The One-Cent Magenta: Inside the Quest to Own the Most Valuable Stamp in the World
10.00 CAD
- Quantity
- 5
- Shipping and Handling
-
10.00 CAD to Canada
Canada Post
Get Additional Rates
- Select Country
- Zip/Post Code
- Quantity
Seller Info
Trajan (0)
- Registered Since
- 13.12.2019 11:31:54
- Feedback
- n/a
- View Other Items
- Store
- Trajan Media
Description
An inside look at the obsessive, secretive, and often bizarre world of high-profile stamp collecting, told through the journey of the world’s most sought-after stamp. Reg. $29.95
When it was issued in 1856, it cost a penny. In 2014, this tiny square of faded red paper sold at Sotheby’s for nearly $9.5 million, the largest amount ever paid for a postage stamp at auction. Through the stories of the eccentric characters who have bought, owned, and sold the one-cent magenta in the years in between, James Barron delivers a fascinating tale of global history and immense wealth, and of the human desire to collect.
One-cent magentas were provisional stamps, printed quickly in what was then British Guiana when a shipment of official stamps from London did not arrive. They were intended for periodicals, and most were thrown out with the newspapers. But one stamp survived. The singular one-cent magenta has had only nine owners since a twelve-year-old boy discovered it in 1873 as he sorted through papers in his uncle’s house. He soon sold it for what would be $17 today. (That’s been called the worst stamp deal in history.) Among later owners was a fabulously wealthy Frenchman who hid the stamp from almost everyone (even King George V of England couldn’t get a peek); a businessman who travelled with the stamp in a briefcase he handcuffed to his wrist; and John E. du Pont, an heir to the chemical fortune, who died while serving a thirty-year sentence for the murder of Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz.
Payments & Returns
- Payment Methods
- PayPal
Postage & Shipping
- Item Location
- L0S1V0, Ontario, Canada
- Ships To
- Canada
- Pick-ups
- No pick-ups
- Shipping Instructions
- Shipping to both Canada and United States via Canada Post expedited parcel; includes tracking.
- Returns Accepted
- No
Post Message
A Guide Book of Collectible Postcards
Explore the Fascinating World of Postcard Collecting with the Guide Book of Collectible PostcardsPostcard collecting has captivated enthusiasts for generations, tracing i...
Trajan (0)
Explore the Rich History of America with 100 Greatest American Stamps
Take a personal guided tour through American history with the beautifully illustrated 100 Greatest American Stamps. This captivating book is more than a price guide or pi...
Trajan (0)
2024 Stamps Of The World – Set Of 6 Catalogues
On sale -- 50% off original pirce.This world-leading simplified catalogue provides the perfect reference material for dealers and collectors alike. It is easy to use with...
Trajan (0)
Clarity Watermark Fluid -- endorsed by the APS!
Clarity is unlike any other. Most commercial “watermark fluids” are toxic, flammable, or contain hazardous materials that are only marginally safer than the tradition...
Trajan (0)