 13, 1865, when the autonomy of the Kingdom of Poland was liquidated and unused copies were destroyed. In 2018, one of these rare stamps achieved at the auction at the Christoph Gaertner auction house a price of 40.7 thousand. USD (over PLN 150,000).
The so -called Blue 10-Coronowo from the Krakow edition of 1919, at which the black print "Poczta Polska" was placed. Only 440 copies of this stamp were printed, and its value can today reach up to PLN 70,000. One of the copies, put up at the Cherrystone auction in New York in 2009 with a starting price of 30,000 USD, was sold for 55,000 USD (about PLN 170,000). Its catalog value, according to Fischer, was half a million zlotys in 2014.
Stamps from the PRL period are also very popular, especially the "boxing reverse" from 1956, published on the occasion of the Olympic Games in Melbourne. The printing error raised the value of the entire series, which apparently had only 14 stamps. Today they reach prices of up to tens of thousands of zlotys.
New trends in philatelic: cryptors
In recent years, philatelic has undergone a significant transformation, combining traditional collecting stamps with modern technologies. A breakthrough in this field are cryptors emitted by Poczta Polska. This project combines physical postage stamps with digital counterparts in the form of NFT tokens, which allows you to collect, exchange and sell stamps in both traditional and digital form.
Cryptors are distinguished by a number of unique features, valued by traditional philatelists - include Metallic paint, UV paint and microtext. Poczta Polska also offers limited editions, such as cryptocoperts and cryptofolders, and some stamps are only available in a digital version. From the beginning, the project promotes a new dimension of philatelic, based on Web 3 technology, which attracts the younger generation, interested in modern solutions.
A thriving community was created around the cryptoze, which contributed to the creation of the Polish Association of Cryptophilatelists, supporting new initiatives in this field. The success of cryptors can also be seen in rapidly selling limited editions, which indicates the growing interest in this form of philatelic. This opens new possibilities to collectors, indicating that philatelic is entering a new, digital era.