Major Error on VC Booklet Stamps

A major error has been discovered in a Victoria Cross Prestige Stamp Booklet (reports Ian Billings of Norvic Philatelics).

Click Picture for a Larger View

A collector in south Cheshire bought the stamps for his collection from his village sub-post office and was amazed to find that the three stamps on the first pane were missing the 'gold' colour. This results in the stamps having no value or Queen's head, and the caption below the 64p stamp is also missing – see picture, right. The picture of the error has been taken with a digital camera as scanning would involve some creasing to the book.

The collector (who did not want to be identified) said, “In 40 years of stamp collecting this is my first error!”

As the booklet panes are printed in larger 'press sheets' there should be between 11 and 19 more in existence depending on the size of the press sheet. But the way the books are assembled, cut and packaged may mean that only a few have been sold so far. The book remains on sale from the Philatelic Bureau and the others may be there, in a post office branch, at the PO central stores or in a collection – as yet unnoticed. Because of this it is impossible to put a final value on the discovery but even if there are a dozen they could be worth in excess of £1,000 each.

© 2006 Norvic Philatelics