Portal:Philately/Stamp of the month archive/15



The Rare 2d Coil was an experimental vertical coil stamp, denominated 2d, issued by the Irish Post Office in 1935 and is one of the scarcest, and most valuable, Irish stamps. Because the stamp is the same design as the first Irish definitive stamp, a 2d green stamp issued on 6 December 1922 with the Map of Ireland it appears almost identical, except for the imperforate vertical edges, so philatelists refer to the configuration as '"perf 15 x imperf", or in the USA as "perf 15 horizontal".

It was first recognised in 1937 but not acknowledged by the philatelic catalogues until the Scott catalog listed it in 1952. Over the years 20 copies have been identified in mint condition but the quantity used is unknown, however they are scarce. A few copies are known on cover. The genuineness of this stamp was discussed in the Irish philatelic literature during the mid-1990s but archive documents confirm the stamp were ordered and issued by the Irish postal administration.