We have already examined the rarest stamps from numerous countries, including Germany, France, the UK, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Israel, the Vatican, Italy, Switzerland, New Zealand, the USA, Monaco, the Falkland Islands, Greece, Austria, Luxembourg, Malta, Finland, Sweden, Poland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland and Greenland. Today, we take a look at the rarest and most valuable Indonesian stamps.
Indonesia, located in Southeast Asia, is the world’s largest archipelagic nation, comprising over 17,000 islands, approximately 6,000 of which are inhabited. Renowned for its rich biodiversity, Indonesia is also home to the world's largest Muslim-majority population. The country proclaimed its independence on August 17, 1945, after centuries of foreign influence. Primarily under Dutch colonial rule until 1942, Indonesia also experienced periods of governance by Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. During World War II, Indonesia was occupied by Japan.
From a philatelic perspective, the history of Indonesia begins “on 1 April 1864, when the first Dutch East Indies stamp was issued. In general, the history of Indonesian stamps divided in five general periods:
Air Force / 80s Pilot Local Issue
Local stamp / Indonesia, Java & Madura – 1946
Denomination: 80 Indonesian sen
Estimated value: 900 USD
The intricate history of Indonesia accounts for the diverse countries and denominations featured in today's list of the rarest and most valuable Indonesian stamps.
Dancer and Borobudur
Netherlands Indies / Japanese Occupation of Java – 1943/06/01
Denomination: 40 Netherlands Indies cent
Estimated value: 1,000 USD
Unfortunately, throughout history, many countries have appeared or disappeared from the map as a result of warfare. This phenomenon was also evident during the decolonization process that began after World War II. As noted by Wikipedia:
“Decolonization is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas.” - en.wikipedia.org
Most colonial powers were reluctant to relinquish their colonies without resistance, often leading to uprisings or other significant actions. One such process resulted in the stamp you will see below.
Lesser Bird-of-paradise
Netherlands New Guinea / UNTEA Overprint – 1962/01/01
Denomination: 1 c - Dutch cent
Estimated value: 1,200 USD
“Netherlands New Guinea, comprising the western half of the island of New Guinea, was claimed by Indonesia but was not a part of the independence deal agreed to by the Netherlands. In 1954, Indonesia broke off diplomatic relations with the Netherlands and confiscated property owned by the Dutch who had remained in Indonesia.
Eventually, the Netherlands transferred Netherlands New Guinea to the United Nations, which administered it briefly prior to turning it over to Indonesia in 1963. During 1962-63 the territory, called West Irian, used colonial stamps overprinted "UNTEA." The acronym stands for United Nations Temporary Executive Authority. These stamps are listed in the Scott standard catalog among the United Nations listings in Vol. 1, and in Vol. 3 under Indonesia. An overprinted 1¢ Netherlands New Guinea Bird of Paradise stamp (Scott 1a) is shown in Figure 9.” - www.linns.com
Pilot at controls of plane / 1-gulden Airplane Pilot Airmail Stamp
Netherlands East Indies – 1931/04/01
Denomination: 1 Netherlands Indies gulden
Estimated value: 1,500 USD
The final two stamps in the list of rare and most valuable Indonesian stamps were issued by the Netherlands East Indies. The most valuable Indonesian stamp, featuring King William III, is also the first Indonesian stamp, having been issued on April 1, 1864.
King William III
Netherlands East Indies – 1864/04/01
Denomination: 10 Netherlands Indies cent
Estimated value: 5,000 USD
Today, we examined some of the most valuable Indonesian stamps. We encourage you to follow us for upcoming articles in this series, which will be published soon. In the meantime, feel free to explore our previous articles to further enrich your philatelic journey.
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