Few collecting areas combine frequency and extreme rarity as impressively as the stamps of Queen Elizabeth II. On the one hand, billions of definitive stamps were produced, often leading to the misconception that material from her reign is generally mass-produced. On the other hand, some specimens with genuine manufacturing defects are among the rarest modern philatelic objects.
Initially, the search for particularly rare and high-quality specimens focused on the early period with definitive stamps from the 1950s and 1960s, based on photographs by Dorothy Wilding.
One of the most valuable perforation errors is a Wilding seven-pence issue in vibrant green (two phosphor bands) from 1960–1967, offered as a partially imperforate strip of six from the top of the sheet (MiNr. 328 vyac Uo) / SG 617a). The top horizontal perforation is completely missing, leaving all six stamps between the stamps and the margin imperforate. This spectacular example is in mint condition with original gum and is believed to be the only known unit of this variant. A Brandon certificate from 2003 confirmed its authenticity and exclusivity. Stanley Gibbons Baldwin's set a starting price of £2800 in 2026.
Doreen Royan & Associates offered an exceptionally rare 1961 British Wilding 2p 2p block in light reddish-brown (two phosphor bands). This block contains one pair imperforate on three sides, as well as other notable perforation errors due to a downward-shifted horizontal perforation. The bottom two stamps are also imperforate on three sides. In superb mint condition, this block was estimated at £3600, with only six mint pairs of this type believed to exist.
An interesting tête-bêche block of eight of the 1960 British Threepence Wilding issue, presented as an imprimatur with very wide margins at the top and bottom, was offered at Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries in the USA. It is believed to be the only unit released from archives containing inverted pairs of prints. The block is mint never hinged, with vibrant colors, and bears the handstamp "NP Imprimatur" on the reverse. The block contains two inverted vertical pairs in the center. Its catalogued value was £24.000, while the starting bid was expected to be $7.500.
Michael Burzan, AIJP
