Baden 9 Kreuzer Error

Overview

The Baden 9 Kreuzer Error (Baden-Fehldruck 9 Kreuzer), issued by the Grand Duchy of Baden in May 1851, is among the greatest classical errors in worldwide philately. When Baden issued its first four postage stamps, they were color-coded by denomination so postal clerks could identify the price at a glance. The 1 Kreuzer was buff, the 3 was yellow, the 6 was blue-green, and the 9 was intended to be printed on pink (rose) paper. However, a printer mistakenly grabbed the wrong printing plate and struck the 9-Kreuzer plate onto a batch of the blue-green paper reserved for the 6-Kreuzer stamp. This simple color anomaly created a legendary rarity. For 168 years, the philatelic community believed only four copies survived (one unused, three cancelled on letters or fragments). However, in 2019, a breathtaking fifth copy was discovered in a family collection in the United States, sending shockwaves through the stamp-collecting world. The highest price paid is €1.31 million (about $1.73M) for an exquisite copy on cover from the famous Erivan Haub collection in 2019.

Design & Technical Details

A highly intricate, numeral-focused design common to early German States. The large numeral '9' sits centered within a stylized circle, surrounded by the words 'Baden', 'Freimarke', 'Postverein', and '9 Kreuzer'. Crucially, the paper is blue-green, not rose.

Historical Facts

• Baden's first postal issue took place on May 1, 1851.
• The error is believed to have happened because the printer misread the number 9 for a 6 on the plate or simply loaded the wrong tray of paper.
• The only unused copy was sold by David Feldman in 2008 for over €1.3 million.
• A fifth copy unexpectedly surfaced in America in 2019 after sitting unnoticed in a family's collection for decades.
• One of the letters bearing the error is archived in the Museum of Post and Communication in Berlin.

How to Identify This Stamp

If you believe you may have found a Baden 9 Kreuzer Error, here are key identification characteristics to check:

• The definitive sign is the large '9' printed on blue-green (cyan) paper.
• Standard 9 Kreuzer stamps of this design are printed on rose/pink paper and are relatively common.
• The standard 6 Kreuzer stamp is green but features a '6' in the middle.
• Beware of chemically altered 9-Kreuzer stamps where the pink dye has been turned greenish.

Frequently Asked Questions