Diamond Postage Stamp Collecting
69Diamond Shaped Postage Stamps
Diamond Stamps
The part of my stamp collection that always appeals to me are the diamond shaped stamps. As a collector of many years standing I have quite a few, out-of-the-ordinary, shaped postage stamps but the diamonds are the ones that appeal to me the most. I did wonder when I started collecting, about all the wasted space on a large sheet of diamond shape stamps. It took me quite some time as a child to work out that diamond shaped stamps were just as regular as square shaped stamps and could be printed in exactly the same way to produce a stamp sheet without waste.
Postage stamp placement
The trick, of course, was to move the stamp image by 45° (degrees) and then the square stamp took on a new perspective whereby you needed to twist the stamp (diamond style) to see the upright image. The stamp had to be placed diamond fashion on the envelope to align the image (and stamp) correctly. Many people are quite fastidious about stamp placement on an envelope while others just wallop the stamp on any old place at all.
Hungarian stamp
Clever Postage Stamp Shapes
Magyar Posta diamond stamp
When I first began collecting I wanted the diamond stamp for my collection but they were rare enough to find. The country that I found to be most prolific was Hungary. They issued many diamond shaped stamps and I managed to swell my collection with the Magyar stamps.
Hungary Post
The postal administration of Hungary is called Magyar Posta and you will find this prominently displayed on their stamps. This image of a Magyar Posta diamond stamp is one of their sporting issues which they seem to be so fond of.
Diamond sporting postage stamp
Postage stamp innovation
Magyar Posta
Magyar Posta would not be as sophisticated as some of the big stamp issuers like United States Postal Service (USPS) or the British Royal Mail but they do offer all the basic marketing and banking services that all Post Offices now provide. Apart from the diamond sporting stamps, other innovative stamps have been issued by Hungary.
Stamp chess set from Hungary
In 2004 the Hungarian postal service issued a wonderful sheet of 64 stamps in the style of a chessboard. One stamp represented every single square of the regular board. Micro writing on this stamp set relates the entire Hungarian history of chess. Magyar Posta will be commemorating the birth of former US president Ronald Reagan by issuing a commemorative cover 100 years after his birth.
2012 diamond stamp issues from Ireland
 | Amazon Price: $28.27 |
 | Amazon Price: $10.14 List Price: $14.95 |
USA postage stamps
US postal service diamond stamps
United States postage stamps in diamond style have been issued like this $5 one opposite but the earliest ones date back to the 1970s and cost only 10 cents. The set comprised 4 Mineral Heritage commemorative stamps. The minerals depicted were tourmaline, amethyst, rhodochrosite and arago (petrified wood).
USPS diamond set
A set can still be bought today from some stamp dealers. I hope I have created an interest in postage stamps for you, as the reader, and perhaps you might start a collection of unusual stamps of your very own.
USPS diamond stamp
Stamps from around the world
- Unusual Postage Stamp Collection
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Unusual shaped stamps commentsLoading...
Thank you for your comment on these diamond shaped stamps. I like the unusualness of them despite these rather larger size and orientation, especially if you use them on a small envelope.
Frankie C 9 months ago
Very beautiful postage stamps to collect. Nicely presented.