Rare 'error stamps' could sell for thousands

JC Auctions said they were discovered at a stamp auction in 2014

A pair of rare British "error stamps" could sell for thousands of pounds at auction in Jersey.

The stamps, issued in 1985, depict the Royal Mail Postbus but were printed in error due to "missing perforations" and were thought to have been destroyed.

The stamps only have a combined face value of 44p but could fetch up to £22,000 - the last price they made in 2014 - when they go under the hammer again on Thursday.

Mike Hall, from JC Auctions, said: "It's remarkable how two 22p stamps are worth £22,000 based on a mistake made by the printer - that is the extraordinary nature of stamp collecting."

Detailing the history of the stamps, the auctioneers said the printers produced one sheet of 100 unperforated stamps by mistake in 1985.

It said the sheet was pulped when the error was discovered but "miraculously this pair escaped".

They were designed by illustrator Paul Hogarth, in a set of four to celebrate 350 years since King Charles I granted use of his Royal Mail to the public.

The Postbus ran from 1967 to 2017 and carried passengers along with mail across more than 200 routes through rural areas in the Yorkshire Dales, the Lake District, mid-Wales and the Scottish Highlands.

Passengers could pay their fare using postage stamps.

'Rare and desirable'

Mr Hall said the missing perforations "may seem like a small issue but they're a huge deal in stamp collecting".

"The stamps themselves are beautiful and nostalgic, that adds to their appeal," he continued.

"Our conservative estimate is £5,000. I wouldn't be shocked to see it surpass the £22,000 it made in 2014.

"It's so rare and desirable. You just need two determined bidders."