For as long as there have been stamps there have been stamp collectors. And the rarest stamps known as ‘errors, freaks and oddities’ can sell for £8 million and bankrupt their buyers
The world’s rarest stamp is returning to Britain permanently for the first time in 143 years.
The British Guiana 1c Magenta (1856), which has been described as “the Mona Lisa of the stamp world”, was bought for 8.3 million US dollars (£6.2 million) by rare stamp dealer Stanley Gibbons at auction last month.
For nearly a century and a half, the stamp has been held in collections abroad, but it will now go on display at the Stanley Gibbons flagship store in central London.
Stanley Gibbons said gram for gram, the stamp is thought to be the most valuable man-made item in the world, around 2.5 million times more valuable than 24-carat gold.
The world’s rarest stamp is returning to Britain permanently for the first time in 143 years.
The British Guiana 1c Magenta (1856), which has been described as “the Mona Lisa of the stamp world”, was bought for 8.3 million US dollars (£6.2 million) by rare stamp dealer Stanley Gibbons at auction last month.
For nearly a century and a half, the stamp has been held in collections abroad, but it will now go on display at the Stanley Gibbons flagship store in central London.
Stanley Gibbons said gram for gram, the stamp is thought to be the most valuable man-made item in the world, around 2.5 million times more valuable than 24-carat gold.
The world’s rarest stamp is returning to Britain permanently for the first time in 143 years.
The British Guiana 1c Magenta (1856), which has been described as “the Mona Lisa of the stamp world”, was bought for 8.3 million US dollars (£6.2 million) by rare stamp dealer Stanley Gibbons at auction last month.
For nearly a century and a half, the stamp has been held in collections abroad, but it will now go on display at the Stanley Gibbons flagship store in central London.
Stanley Gibbons said gram for gram, the stamp is thought to be the most valuable man-made item in the world, around 2.5 million times more valuable than 24-carat gold.
The world’s rarest stamp is returning to Britain permanently for the first time in 143 years.
The British Guiana 1c Magenta (1856), which has been described as “the Mona Lisa of the stamp world”, was bought for 8.3 million US dollars (£6.2 million) by rare stamp dealer Stanley Gibbons at auction last month.
For nearly a century and a half, the stamp has been held in collections abroad, but it will now go on display at the Stanley Gibbons flagship store in central London.
Stanley Gibbons said gram for gram, the stamp is thought to be the most valuable man-made item in the world, around 2.5 million times more valuable than 24-carat gold.