{"items":[{"slug":"penny-black","name":"Penny Black","country":"Great Britain","year":1840,"denomination":"1d (One Penny)","mintValue":"$2,000 – $6,000","usedValue":"$80 – $1,500","auctionRecord":"$345,100","shortDescription":"The world's first adhesive postage stamp, issued in Great Britain on May 6, 1840. Features a profile of 21-year-old Queen Victoria engraved by Charles and Frederick Heath.","heroImage":"/images/stamps/penny-black.jpg","tags":["penny black","world's first stamp","great britain stamps","victorian stamps","stamp history"]},{"slug":"blue-mauritius","name":"Blue Mauritius (Post Office Mauritius)","country":"Mauritius","year":1847,"denomination":"1 penny (blue) and 2 pence (orange-red)","mintValue":"N/A — fewer than 30 known for each value","usedValue":"$1,100,000 – $2,000,000 per stamp","auctionRecord":"$3,850,000","shortDescription":"Among the world's most famous stamps, the 'Post Office Mauritius' stamps of 1847 are legendary for bearing the error inscription 'Post Office' instead of 'Post Paid'. Only 27 examples of each value are known.","heroImage":"/images/stamps/blue-mauritius.jpg","tags":["blue mauritius","post office mauritius","mauritius stamps","1847 stamps","rare stamps"]},{"slug":"basel-dove","name":"Basel Dove (Basler Taube)","country":"Switzerland (Canton of Basel)","year":1845,"denomination":"2½ rappen","mintValue":"$15,000 – $40,000 (unused)","usedValue":"$3,000 – $20,000","auctionRecord":"$97,750","shortDescription":"One of the world's most beautiful stamps and an engineering marvel of its era. Issued by the Swiss Canton of Basel in 1845, the Basel Dove was the first stamp to use multicolor (three-color) printing.","heroImage":"/images/stamps/basel-dove.jpg","tags":["basel dove","basler taube","swiss stamps","1845 stamps","rare stamps","multicolor stamp"]},{"slug":"perot-provisional","name":"Perot Provisional","country":"Bermuda","year":1848,"denomination":"1 Penny","mintValue":"No unused known","usedValue":"$150,000+","auctionRecord":"$210,000","shortDescription":"Bermuda's first stamp, hastily hand-stamped by Postmaster William B. Perot in 1848 to solve the problem of missing pennies in his drop-box.","heroImage":"/images/stamps/perot-provisional.jpg","tags":["Bermuda","1800s","Provisional","British Empire"]},{"slug":"penny-red","name":"Penny Red (Plate 77)","country":"Great Britain","year":1863,"denomination":"1d (One Penny)","mintValue":"$200,000+","usedValue":"$645,000+","auctionRecord":"$645,000","shortDescription":"One of British philately's greatest rarities. While billions of Penny Reds were printed, a defect in printing Plate 77 led to its destruction—but a few sheets miraculously survived.","heroImage":"/images/stamps/penny-red.jpg","tags":["Great Britain","UK Stamps","Penny Red","Plate 77","Queen Victoria"]},{"slug":"canada-12-penny-black","name":"12-Penny Black","country":"Province of Canada","year":1851,"denomination":"12 Pence","mintValue":"$300,000+","usedValue":"$150,000+","auctionRecord":"$420,000","shortDescription":"The holy grail of Canadian postage. This beautiful 1851 stamp was so unpopular for its awkward denomination that the government destroyed over 97% of the entire stock.","heroImage":"/images/stamps/canada-12-penny-black.jpg","tags":["Canada","1800s","Queen Victoria","British Empire","Philately Crown Jewels"]}],"total":6,"filters":{"country":null,"limit":10,"query":"penny"}}