In Belgium, the rarest stamp is the inverted Dendermonde. Only 17 of them are known to date (15 mint and 2 cancelled). These stamps were issued and sold in 1920. The particularity of these stamps is that their center is inverted compared to their frame.
In 2011, this stamp which sells for about 50c on Delcampe in its normal condition was already worth more than 100,000 euros! Collectors who have one of these have therefore a very valuable stamp.
Where does this mistake come from?
When stamps are printed, the staff takes special care to ensure that all stamps that come out are perfect. In most of the world’s printing houses, they even go so far as to check each sheet by hand!
Sheets that are not fully compliant are destroyed with proof of destruction. As a matter of fact, let’s keep in mind that a stamp is a currency in itself. This is the reason why varieties are so sought-after because they were created by mistake and have managed to get through careful checking.
However it happens sometimes that a sheet still escapes this checking process. This is how it becomes the holy grail for a collector. This was the case of this Inverted Dermonde.
This error exists for other stamp series as well. The Inverted Jenny, for example, is one of the most sought-after stamps in the United States for the same reason.
Don’t hesitate to check your stamp collections, you may have a treasure at home! The best way to check its real value: have a look at what has been sold on www.delcampe.net, the largest marketplace for collectors!
Dear Heloise, I certainly enjoy your blog, keep them coming, kind regards, Brian.
Bonjour
J’ai stamp du 50 cent
Merci
Very interesting articles
Then there was the collector who decided that he had an even rarer version of the Dendermonde stamp with inverted centre. He just mounted the plain stamp upside down on his album page and wrote it up as having an inverted centre AND an inverted frame.
Bonjour je voulais vous dire que je possède deux timbre de la Belgique 1920 si vous êtes intéressé contactez moi merci