In 1948 and '49, the Kingdom of Bahrain, then a British-protected territory, surcharged a portion of Great Britain's George VI definitives of the time, issuing a set of eleven stamps (Scott #52-61A). Only 16,460 sets were issued, making it perhaps the scarcest set ever issued by Bahrain. Scott '10 values the unused set at $ 83.00 ($110.- for NH).
I favor all of the better stamps of the affluent Gulf States, and this set has the added attraction of appealing to British Commonwealth collectors.
Bahrain, a country of just under 800,000, has the fastest growing economy in the Arab world. With oil reserves estimated at 150-200 million barrels, Bahrain is not as oil-rich as some of the other Gulf States, but has met the challenge by successfully diversifying into banking and financial services, and is now considered a major financial center. Annual GDP growth has averaged 6.5% over the past 5 years. Bahrain is also developing its natural gas industry, as it has gas reserves equivalent to about another 580 million barrels of oil.
Hi Alex: Been involved in stamps for over 40 years and 25 years ago wrote an investment letter for stamps. I am very impressed with your assessments and your coverage. You are as good if not better than the Linn's stamp market columnist. All the best, Vince Sgro
ReplyDeleteDear Vincent,
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for the compliment. I'd be interested in taking a look at your investment articles- are they available online?
Should you have any suggestions for future tips (or any other comments), please let me know.
Best,
Alex