Postage Stamp Design Errors
Copyright (C) 2007-2024 Ken Polsson (email: ken@kpolsson.com)


A chronological listing of world postage stamps depicting design errors.
1852-1902 1903-1927 1928-1935 1936-1944 1945-1947 1948-1950 1951-1955 1956-1957 1958-1960
1961-1962 1963 1964 1965-1966 1967-1968 1969 1970-1971 1972-1973 1974-1975
1976-1977 1978-1980 1981-1983 1984-1985 1986-1987 1988-1989 1990-1992 1993-1994 1995-1996
1997-2000 2001-2006 2007-2008 2009-2024

1951 January 2

Indonesia

Five semi-postal stamps commemorate the First Asian Games, wrongly called the "Asiatic Olympic Games 1951", and wrongly displaying the Olympic Games five-ring logo.

Catalog numbers: Scott B58-62

Approximate value: US$1.85 (Scott 2010).

1951 December 10

United States of America

175th anniversary of the Battle of Brooklyn.
3-cent postage stamp depicts General George Washington evacuating the army from the Brooklyn Hieghts to Manhattan. The stamp clearly shows a well-lit daytime scene with clouds in the sky, but the evacuation was done under cover of the night of August 29-30.

Catalog numbers: Scott 1003; Michel 621; Yvert 554

Approximate value: US$0.25 (Scott 2018).

1952 January 28

San Marino

2- and 25-lira stamps depict Christopher Columbus with his hand on a globe of the Earth showing what appear to be modern outlines of the complete North and South America. The globe itself would not have existed for Columbus at the time, either.

Catalog numbers: Scott 309,316; Stanley Gibbons 426,433

Approximate value: US$6.30 (Scott 2010).

1952 February 1

Ceylon

35-cent stamp has Tamil language inscription missing a dot over a character; inscription corrected in 1954.

Catalog numbers: Scott 314

Approximate value: US$1.50 (Scott 2014).

1952 April 15

Virgin Islands

$4.80 stamp depicts map of the Virgin Islands, with Virgin Gorda erroneously spelled "CORDA".

Catalog numbers: Scott 113

Approximate value: US$21.00 (Scott 2010).

1952 May 14

Belgium

2.50-franc stamp depicts Count Lamoral I de Tassis with incorrect birth year 1567 instead of 1557.

Catalog numbers: Scott 438; Stanley Gibbons 1401

Approximate value: US$1.65 (Scott 2010).

1952 June 13

United States of America

3-cent stamp commemorates the arrival of the Marquis Lafayette in America in 1777, but depicts flags of USA and France current in 1952, rather than flags of 1777.

Catalog numbers: Scott 1010; Stanley Gibbons 1007

Approximate value: US$0.25 (Scott 2018).

1952 June 14

Italy

25-lira stamp depicts the statue of the Lion of Saint Mark, but the right-side wing should also be showing.

Catalog numbers: Scott 605

Approximate value: US$1.25 (Scott 2010).

1952 August 18

Poland

1-zloty stamp depicts Niedzica castle, misspelled "NIEDZIGA".

Catalog numbers: Scott 556; Stanley Gibbons 777

Approximate value: US$1 (Scott 2010).

1952 October 25

Afghanistan

35- and 125-poul stamps spell the country name in all upper case except the "i".

Catalog numbers: Scott 400-401

Approximate value: US$1.75 (Scott 2018).

1953 February

China (People's Republic)

Four 800-yuan stamps commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Russian October Revolution. The Chinese inscription means "35th Anniversary of the Soviet Union October Revolution", which is incorrect, as the Soviet Union was not formed until 1922. The stamps were recalled, colors changed, text changed to "35th anniversary of the Great October Revolution", and re-issued October 5, 1953.

Approximate value: US$20,000 (Scott 2014).

1953 February 23

Monaco

8-franc stamp depicts gymnastics athlete performing impossible or very painful spreading of fingers.

Catalog numbers: Scott 299

Approximate value: US$1 (Scott 2010).

1953 May 29

United States of America

50th anniversary of (manned) powered flight.
6-cent airmail stamp is captioned "50th anniversary of powered flight", but the word "manned" should be included, as powered flight was first achieved in 1848, 105 years before this issue date.

