What makes a stamp rare?

So many stamps have been produced worldwide, that only a few are considered rare. And, as you can imagine, only the rarest stamps hold significant value. 

Experts carefully study factors such as condition, age, and rarity to determine stamp collection value.

The rarity of a stamp is directly related to how many there are in existance. If there are a lot of stamps of a certain type about, the rarity of it goes down... and the value of it as well.

 

The value of a stamp depends on many factors

Its condition and age are two main ones. 

A stamp which is in the same state as when issued by the Post Office (mint with full original gum) will be worth more than one which has been previously hinged or damaged. If a stamp’s colour has faded (because of water or sunlight) its value will be significantly reduced.

Extremely rare and early stamps from countries where postal deliveries were infrequent are known as ‘Classics’ and date from 1900 or earlier. In most cases, they are one of the earliest stamp issues from that particular country and, subsequently, they can command a higher price.

Besides condition, it's important that the stamp is in one piece. A stamp which has part of its design or a perforation missing will not command a premium price – even if it is extremely rare. Besides that, it should not be bent. A ‘bend’ or ‘crease’ will significantly reduce a stamp’s value. Lighter ‘wrinkles’ will also devalue a stamp but much less significantly. That's why you should never attempt to pull a hinge off a stamp as you could damage it.

It should be noted that stamps with neat perforations (the stamp border) tend to be valued more highly. In most cases, the neater the perforations are, the more a stamp will be worth.

How about unique cancellation marks or errors

Older stamps which are still on the original envelope can sometimes be worth considerably more if a special or rare cancellation mark has been applied. To preserve a stamp’s authenticity, never remove stamps from the original piece upon which it was sent.

When the circular date stamp cancellation mark has been applied very close to its centre, and it has been carried out in a tidy and light manner - with either the date, place name or location within it, a stamp tends to be worth more.

When a mistake has been made on a stamp design, such as a missing colour or feature because of a printing or production error, these stamps becomes highly collectible and are often worth significantly more than a ‘normal’ issue (like the famous Inverted Jenny).