|
A chronological listing of world postage stamps depicting design errors.
|
1852 (month unknown)
British Guiana
1-cent and 4-cent stamps inscribed "Patimus" instead of "Petimus".
Catalog numbers: Scott 6,7
Approximate value: US$15,750 (Scott 2009).
|
|
1865 November 15
Newfoundland
5-cent stamp depicts a seal, but the designer drew forepaws instead of flippers. This was corrected in the 1880 re-use of this image.
Catalog numbers: Scott 25
Approximate value: US$375 (Scott 2014).
|
|
1870 (month unknown)
Italy
1-centesimo postage due stamp has generic plural "CENTESIMI" for the series, which is incorrect for the 1-centesimo stamp.
Catalog numbers: Scott J3
Approximate value: US$4.00 (Scott 2010).
|
|
1885 October 1
United States of America
10-cent special delivery stamps with boy running has the design flipped left to right, as the stamp on the envelope in his hand is in the wrong corner. Same image used on issues of 1888, 1893, 1894, and 1895.
Catalog numbers: Scott E1; Stanley Gibbons E217
Approximate value: US$80.00 (Scott 2018).
|
|
1889 (month unknown)
New South Wales
5-shilling stamp with map of the Australia continent omits island of Tasmania. Not necessarily an error, as Tasmania is separated 240km from the continent where New South Wales is located.
Catalog numbers: Scott 85
Approximate value: US$92.50 (Scott 2010).
|
|
1891 July 31
Honduras
2-, 5-, 10-peso stamps depict President Luis Bográn, but the image has been flipped left-right (left part of jacket should cross over right part). The correct image was used for 11 stamps of 1 centavo through 75 centavos.
Catalog numbers: Scott 62-64
Approximate value: US$6.25 (Scott 2010).
|
|
1893 (month unknown)
Romania
1-ban stamp incorrectly reads "1 BANI", which is the plural. It was corrected in 1901.
Catalog numbers: Scott 117 or 132 or 148; Stanley Gibbons 316
Approximate value: US$1.25 (Scott 2010).
|
|
1894 (month unknown)
Hawaii
5-cent stamp with statue of Kamehameha omits word "CENTS". An 1899 re-issue includes the denomination.
Catalog numbers: Scott 76
Approximate value: US$2 (Scott 2010).
|
|
1894 (month unknown)
Somali Coast
1-centime stamp incorrectly show denomination in plural, "1 Ces", instead of "1 Ce".
Catalog numbers: Scott 6
Approximate value: US$3.25 (Scott 2010).
|
|
1897 June 24
Newfoundland
60th year of the reign of Queen Victoria
1-cent postage stamp shows a backward "1" at top right corner. Probably not an error, but an odd choice to intentionally place it backwards.
Catalog numbers: Scott 61; Stanley Gibbons 66
Approximate value: US$1.75 (Scott 2014).
|
|
1897 June 24
Newfoundland
400th anniversary of John Cabot's discovery of Newfoundland.
2-cent stamp depicts John Cabot's son Sebastion rather than John. No portrait of John existed, so the choice was intentional.
Catalog numbers: Scott 62; Stanley Gibbons 67
Approximate value: US$1.35 (Scott 2014).
|
|
1897 June 24
Newfoundland
400th anniversary of John Cabot's discovery of Newfoundland.
4-cent stamp has caption "Caribou Hunting, Newfoundland Sport", showing a hunter with his gun standing over a dead caribou. The design is based on a photograph of American H. Clay Pierce, hunting on his land in Missouri (i.e. not in Newfoundland).
Catalog numbers: Scott 64; Stanley Gibbons 69
Approximate value: US$2.75 (Scott 2014).
|
|
1897 June 24
Newfoundland
400th anniversary of John Cabot's discovery of Newfoundland.
10-cent stamp depicts a ship identified as Cabot's Matthew, but is identical to ship pictured previously on US 1893 1-cent stamp as Christopher Columbus' Santa Maria. Note that the flag has been modified, perhaps to make it look like an English one. During the modification, they should have noted the flag is blowing against the wind, rather than with it, and corrected it.
Catalog numbers: Scott 68; Stanley Gibbons 73
Approximate value: US$7.50 (Scott 2014).
|
|
1897 August 16
China
1/2-cent through $5 stamps in three designs inscribed "IMPERIAL CHINESE POST"; text reversed to "CHINESE IMPERIAL POST" in 1898 and all stamps re-issued.
Catalog numbers: Scott 86-97
Approximate value: US$2518.50 (Scott 2014).
|
|
1898 April 5
New Zealand
2 1/2-pence stamp depicts Lake Wakatipu, incorrectly inscribed "Wakitipu". Also exists with corrected spelling.
Catalog numbers: Scott 73; Stanley Gibbons 249,320
Approximate value: US$20 (Scott 2010).
|
|
1898 June 17
United States of America
$1 stamp with caption "Western Cattle in Storm" does not depict a scene from the USA, but is from the painting "The Vanguard" by John A. McWhirter, of cattle in the West Highlands of Scotland.
Catalog numbers: Scott 292; Stanley Gibbons 298
Approximate value: US$725 (Scott 2018).
|
|
1898 (month unknown)
Nicaragua
4-centavo stamp misspells "cuatro" as "cuartro".
Catalog numbers: Scott 101 or 109D; Stanley Gibbons 110
Approximate value: US$0.25 (Scott 2010).
|
|
1899 (month unknown)
Cuba
10-centime special delivery stamp misspells "inmediata" as "IMMEDIATA". A corrected stamp was released in 1902.
Catalog numbers: Scott E2
Approximate value: US$15 (Scott 2014).
|
|
1900 (month unknown)
Uruguay
10-centime stamp depicts a woman with a sheep, with only four fingers on woman's upheld hand. A redrawn version in 1905 shows 5 fingers.
Catalog numbers: Scott 156; Stanley Gibbons 255
Approximate value: US$0.20 (Scott 2010).
|
|
1901 January
Costa Rica
10-centimo stamp depicts Braulio Carillo with incorrect caption "BRANLIO". The mistake was corrected on a new stamp in 1907.
Catalog numbers: Scott 48
Approximate value: US$0.35 (Scott 2014).
|
|
1902 (month unknown)
Saint Lucia
2-pence stamp shows Piton mountains as height "3700 FEET", but actual height is about 2438-2619 feet. But maybe in 1902 that is the height they were estimated to be.
Catalog numbers: Scott 49; Stanley Gibbons 11
Approximate value: US$2.50 (Scott 2010).
|
Return to Postage Stamp Design Errors Home.
vvv advertisement vvv
^^^ advertisement ^^^
|
