The Basel Dove is a notable stamp issued by the Swiss canton of Basel on 1 July 1845 with a value of 2½-rappen. It was the first tricolor stamp in the world and the only postage stamp issued by Basel. At the time each canton was responsible for its own postal service
Jahannes Bernouli was the Postmaster General of Basel City in 1843. One day he approached the State Council with a proposal that 6 letter boxes be added to make 16. He also suggested creation of a special stamp for Basel. Although the State Council accepted his proposal, in January 1844, one year passed before a new stamp was released. In July 1st 1845 the famous Basel Dove rare stamp was issued.
Because they received poor public reception, those stamps were withdrawn from use around the December of 1848. According to most recent data released by professional collectors investigating the Basal Postal Administration records, 41,480 stamps had been printed by the closure date.
According to some sources, the Basler Taube costs at least $20,000, but its estimated price varies from 12,500 to 37,500 US dollars.
Leave a Reply