Hawaiian Missionaries Stamps

Hawaiian Missionaries, 1851 is Hawai first stamps. Because the first "Hawaiian Missionaries" were crudely engraved and printed on thin and poor quality paper, very few of these stamps have survived and they are extreme rarities.

The lowest denomination, the 1851 two cent, is the rarest of the set, with only about 16 copies known to exist today. A 2 cent Missionary is valued at about $760,000 in unused condition and about $225,000 used.

The Penny Black

The Penny Black, the first official adhesive postage stamp in the world's, was issued by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 May 1840, for use from 6 May.

The Penny Black is not a rare stamp, but it is rather expensive. The total print run from all plates was 286,700 sheets with 68,808,000 stamps. An unused Penny Black stamp is valued in the 2001 Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue at $3,000, and a used one is valued at $180.