Have You Found A "Rare" Stamp Lately?

Have you found a, "Rare" stamp lately and if so, which one and why is it rare? Pictures to if you can. I just found this statement; "Rare" is not the same thing as impossible.

The trouble with this question is that different people have different definitions of the word 'rare' (and 'lately'). Perhaps it would be better to ask this question in a more definitive way like, "Have you found a certified stamp worth more than $10,000(US) catalog value in the last year".

And of course even this can be a bit misleading since no information being gathered on how many times have people NOT found a 'rare' stamp.

If you ask people about their purchasing of lottery tickets, they are likely to mention the few times they won a couple of dollars and not mention the larger amount of money they have spent buying them.


Don

Thank you for that 51studebaker
I was just batting about for some interesting replies and pictures and why collectors thought them rare. I am not trying to cause a rukus. You are the moderator and you can take down the post if you feel it is inappropriate.

No worries.
Don

I assume most equate rarity as value not scarcity.

For me, it's the opposite. Rarity doesn't automatically equal £/$/€.

I agree with you completely Geoff.

Many handbooks use scarcity ratings on the lines of:

- Common
- Scarce
- Very Scarce
- Rare
- Very Rare

or C, S, SS, R, RR, RRR etc.

for increasing scarcity (=rarity).

I agree about scarcity but think the OP and others may think about money.

I answered a similar question here talking about how I occasionally find a stamp categorized as a regular 1861 but it is actually an 1867 grill. This is the latest example. Certainly not that rare, but in the album as a 69, it is actually a 97 F grill. Catalog value is about 2.5 times that of a 69. As you can see from the back scan, the grill was not obvious. Perpendicular light source brought it out nicely. Maybe not rare enough for you, but these finds always make me happy.

Louise411....check out this thread:

https://goscf.com/t/36270

Or this one
https://goscf.com/t/36715

But it should be mentioned that for every one of these stories there are literally hundreds and hundreds of threads with false positives. And while the excitement of finding a nice stamp is always fun to think about, it should be stressed that our hobby has far more to offer. Things that we can be assured are attainable by any hobbyist. Education, family/friendship time, exposure to culture other than our own, etc.

Promoting attainable things is particularly important in today's philately when we have entities like ebay aggressively selling 'hope' every day.
Don

Yet another one here ...

https://goscf.com/t/63022#584515

Don...how was it that you came into possession of your #423B?

Coastwatcher;
Yes and thank you for that link. I had found it already a couple or so weeks ago and really enjoy it. I saved it again in a different folder. You know I am enjoying to, all the comments on this subject. Maybe one of you will recommend a rare thread, they ask for suggestions for new categories.
If I knew I never would find an expensive stamp I would still collect them. But, as the poster on the link said, keep the dream alive. There is not a thing wrong with hoping to find an expensive stamp.
Still, when I began this thing I was just talking about a stamp that was very hard for you to attain, or some version of it. You know, postmark, shade, perfs, and you did find it. However, I will not apologize for thinking it would be nice to strike it rich one day. Why should I or anyone else apologise for that? Really? But, I just like stamps. I always have.

I have a significant list of stamps I want that catalog less than $10 however I cannot locate acceptable copies. In some cases I've become convinced that the stamps are much rarer than the catalogs would have you believe.

I would get just as much of a rush finding them as I would a stamp on my list worth 50 times that amount.

Shermae;
That is great I wish you would post some. I have a desire for a red 9 cent Jefferson. It does not exist, they say, but I have a torn one. I am hoping to get my printer working this coming month and post a picture of it.
Anyway, yes Shermae that is what I was fishing for. I am really enjoying the read.