Basel Dove (Basler Taube)
- Maker
- Canton of Basel, Switzerland
- Year
- 1845
- Rank
- 15 of 100
Basel Dove (Basler Taube)
Basel Dove (Basler Taube) by Canton of Basel, Switzerland (1845) is ranked 15 in the FLOAT 100 for Stamps. It sold for $31,500 on 1 November 2015. A foundational classic of Swiss and world philately — its embossed three-color printing was unprecedented for 1845.
What is it, and why is it in the FLOAT 100?
A foundational classic of Swiss and world philately — its embossed three-color printing was unprecedented for 1845.
2.5 rappen, embossed white dove, printed black/crimson/blue; the world's first tricolour stamp and Basel's only issue
What is the best-sourced number for it?
- Figure
- $31,500
- Kind
- Realized at auction
- Date
- 1 November 2015
Corinphila, 'Old Switzerland' sale, Nov 2015 (lot 4016): a single marginal Basel Dove with a striking plate error (dot under 'AS' of 'BASEL') climbed from a CHF 7,500 start to CHF 32,000 hammer (~$31,500 at the Nov-2015 rate). Single-stamp benchmark; a separate Basel Dove cover made CHF 105,000 at Corinphila and a vertical pair CHF 170,000 (1997).
This is a realized sale. Somebody paid it. Source.
How this is made
- The figure
- One reference price, taken from a named public source and shown with its own kind. FLOAT does not average it with anything or adjust it for time.
- Realized or not
- A realized price is a completed sale. A market asking price and a price-guide value are not sales, and are labeled as such wherever they appear.
- Why no grade ladder
- Most FLOAT 100 entries are individual objects. There is one of this, so there is no population and no spread across grades to show.
- Archive
- 2026-08-08