What would you pay for a rare Parcel Tag?

Some collectors may dismiss a parcel tag, but this parcel tag will surely get some tongues wagging, thanks to its record price at $5000. So would you pay attention and bid for this tag? Well, some are set to prepare for the scheduled frenzied bidding and will try to outsmart the rest to get this rare and important parcel tag.

According to enthusiasts, this parcel tag is not your ordinary tag; this is a rare and highly valuable tag that is an important element in the retelling of postal history. The appreciation of this item started 15 years ago, and the peak price was recorded in 2007 at a time when the financial crisis was just around the corner. The parcel was re-introduced to the market on March 29 and was listed by the Phoenix Auctions in Melbourne. The parcel priced at $5000 remained unsold but most of the other items open for bidding were sold for their targeted price ranges. One item was sold for $1980 for a parcel tag that features the grey-black and crimson Kangaroo and map stamps with face value £2, together with other stamps that are included on the bottom part. According to the organizers, the parcel tag was for the 27 pounds 9 ounce gold bullion shipment intended for California. The tag was initially priced at $2000, but some blemishes on the tag brought the price down.

Parcel tag value determined by Use

An important determinant of the actual value of a parcel tag is its intended use. Usually, parcel tags tell a story, and this was best exemplified in the parcel tag used for sending the gold bullion to California. It was said that the bullion was intended to be delivered to a refining plant in California. This was also the case with another parcel that contained scalps of dogs. The most valuable and rarest of them all are the official labels that were used to send the queen bees that were arranged in edible wax and packed in special containers. According to collectors, only two of these labels are still available in circulation.

According to some enthusiasts and stamp collectors, parcel tags can tell a lot about history. This is best seen in the ‘deceased kits’ which refers to the package that was owned by a soldier that was a casualty during World War I. These kinds of parcel tags are rare, thus will command higher prices in the market.