legendarypre-1900

Blue Mercury Newspaper Stamp

Name: Blue Mercury Newspaper Stamp
Brand: Austria

Austria · 1851 · 6 Kr.

The stamp features a classical profile of the Roman god Mercury, facing left, wearing his winged petasus. The inscription 'ZEITUNGS-STÄMPEL' is above, with the denomination '6 Kr.' below.

Issued in 1851, the Mercury newspaper stamps were the world's first stamps specifically for newspapers. The blue 6 Kreuzer value is the rarest of the series, highly sought after by collectors.

Printing Method

Typography

Themes

mythology newspaper-stamp allegory

Catalog Numbers

sgN10

scottP10

michel10a

Image: <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:R%C3%AD%C5%A1a_100&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="User:Ríša 100 (page does not exist)">Ríša 100</a> · License: CC BY-SA 4.0

View on Wikimedia Commons

Estimated Values by Condition

Superb(S)

Perfectly centered, fresh, no faults

$200,000

Extremely Fine(XF)

Well centered, fresh colors

$150,000

Very Fine(VF)

Nicely centered, minor flaws

$100,000

Fine(F)

Average centering, acceptable

$50,000

Good(G)

Off-center or visible wear

$20,000

Prices are approximate market estimates for educational purposes. Actual values depend on specific factors including cancel type, margins, and provenance.