▲Issued in 1897, these Quing dynasty-era stamps were overprinted in limited numbers with dollar denominations. Much sought-after, a block of four "Small One Dollar" stamps (pictured) is considered a "crown jewel" of Chinese philately, an example of which reportedly sold for the equivalent of US$18 million in 2009. (Photo: Wikimedia/CC BY-SA 4.0)

▲A sole example exists of this 1904 postage stamp depicting Lake Taupo with an inverted vignette. New Zealand's rarest stamp is worth at least US$84,000.

▲Cited by many philatelists as the world's most famous rare stamp, the 1856 British Guiana 1c magenta can command eye-watering prices at auction. Only one copy exists, and it was sold in 2014 for US$9,480,000—a world record for a single-stamp bid.

▲The familiar profile of Queen Victoria distinguishes this famous stamp—the world's first adhesive postage stamp, which was issued in May 1840. In mint condition, a single Penny Black can command US$5,000.

▲The first tricolor stamp in the world was issued in July 1845. By September, production had ceased. Single examples have changed hands for as much as US$37,000.

▲With an estimated value of US$40,000, Austria's Red Mercury newspaper stamp owes its rarity to the fact that few examples have survived from the limited numbers issued in 1856.

▲Issued by the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and depicting the arms of the House of Savoy, this 3 lire stamp from 1860 is Italy's most valuable stamp.

▲The first postage stamp series of France, the Ceres series was issued from 1849 to 1850. The series bore the profile effigy of Ceres, the goddess of growing plants in Roman mythology. Pictured is the scarce 20 centimes black, one of the first stamps of the series.

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The Scinde Dawk is a term that refers to the first adhesive postage stamps in Asia. Pictured is the very rare 1852 red sealing wafer Scinde Dawk stamp.

▲A printing error in 1920 during the first run of this 65-cent stamp saw its center inverted, resulting in the town hall of Dendermonde appearing upside down. Subsequently canceled, these stamps are today valued at around US$84,000.

▲Issued in 1919 but in very limited numbers, a mint condition example of this particular postage stamp from Malta is worth around US$4,500 today.

▲This 1964 postage stamp should have featured HMS Kent. Instead, a design error led to HMS Glasgow being depicted. A stamp with the incorrect ship sold for the equivalent of US$40,000 in 2006.

▲Mismatched paper sheets resulting in a color misprint during production of these stamps in 1851 ended in what's known throughout philatelic circles as the Baden 9 Kreuzer error. Only three canceled copies and one unused copy of this error are known. One example is displayed in a museum, while another sold for nearly US$1.5 million in 2008.

▲A favorite among collectors, the Bluenose is the nickname for a 50-cent postage stamp issued in 1929. In 2001, a Bluenose first day cover sold for the equivalent of US$3,650.

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Issued in 1851 and featuring a portrait of Queen Victoria, this is Canada's rarest stamp. Around 130 examples still exist, with a single stamp commanding many thousands of dollars.

▲Issued in 1948 (with Gandhi honored as the first Indian to be depicted on stamps of India), a set of 100 of these stamps overprinted with the word "Service" were provided only for the Governor General of India for his official use. Few of these Service examples still exist. In 2017, specialist stamp company Stanley Gibbons reported that a block of four had sold at auction for the equivalent of US$652,000.

▲Very few of these postage stamps were ever printed. Its scarcity makes the Irish 2d coil stamp one of the most valuable Irish stamps around. An example in mint condition can fetch US$12,000.

▲A misnomer in that it's the frame that's inverted and not the swan depicted within it, this stamp is nonetheless known as the "Inverted Swan" due to an invert error—one of the first to occur in the history of postage stamp production. A total of 388 errors were printed, with one copy selling for US$80,000 back in 1980.

▲Issued in 1857 and circulated within the territory of the Russian Empire, a mint condition example of one of these stamps can set a collector back at least US$12,000.

▲The first Romanian postage stamps, known as "Bull's Heads," were sold in Moldavia from July to October 1858. Released in four values, surviving first issue Bull's Heads are incredibly rare and have fetched more than US$100,000 at auction.

▲Only one example of this postage stamp is known to exist. The three skilling stamp was canceled in 1857 after a color error was discovered. The number of stamps printed in the wrong color is unknown. This surviving example sold in 2010 for US$2,350,000. It changed hands again in 2013 for an undisclosed sum.

▲Prepared for issue in June 1921, the Jamaican 6d abolition of slavery stamp was canceled shortly before issue due to political unrest sweeping the country and the controversial subject matter. Nearly all the unissued stamps were destroyed, but eight have survived and are each valued at around US$40,000.

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One of the first German stamps (issued by Saxony in 1850 and commonly known as the Sachsendreier), the Sachsen 3 Pfennige red is rare, as only 4,000 or so have been preserved.

▲Look closely at this sheet. The 12th stamp has a 70-ruble value instead of the correct 100-ruble. Only four complete sheets featuring this oversight are known to exist, making the 70-ruble stamp and the sheet itself one of the most celebrated rarities in Russian philately. In 2014, an intact sheet was sold for US$126,500.

▲Many collectors believe this to be the most attractive US stamp ever produced. Issued in 1898 and also known as the Black Bull, its singular distinction and beauty make it highly collectible. Those in mint condition can sell for tens of thousands of dollars.

▲Issued in 1868 and depicting the profile of Benjamin Franklin, the Z Grill 1-cent is considered the rarest and most valuable of all US postage stamps. There are currently only two known examples: one is owned by the New York Public Library, while the other is in private hands. Conservative estimates value this copy upwards of US$3 million.

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This US postage stamp was issued in May 1918 with the image of the Curtiss JN-4 airplane printed upside down. The error is one of the most prized in philately. A single example is worth upwards of US$900,000.

▲Issued by British Mauritius in 1847, Mauritius "Post Office" stamps number among the rarest stamps in the world. Issued in two denominations (an orange-red one penny and a deep blue two pence), just 500 of each were printed. The so-called "Bordeaux Cover" (pictured) featuring both stamps sold for a staggering US$5,706,000 in 1993.

▲The first postage stamps produced in Brazil were known as Bull's Eyes. Issued in 1843 in 30, 60, and 90 reis denominations, an unknown quantity still exists, and examples remain rare. Used in 1845, the 30 reis interpane block (pictured) sold in 2013 for the equivalent of US$357,000.

▲Of the seven stamps issued by the Postmaster's Provisionals in Alexandria, Virginia in 1847, the sole example printed on blue paper (the others are on buff-colored paper) and affixed to its original envelope sold at auction for US$1 million—a record for the highest priced cover of American philately.

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The face value of a postage stamp is very little. But those issued in error, or produced as a limited edition, can command millions. And when you factor in age and provenance, it's no wonder some stamps out there are so rare and valuable that collectors are willing to pay a premium to own a piece of postal history.

Browse this gallery and find out which stamps deliver the greatest admiration among philatelists.