German pensioner finds rare U.S. stamp worth $3m at flea market – but can't afford to fly to U.S. to authenticate it

Rare specimen discovered discovered at Dresden flea market

Only 3,100 of them were ever printed during the American Civil War

Finder Reinhold Hoffmann can't afford flight on his $750-a-month pension



A German pensioner hit the jackpot at his local fleamarket when a $25 book of old stamps contained a single rare specimen which he believes is worth an incredible $3 million.

Reinhold Hoffmann, 70, wants to fly to experts in America with the one cent stamp dating from 1861 and bearing the portrait of Benjamin Franklin.

Only 3,100 of them were ever printed during the American Civil War and stayed in use until 1867. Reinhold, from Dresden, said it was actually his partner Baerbel, 71, who bought the book containing 4lbs of stamps.



German pensioner Reinhold Hoffmann,with the U.S. one cent stamp he believes could be worth $3million

'When I laid them out on the table and saw the one cent stamp I stopped breathing,' he said.

'Since then I have shown it to experts and consulted all the literature I can find about it.

There is only one other example known about, in a New York museum, and dealers have told me it is worth at least three million US dollars.'



Rare US stamp dealer Craig Selig from Fort Wayne told a German newspaper; 'A certificate of authenticity can be issued in this case only by the Philatelic Foundation in New York. It is very exciting.'

Mr Hoffmann discovered the rare specimen at a Dresden flea market

But Reinhold, who lives from a $750 a month pension, doesn't have the money to fly to America.

He is offering anyone who sponsors him on his trip the money in full plus interest - and has put down another album of not-so-rare stamps in his possession valued at $25,000 as security.

Minor differences in the most minute details, such has variations in paper and the types of ink used can have a dramatic effect on the value of stamp.



While some one cent stamps from the civil war era are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars or more, others can change hands for around $20.

The most highly-prized of all the one cent stamps is the 1868 'Z' grill - the grill being a pattern of tiny squares embossed into the paper and visible on the back.



The 'Z grill' was introduced as it allowed ink to be fully absorbed into the paper and stop cheapskates from washing their stamps clean and reusing them. But they were found to be impractical and quickly discontinued.



There are only two known 1968 Z-grills in existence one of which fetched $930,000 when it was sold in 1988.



RED LETTER DAYS: THE WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE STAMPS

The world's most valuable object by weight: The Swedish Treskilling Yellow In 2010, a Swedish 'Treskilling Yellow' broke the record for the most expensive stamp ever sold. It is believed that the rectangular treasure went for £1.6million, though it has never been confirmed. The world's most valuable object by weight, the first owner is said to have been a Swedish schoolboy, who found it in 1885 among a pile of letters left by his grandparents. The Treskilling Yellow is 'one of about a half dozen highly notorious stamps in the world,' according to noted U.S. stamp expert Robert Odenweller. Others include the 1856 British Guiana 1 cent Magenta which has been locked away in a vault since 1980 when it was bought for nearly one million US dollars by chemicals fortune heir John du Pont. Another is the 2 Penny Post Office Mauritius Blue that sold for £970,000 in 1993, it was one of the first stamps issued by the British colonial government.

A series of rare Hawaiian stamps known as the 'Hawaiian Missionaries' which were printed from 1851 are also highly prized. They get their name from the fact they were used by American missionaries on the islands to send letters back to the continental United States. A two cent Missionary is valued at about $760,000 in unused condition.



