03 December 2019
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Our roving philatelic private eye highlights another stamp that looks set to go up in value.
The falcon is undoubtedly the most popular bird in the Gulf states where, in the old days, it was used by the Arab rulers for hunting and as symbols of power. On more than one occasion, falcons have been depicted on postage stamps released by countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The Saker Falcon
In 1965, the State of Kuwait issued a most attractive set of eight stamps featuring a Saker Falcon; 400,000 sets were printed but it seems the stamps were heavily used on mail at the time.
Birds on stamps is one of the more popular thematics, if not the most popular one. There has always been a strong demand for this Kuwaiti set. In unmounted mint condition it currently retails in the £20 to £35 range.
The 2020 edition of the US based Scott Catalogue just increased the value of the set in unmounted mint condition from $47.50 to $56.65 which suggests that there is considerable demand for it.
Finding the stamp at the right price
Not all dealers have the time to update the pricing of their stocks each year, thus offering good buying opportunities for knowledgeable collectors. Finding a nice UMM set at around £20 certainly would be not only a bargain but a nice addition to any collection of birds on stamps.
Incidentally, the Scott editors also upped the value of a complete used set by a dollar to $9.25. However, demand is much stronger for this set in mint condition.
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