2019-01-28 Mon

Croatian Post had planned to issue a 3.10-kuna stamp to honour the famous 18th-century Croatian composer Luka Sorkocevic on 21st April 2015. However, a blunder was made during the printing process when Thomas Jefferson’s image was used on the stamp instead of Luka Sorkocevic’s image. Thankfully for Croatian Post, the error was discovered before the release. The stamps were later redesigned to include the correct image along with Sorkocevic’s notes and signature. The redesigned stamps were issued along with other two stamps from the Famous Croats series.

Before the error was discovered, 22 such stamps were sold at a post office in Dalmatia. The remaining stamps were destroyed. However, since the error stamps were not registered with the World Postal Union, it’s not an official release.

One error stamp was auctioned in 2017 by Barac & Pervan Ltd. for almost €2,300. There are media reports stating that some of the error stamps are being sold privately for a much higher value. As per media reports, the error probably occurred because both Jefferson and Sorkocevic resembled each other in several old artworks. Also, when you search for portraits of Sorkocevic on the internet, the same Jefferson image featured on the error stamp, comes up. Ever since the error stamp was out, several quality checks have been introduced by Croatian Post before any release. Also, it is not possible now to buy a stamp before the release date.

Image Courtesy: Croatian Post