Coins and Stamps in Investment Top 10 List

Coutts – bankers to the Queen –  have confirmed coins and stamps as lucrative hobby investments…

The Coutts Passion index tracks the rate at which the price of hobby investments has risen, and its increase of 80% between 2005 and 2014 proves that there is money to be made for those who decide to turn their hobby into an investment.

Stamp and coin collecting both made the top 10 in recent news, despite having been around for hundreds of years these collecting pastimes remain just as popular today…

200 Million Collectors

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Postage stamp collecting is still enjoyed by around 200 million people worldwide

In fact, it’s estimated that around 200 million people worldwide still enjoy collecting stamps to this very day. An impressive figure considering the technological advances that the world has seen over the years and new fads and crazes that have developed.

Ranked in 9th place by Coutts – philately is still widely recognised by many as a popular collectible hobby.

Postage stamp collecting began at the same time that stamps were first issued, and by the 1860’s thousands of collectors and stamp dealers were appearing around the world as this new study and hobby spread across Europe.

Collecting stamps for investment purposes is viewed as a hedge against inflation and devalued currencies. Perhaps not as popular for younger audiences as it once was, stamp collecting is still considered to be a worthwhile hobby – which can be both rewarding and profitable to the collector.

Ranked at number 3 in the Coutts top 12 list, is coin collecting. Last year prices for old coins grew at a rate of 9% and over the 10 year period between 2005 and 2014 they have risen a staggering 176%

Top 3 Position

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The Kew Gardens 50p often sells for up to £30 (60 times its face value)

People have kept coins for their bullion value for as long as coins have been minted, however, the collection of coins for their artistic value came much later.

Today, coin enthusiasts are still hunting for collectible coins to add to their collections. There are many different areas within numismatics which range from theme, metal, currency, era and country.

Keith Heddle of Stanley Gibbons, puts coins’ enduring popularity down to “their tangibility and literal link to money, wealth and precious metals”.

So, it’s good news for collectors. With coins like the undated 20p and the Kew Gardens 50p which can simply be found in loose change, the return on their investment stands to be even higher in percentage terms.

Stamps, along with coins, are the only two alternative investments on the Telegraph’s list that have not lost money in any given year since 2005.

Whilst it’s always nice to hear about coin and stamp values rising, we always recommend that you collect first and foremost for the enjoyment of the hobby.


The most lucrative ‘hobby investments’ over 10 years

  1. Classic cars
  2. Old Master and 19th Century art
  3. Old coins
  4. Rare musical instruments
  5. Post-war and contemporary art
  6. Jewellery
  7. Rugs and carpets
  8. Impressionist and modern art
  9. Stamps
  10. Fine wine
  11. Traditional Chinese works
  12. Watches

westminster - Coins and Stamps in Investment Top 10 ListThe Westminster Collection offers a variety of collectible stamps and coins.
click here to find out more.

First Look: The UK’s New Longest Reigning Monarch Stamps

Royal Mail has issued a set of five new stamps marking Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II becoming our Longest Reigning Monarch.

Each stamp features a different regal design highlighting a key Royal motif, and there is a new 1st Class definitive for use on everyday letters too.

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I’ve managed to get hold of some of the stamps fresh off the press so I can show them to you here on the blog…

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William Wyon’s City Medal depicting Queen Victoria

1st Class
In a nod to the historical precedent for the occasion this stamp features William Wyon’s ‘City Medal’. Depicting the head of Queen Victoria – the UK’s previous longest reigning monarch – the medal was struck to commemorate her first visit to London. The image on the Penny Black was based on this portrait, which in turn was based on a sketch of Princess Victoria when she was 15 years old.

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Dorothy Wilding’s three-quarter profile of HM Queen Elizabeth II

1st Class
Dorothy Wilding’s three-quarter profile photograph of Queen Elizabeth II was one of a series taken in April 1952 and appeared on British postage stamps from 1952 until 1967.

It is reprised here, an unprecedented pairing of the two most important images of the Queen in British postal history.

