A rare, unused 1948 10 rupee Gandhi "Service" stamp sold for $188,900 against an estimate of $162,039 at David Feldman's British Empire and Commonwealth sale in Geneva on September 24 - achieving an increase of 16%.
The "Service" stamp is one of only two known unmounted mint examples. Only 11 examples of varying grades exist.
 The stamp was first circulated in 1948 |
The stamp is overprinted "Service" and was given to the governing general of India for his personal use.
Only 100 such stamps were ever produced, placing them among the rarest of philatelic items.
In 2011, another "Service" Gandhi stamp sold for $205,000 at David Feldman in Geneva - a world record for a modern stamp.
Elsewhere in the sale, a first day usage penny black cover dating to May 6, 1840 achieved $35,094.
The stamp was sent from London to Bedale, and features a clear Lombard Street dispatch on the reverse.
A collection of commonwealth stamps achieved an identical sale total, and featured stamps from Antigua to Zanzibar - ranging from the Victorian era through to the first world war. It exceeded its $16,203 estimate by 60%.
Other lots of note included an 1852 Pakistan Scinde Dawk, which sold for $21,605 and featured a lozenge of dots cancellation.
We have a variety of rare stamps available for purchase, including this unique Hong Kong 96c error block - the rarest item of Hong Kong philately.
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