Catalog numbers: Scott C47; Stanley Gibbons A1018

Approximate value: US$0.25 (Scott 2018).

1953 June 15

Aden

35-cent stamp depicts sails with no attachments to the masts.

Catalog numbers: Scott 52; Stanley Gibbons 56

Approximate value: US$1.50 (Scott 2018).

1953 (month unknown)

Egypt

10-millieme stamp depicts a soldier and misspelled caption "DEFENCE", which is soon corrected.

Catalog numbers: Scott 326

Approximate value: US$0.25 (Scott 2014).

1953 July 1

Tonga

1-shilling stamp depicts map of the islands of Tonga. At the top, Toku and Fonulei are placed way too close to Vava'u; Toku should be as far away as Late island.

Catalog numbers: Scott 109; Stanley Gibbons 110

Approximate value: US$0.40 (Scott 2010).

1953 November 9

Bermuda

3-pence stamp depicts map of Bermuda, with label for "SANDY'S PH." which should be "SANDYS PH.". A corrected stamp was issued January 2, 1957.

Catalog numbers: Scott 148; Stanley Gibbons 140

Approximate value: US$0.25 (Scott 2010).

1953 November 29

Afghanistan


35-poul stamp with arabic digits for "23" instead of correct "22" for 22nd anniversary;
125-poul stamp with three errors: "XXIII" instead of "XXII", "ANNIVERAIRE" instead of "ANNIVERSAIRE", and "MADECINE" instead of "MEDECINE". Replacements of both stamps correcting the errors were soon issued.

Catalog numbers: Scott 417-18; Stanley Gibbons 379-380

Approximate value: US$4.50 (Scott 2018).

1954 September

Greece

2-, 2.50-, and 4-drachma stamps depict English version of proposal to unite Greece and Cyprus, but a line of the document between the 8th and 9th last lines on the stamp is omitted.

Catalog numbers: Scott 569,572-73

Approximate value: US$10 (Scott 2010).

1954 December 5

Hungary

30-filler stamp depicts Janos Irinyi, with birth year 1819 instead of correct 1817.

Catalog numbers: Scott 1102

Approximate value: US$0.20 (Scott 2010).

1954 December 5

Hungary

60-filler stamp depicts Karoly Than, with death year as 1904 instead of correct 1908.

Catalog numbers: Scott 1105

Approximate value: US$0.20 (Scott 2010).

1954 December 5

Hungary

2-forint stamp depicts Endre Högyes, with death year as 1921 instead of correct 1906.

Catalog numbers: Scott 1108

Approximate value: US$0.40 (Scott 2009).

1955 January 1

Egypt

5-, 10-, 37-millieme stamps depict the globe focussed on the Middle East, but omitting the Persian Gulf.

Catalog numbers: Scott 375-77

Approximate value: US$1.75 (Scott 2014).

1955 August 14

Pakistan

2 1/2-anna stamp with arabic denomination written in opposite order, "1/2 2". A corrected version was released in December 1956.

Catalog numbers: Scott 73; Stanley Gibbons 73

Approximate value: US$0.65 (Scott 2010).

1955 October 24

Austria

2.40-schilling stamp marks 10th anniversary of United Nations, showing flags circling the globe. But, what planet is this? The continents of Earth do not exist like this.

Catalog numbers: Scott 608

Approximate value: US$3.50 (Scott 2010).

1955 November 28

Vatican City


20-, 35-, and 60-lira stamps depict Pope Nicholas V, with error in caption of "ESCOLUIT" instead of "EXCOLUIT".

Catalog numbers: Scott 197-99; Stanley Gibbons 220-222

Approximate value: US$0.80 (Scott 2010).

1852-1902 1903-1927 1928-1935 1936-1944 1945-1947 1948-1950 1951-1955 1956-1957 1958-1960
1961-1962 1963 1964 1965-1966 1967-1968 1969 1970-1971 1972-1973 1974-1975
1976-1977 1978-1980 1981-1983 1984-1985 1986-1987 1988-1989 1990-1992 1993-1994 1995-1996
1997-2000 2001-2006 2007-2008 2009-2024

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Last updated: 2024 January 15.
Postage Stamp Design Errors
URL: http://kpolsson.com/stamps/errors/)
Copyright (C) 2007-2024 Ken Polsson (email: ken@kpolsson.com)

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