The best value rarity you could buy from me today....
One of Canada’s rarest stamps at 87% discount!
Dear fellow collector
87% discount!
I know it sounds too good to be true…
Despite this age old warning, I suggest you keep an open mind and hear me out.
You could own one of the rarest unused stamps from Canada.
A rarity widely regarded as a philatelic classic.
It is a stamp notorious for being difficult to find in fine condition.
The example you can own is better quality than most examples I have seen.
Similar quality examples have achieved realisations at auction in the past at a multiple of the price I ask from you today.
It is only the second time I have handled this stamp.
This is the finest of those two.
And, I am offering it to you today at a whopping 87% discount to catalogue value…
How could I possibly do this you should rightfully ask?
The reason is simple. (And it explains why this is the best value rarity you could buy from me today…)
I bought this at the wrong auction.
By that, I mean it wasn’t in a US or Canadian auction where I would never have won, as collectors would have out-bid me.
This was tucked away in a small general all-world auction in the UK.
None of the collectors who would have wanted it knew about it.
So, I snatched it up at a remarkably low price.
And, now you can do the same.
I have always loved this stamp because:
- It is one of the first stamps issued by the colony of Canada
- It is one of the most valuable and rarest of Canadian stamps in unused condition
- It is the only stamp issued featuring Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert
It is incredibly rare.
One of the most reputable auction houses in Canada quoted there are “likely fewer than a dozen unused examples known”.
So, it is no surprise to see unused examples listed in the Stanley Gibbons catalogue at a value of £45,000.
You can own my example today for just £5,950!
Here it is, the best value stamp rarity you could buy today…
Technical description
Canada 1852-57 6d slate-violet (slate grey), "Prince Albert", handmade wove paper, SG9.
A beautiful fine mint example of the early impression 6d slate-grey on wove paper. Good to large margins, with re-distributed gum; faint horizontal crease and very small thin.
Benefits in particular from good impression and with nice colour.
A very collectable example of this exceptionally rare stamp and in better condition than most surviving examples.
Accompanied with a Vincent Graves Green Certificate of Authenticity (2018). Scott #5.
Stanley Gibbons catalogue value: £45,000.
PRICE: £5,950
Its special importance in philately is partly because Canada (including Newfoundland) was the only country in the world to include the image of Prince Albert on a stamp.
The history behind the Prince Albert stamp issue
In 1851, the British Crown transferred authority to the Province of Canada to manage its own postal system.
The first postage stamp issued was designed by Scottish-Canadian Sir Sandford Fleming, the man famous for giving the world the idea of time zones.
Fleming was non-conformist when it came to deciding on Canada’s first stamp issue. He broke the mould at the time. It didn’t include the English Monarch, Queen Victoria.
Instead, the Threepenny Beaver, depicted (no surprise) a beaver. It was the first stamp anywhere to picture an animal.
Canada’s first postage stamp issued on April 23, 1851
Although in 1851 Canada was still recognised as only a colony and not a country, philatelists still consider this to be Canada’s first stamp.
That same year, Canada produced two other postage stamps for international mail.
One was the 12d black bearing the image of Queen Victoria in keeping with normal practice.
The other, notably being the lower denomination, was the 6d, which featured the Queen’s Consort, Prince Albert.
The portrait of Prince Albert on the 6d stamp was from a drawing by William Drummond Esq.
All three stamps were printed by a New York printing firm, Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson. They were considered one of the most advanced printers of their time.
The security features integrated within their design and printing were identical to those used in the production of bank notes.
The 6d Prince Albert stamps were mainly used to pay the half ounce rate to the US. Some are, however, found on domestic mail. Mint examples are rarely found, especially in fine condition.
The first issues of 1851 were made on laid paper and were widely criticised for not sticking to letters when moistened. In 1852, the printers switched to wove paper.
The fact Canada chose to include the Consort, Prince Albert to feature on one of their first postage stamps when no other country did is a philatelic mystery.
Much finer than most examples
As I said earlier, this stamp issue is one of the most difficult to find in fine unused condition.
