The World of Rare Stamps: Treskilling Yellow Is Most Valuable

by Amey Stone (RSS feed)
Feb 4th 2008 at 9:02AM

Want to know what the most expensive item in the world is by weight and volume? It's not a diamond or other rare gem. It's actually a piece of paper.

Wikipedia pegs it as the so-called Treskilling Yellow stamp from Sweden -- probably the only one of its kind. It has a current value of more than $2 million (or $87 billion per kilogram, according to the site).

Here's what makes it so valuable: Back in Sweden in 1855, when the currency was known as the skilling, the 3 skilling stamp ('treskilling') was printed in green. An 8 skilling stamp was printed in yellow. But due to a printing error, a few 3 skilling stamps were printed in yellow. No one knows how many.

Three years later, Sweden changed its currency and it wasn't until 1886 that a 14-year-old school boy discovered the stamp among his grandmother's possessions and sold it to a dealer for the then-lofty price of 7 kronor. The stamp traded hands several times over the next decade, fetching ever higher prices and inspiring collectors to search for more Treskilling Yellows. But no other was ever found.

By the 1990s the stamp price crossed $1 million for the first time and was setting records every time it changed hands. The last sale was in 1996 when it sold for 2,875,000 Swiss Francs ($2.6 million US) to collectors who remain anonymous. According to the book, The Treskilling Yellow, the stamp is insured for $15 million.

Tags: collecting, stamp, Treskilling

Filed under: Auctions

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Celia Mendoza Feb 1st 2008 9:17PM

Is it known how many are still in existance?

Ray Lanfear Feb 3rd 2008 12:22PM

What a price for one little ole stamp. Have a small collection
about 70 years old could be valuable too. Here is something more valuable than a postage stamp 6figuresandmore.com.
Could be worth 6 or 7 figures. Sweden an amazing country along with St. Moritz, in Switerzerland.

Ray Lanfear Feb 11th 2008 8:56AM

Ricki Fox Feb 6th 2008 10:34AM

I have a cigar box full of 100yo+ stamps --- a collection from Great Grandpa. When I tried to get it evaluated, I was given an outragous price for the work and no promice for the value, Can you Help??

fffffff Feb 4th 2008 1:37PM

That's not even close to the most valuable substance in the world. According to http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/research/warp/antistat.html "Right now it would cost about One-Hundred-Billion dollars to create one milligram of antimatter," meaning one kilogram would cost one hundred million million (or one tenth of a billion billion, if you prefer) dollars to manufacture.

viktor Feb 16th 2008 7:04AM

Value isn't what something costs to produce but what someone is willing to pay for it.....I bet a treshilling banco didn't cost 2 million to produce yet thats what its worth today. If someone thought 1mg of antimatter was worth One-Hundred-Billion dollars they would have made it already!!!

Besides this what about the most expensive item by weight, not a substance...

Obbop Feb 5th 2008 11:55AM

Pshaw!!!! I throw one of those away every couple weeks or so.

They sure stick to envelopes quite firmly.

Martin Feb 6th 2008 10:04AM

Only one known excisted, but probably 6-10 manufactured.

sanjudas Feb 6th 2008 11:29AM

Is it possible that there are some people who spent so much money in such a stupidity????
How many african children would eat and educate with the half of money someone pays for that piece of paper, probably the same person who goes to Chruch every sunday and prays for the poor pelople in Christmass!

Boitet Feb 22nd 2008 1:23PM

Sanjudas, people are allowed to spend the money they earn, in their own way. Who authorized you to judge people, and refer to them as stupid because they do what they wish? The stamp is certainly a valuable item. By the way: Did you know that many people help the hungry in their own country? Think about it.