 

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The Badge of the House of Windsor

£1.52
The House of Windsor came into being in 1917, when ‘Windsor’ was adopted as the British Royal Family’s official name by a proclamation of King George V, replacing the historic name of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. The Badge of the House of Windsor shown on this stamp – featuring the Round Tower of Windsor – has been in use since 1938.

 

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The Queen’s Personal Flag

£1.52
The second high-value stamp bears the Personal Flag of Queen Elizabeth II. This is a standard that can be used on any building, ship, car or aircraft in which the Queen is staying or travelling. It is often used to represent her role as Head of the Commonwealth.

 

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Brand new ‘Long to Reign Over us’ 1st Class Definitive

1st Class Definitive
In 1966 the HM The Queen approved Arnold Machin’s design for an effigy of her to be used on what came to be known as the “Machin series” of British definitive postage stamps. This latest edition is printed in a new mauve colour and the text in iridescent ink repeats the phrase, ‘Long to Reign Over Us.’

 

 

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Longest Reigning Monarch Postmark – Windsor

There is also a new commemorative postmark featuring the opening lines from the national anthem – ‘God Save Our Gracious Queen’ – which complements the stamps superbly. Any commemoratives using this postmark are sure to be sought after in the future – it is a true one-of-a-kind.

Suffice to say, these five new stamps are an intelligent, subtle and dignified tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s remarkable reign. As it is extremely unlikely her record will be broken in our lifetime, these could well become some of the most sought after QEII stamps ever issued.


p353 lrmdbicc the united kindom longest reigning monarch coin cover - First Look: The UK's New Longest Reigning Monarch StampsIf you’re interested…

You can own all five of these stamps now, postmarked with the first day of issue date 9/9/2015, and affixed to a commemorative Double Coin Cover. Featuring the new UK £5 Coin, you can read more about it by clicking here…

 

The Penny Black – the world’s first and most famous stamp

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An example of a four margin Penny Black.

The world’s first postage stamp, the Penny Black, officially turns 175 on 6th May 2015.  Today, stamps are one of those everyday things which we take so much for granted that it’s impossible to visualise a world without them; but 175 years ago sending and receiving letters was a major operation, and a relatively expensive one.

Letters were charged according to the distance travelled and the number of sheets.  To send a letter from London to Glasgow cost 18 pence – a couple of days’ wages for the average man – and it was the recipient who paid, not the sender!

In 1837 Rowland Hill led the campaign for Uniform Penny Postage, arguing that the main cost of the postal service was the cumbersome method of computing postage.  A flat rate of a penny, paid by the sender, would slash costs dramatically – but to achieve this he had to devise a method of prepaying postage.

His answer was the introduction of prepaid stationery and also a label just large enough to bear the stamp and smeared on the back with a glutinous wash – this label would eventually become the Penny Black.

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The 1840 Twopenny Blue

The Treasury organised a design contest for the new adhesive stamps but none of the submissions were considered suitable. Although he was not one of the prize-winners, Sir George Mackenzie came closest to what was eventually used for the stamp – an upright oblong with a portrait of Queen Victoria, with POSTAGE at the top and the value at the foot.  The portrait was drawn by Henry Corbould from an effigy of Victoria when she was only 15.

On 6th May 1840, the Penny Black went into official use, followed two days later by the Twopenny Blue.  Although a huge success, these stamps had a flaw and within weeks of their introduction, Rowland Hill’s worst fears were realised when it was found the general public had found ways of washing off the postmarks from the stamps and reusing them.

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The 1841 Penny Red and Twopenny Blue

Immediately he set about a way to combat the problem in a series of experiments which has become known as the Rainbow Trials.  As a result of the trials, less than a year after they were issued, it was decided to replace the Penny Black with the Penny Red and the Twopenny Blue would be reissued with added security measures.

Despite its short life, the legacy of the Penny Black still lives on today, 175 years after it was first issued.  Its place as the world’s first postage makes it a must have for any collector.  Click here to see our range of available Penny Black related products.