1875 special printing $6 ultramarine newspaper stamp valued at $80,000

An 1875 special printing $6 ultramarine newspaper stamp could make up to $80,000 in Robert A Siegel's sale of the George A Schwenk Collection of Newspapers and Periodicals.

The auction will take place in New York on September 18.

Newspaper stamp
The 1875 $6 aquamarine was issued to commemorate the 1876 world's fair in Philadelphia

Only 500 copies of the stamp were issued in the year of release.

They were offered to members of the public as a gum-free special printing to coincide with the Philadelphia International Exposition of 1876, America's first world's fair.

There were 24 issues printed, ranging in value from 2c up to $60 and decorated with figures from Greek mythology.

The high face value of the issue meant that it was in limited demand (only 14 were sold) and the remaining 486 withdrawn in 1884.

There are only five examples registered, making the lot one of the rarest stamps in all of US philately.

The US Newspaper and Periodical stamps were introduced in 1865 and were designed exclusively for use in sending newspapers and magazines in bulk.

They feature elaborate designs, which were intended as a deterrent to forgery.

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