It was even referred to in the famous Sir Gawaine Baillie sale as “Canada’s rarest stamp in mint condition”.
The key reasons the condition of the example you can own today is so rare are:
- Most examples in existence are used and it is believed less than a dozen survive in mint condition.
- Being imperforated, these stamps were cut from printing sheets with scissors or a blade. Because of this, finding examples with four good margins is very challenging. Most examples have only three margins or thin margins all round. This example, however, has four good to large margins, which is most pleasing.
- Most examples have no original gum remaining. This example has original gum, albeit it has been re-distributed.
- It is a good quality impression with nice colour, which is not always the case with early printing methods.
- Most examples of the Prince Albert stamp issue suffer from major condition damage from thinning. This example has only a very small thin, barely detectable.
- Being in the slate grey shade it comes from one of the earliest printing impressions.
In summary, it is an exceptionally rare stamp in such fine condition and better quality than most surviving examples.
Price Comparisons
On the rare occasion an example of the Prince Albert stamp comes to the market, it is usually sold through one of the major Canadian auction houses.
An example sold at a Canadian auction in October 2020 where it realised $25,750. Whilst the margins on this example were comparable to ours, it did not have any original gum.
More recently, another example sold at a Canadian auction for $33,000. Again, this example did not have any gum. It was even sold with an independent certificate of authenticity which referred to the stamp being “stained”.
These realisations are no surprise to me…
The stamps of Canada have always been among the most popularly collected stamps anywhere in the world and it enjoys a healthy vibrant market.
Historic price performance
The Stanley Gibbons catalogue value for the 1852-57 Prince Albert stamp can only really be used as a barometer of value.
This is because there is only one example in existence which would be deemed “Stanley Gibbons catalogue quality”.
The last time that example sold was in 2014 at auction in New York, where it realised $42,500.
The table below shows the history of SG catalogue values in five-yearly intervals over the past 20 years…
The 20-year growth in value of 275% (13.75% pa simple annual growth) demonstrates how such iconic rarities present solid reliable returns as a long term investment.
Interestingly, the catalogue value has not moved in the past five years.
Rarities like this are more prone to large sporadic step jumps in valuation. The absence of any price growth in recent years makes the current valuation look even more compelling.
From our own personal experience, more people are currently turning to collectibles to protect their wealth during these most challenging of times. This is evident from the number of record price realisations occurring every month at major auctions.
The economic and political storm we are experiencing, as awful as it is, provides the conditions which historically have always led to high levels of growth in our market.
High inflation and rising interest rates represent the biggest of those factors. More investors naturally turn to rare stamps in such times to find a safe haven for their investments to weather the storm.
They also provide so much more pleasure than any other investment.
Your chance to own an iconic stamp at an exceptionally low price
To summarise:
- The stamps of Canada are among the most popularly collected stamps anywhere in the world
- The 1852-57 Prince Albert stamp in mint condition is extremely difficult to find and you won’t get many chances in a lifetime to buy one
- The stamp represents something of an enigma, featuring Queen Victoria’s beloved Prince Albert - making it a uniquely fascinating stamp issue
- Offered to you today at an 87% discount to SG catalogue value of £45,000 (yours for just £5,950)
- It has proven its investment merit, showing growth in value of 275% over the past 20 years
Call me immediately on +44(0)1534 639998.
Or email me today at mike@justcollecting.com.
Prince Albert is widely regarded as the architect of the modern monarchy. This is a great piece of miniature history to hold as a worthy commemoration of his wide and positive influence within Victorian Britain.
Kind regards
Mike Hall
PS. This rare stamp depicting Prince Albert represents a historical marker. Prince Albert died of illness at the age of 42 in 1861, just 4 years after this stamp issue was taken out of circulation. The nation’s outpouring of grief at that time, was never seen again until the untimely death of Princess Diana 136 years later.
PPS. The stamp comes with an independent certificate of authenticity, dated 2018, from Vincent Graves Greene Philatelic Research Centre of Canada. Your peace of mind on authenticity is of paramount importance to us.
