U.S. & Worldwide Stamps & Postal History

1845 2 1/2 Rp black, blue & carmine, the iconic Basel Dove, incredibly bright colors and full embossing, mostly face-free neat Basel red cds, full white margins all around, fresh and v.f., with 2020 Marchand certificate which mentions a pinpoint speck at bottom (unten punktuelle stelle), in our opinion just a natural translucent spot, by no means detracting from the overall beautiful stamp (Zu.8), (Basel Dove is the world's first tricolor stamp, issued by Switzerland in 1845. During this period in Swiss history each canton issued their own stamps and the Basel Dove is the first to combine engraving and embossing. Created by the architect Melchior Berry, Basel Dove features blue, crimson, and black colors. Interestingly, it was not appreciated by the local populace and quickly withdrawn. Today, the Basel Dove is considered to be one of the most beautiful classical stamps)
Cat. Val. $15,500
Estimate: $7500