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The Catalogue that Could Boost your Financial Future
"Commonwealth and British Empire Stamps 1840-1970, 2012 edition". Not the catchiest name for a publication and it probably doesn't mean much to you, but the release of this catalogue this month could have a major impact on your financial future...
The catalogue, simply referred to as 'Part 1' by collectors as it was the first catalogue released by Stanley Gibbons that split the world into parts, is released every year and tracks the prices of all stamps issued by Commonwealth and British Empire countries up to 1970.
Due to normal trading patterns in the stamp market, every year there will be a number of price increases, but also, many of the stamps will stay the same price until demand for them picks up.
This year is different though. This year, something remarkable has happened. This year, you need to be made aware of what this catalogue could mean for you.
There are two things that stand out:
§ The catalogue lists two single stamps for over £1m
§ The sheer number of price increases across the majority of areas
The market for many Commonwealth stamps is buzzing, for want of a better word. We try to find you the best Commonwealth stamps to invest in (and we have succeeded with a couple of great rarities over the last 12 months), but you can understand why such opportunities are hard to come by.
Collectors are pursuing certain key Commonwealth stamps and certain regions. You only need to look at two little stamps from Mauritius to understand this effect...
The 'Post Office' Mauritius pair of the 1d orange-red and 2d deep blue from 1847 are now the first million pound stamps in the SG catalogue, following the recent sale of a 2d deep blue. They are listed at £1,000,000 and £1,200,000 respectively.
These stamps are up from a 'mere' £650,000 for the 1d orange-red and £750,000 for the 2d deep blue in the 2011 edition. Not a bad annual increase in anyone's book!
In all seriousness though, this just goes to show the strength and type of market that rare stamps is becoming. It's not just pieces of art that sell for millions any more.
I wish I had the pair of Mauritius stamps available to you because I know if you had the money available you'd snap them up straight away. When they sell for that price, you can be sure of their investment pedigree.
The market is catching alight. But don't just take my word for it, here is how our stamp expert and lifelong collector, Hugh Jefferies (who often gets quoted on BBC Radio 4's 'Today' programme), sums up the price changes in the catalogue:
"Looking at the results, I am struck by three things; firstly, the sheer number of price changes, which are almost exclusively in an upward direction; secondly, the fact that they seem to affect almost all areas and periods to a greater or lesser extent and thirdly, the scale of some of those increases; with prices doubling, trebling, or even more in some cases."
You can see a snapshot of the market yourself by looking at the Commonwealth Rarities Index, which records prices for 30 classic Commonwealth items that we would recommend for investment.
The index, which is listed on Bloomberg Professional, saw a jump of £172,000 in the last 12 months - 16.3% across 30 stamps in just one year and that doesn't include the million pound stamps from Mauritius.
The index, backdated to 1998 has jumped in value from £391,750 to £1,227,000 in 14 years.
