A mint banteng is a nice banteng

In one of my earlier posts, I wrote on the 20 CENTS overprint varieties on the 1909 North Borneo 18c stamp that features the banteng. 

One with a stamp catalogue that lists North Borneo would be surprised to find that among all the low value denominations, why would this specific 18c stamp commands such a high catalogue value? 

Short answer: No one uses it. 

Or rather, there was no use of it. The 18c denomination was withdrawn in the very same month that it was issued as there were no postal requirements of it. 

"It is believed that 50,000 18c stamps were printed and of these 5,000 had been sold, 5,000 were retained at Sandakan, and 40,000 were returned to London" [1].

This explain the scarcity of the 18c stamp. 

On the catalogue value of the 18c stamp, one could very clearly that the difference is day and night. Here are some snippets, 

SG Simplified, 2014

Scott, 2017

ISC, 2018

Of course, catalogue values are just numbers and do not necessarily reflect on current market price. The catalogue value is just a determinant on how scarce a certain stamp could be. 

I am much more interested in finding all the perforation and shade varieties. 


Thanks for dropping by! 


Reference: 

1. The Stamps and Postal History of North Borneo, Part 3, 1909 to 1938 by L. H. Shipman and P. K. Cassels


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