FLOAT
The Ceylon 'Dull Rose' - the 1857-59 Pence-issue 4d (SG 4), issued 23 April 1859 - an example of the rarity, of which ~10 mint survive.

Ceylon 1857-59 'Pence Issue' 4d Dull Rose

Maker
British Ceylon
Year
1857
Rank
47 of 100

Ceylon 1857-59 'Pence Issue' 4d Dull Rose

Ceylon 1857-59 'Pence Issue' 4d Dull Rose by British Ceylon (1857) is ranked 47 in the FLOAT 100 for Stamps. It sold for $71,875 on 1 January 2008. The headline rarity of the imperforate 'Pence' issues and one of the great British colonial classics.

What is it, and why is it in the FLOAT 100?

The headline rarity of the imperforate 'Pence' issues and one of the great British colonial classics.

SG 4, 4d dull rose, imperforate; ~10 mint examples known; mint

What is the best-sourced number for it?

Figure
$71,875
Kind
Realized at auction
Date
1 January 2008

Mint example realized $71,875 at Cherrystone, Jan 2008. SG catalogue value of a mint copy GBP 70,000-100,000.

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.
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2026-08-08