In 1856, the postal service was still in its relative infancy. Following the introduction a decade and a half earlier of the Penny Black and Twopenny Blue in the UK various countries had gradually followed suit.
Finland's earliest stamps consisted of the country's coat of arms surrounded by an oval on a simple rectangle of paper, with a carmine-red shade for 10kr and a turquoise-blue one for 5kr.
At AB Philea's upcoming auction offers a number of these intriguing pieces, as a mixed lot of variable quality used examples, and an attractive cover with a fresh, cancelled 5kr.
 Finnish 10kr Orange-Carmine colour variant (Click to enlarge) |
However, the most collectible piece is a colour variant of the 10kr piece. The cancelled example is of an orange-carmine tone, and is very rare - one of eight known to exist in the world. Examples do not have a long established price history.
AB Philea has set a reserve price of 25,000kr (about $3,500) but it seems likely that at some stage someone will be willing to pay a lot more than that to add it to their collection - whether at this auction or another - making it a good candidate for investment.
The auction, which takes place on March 17, also offers collectors another chance to get their hands on a Tre Skilling Green - the original version of the world famous colour error known as the Tre Skilling Yellow - with a reserve of just 7,000kr (under $1,000)
