Rare stamp famous for only having one extant example
British Guiana 1c magenta
Country of production
British Guiana (now Guyana)
Location of production
Georgetown
Date of production
1856
Nature of rarity
Very limited printing Emergency issue Only one known
No. in existence
1
Face value
1c
Estimated value
US$8,307,000 (last sale, 8 June 2021, including buyer's premium)[1][2]
The British Guiana 1c magenta is regarded by many philatelists as the world's most famous rare stamp.[3][4] It was issued in limited numbers in British Guiana (now Guyana) in 1856, and only one specimen is now known to exist. It is the only major postage stamp ever issued in the United Kingdom or British Commonwealth that is not represented in Britain's Royal Philatelic Collection.[5]
An example of the 4-cent stamp of the same issue
It is imperforate, printed in black on magenta paper, and it features a sailing ship along with the colony's Latin motto "Damus Petimus Que Vicissim" (We give and expect in return) in the middle. Four thin lines frame the ship. The stamp's country of issue and value—rendered in small, black uppercase lettering—surround the frame.
Neil McKinnon, a local collector in Guiana, purchased the only known example of the stamp in 1873 after initially declining to buy it. A Liverpool dealer, Thomas Ridpath, recognized its rarity and bought it in 1878. The stamp left the United Kingdom that same year, and noted French-born collector Philipp von Ferrary owned it for several decades.[6] It was seized by the French government at the end of World War I, auctioned off in Paris in 1922 for a world record sum, and then spent years in the hands of American owners. It was exhibited at the 1939–40 World's Fair, and among numerous other displays it was also shown at the London International Stamp Exhibition in 1923. King George V saw the stamp at this exhibition, and is said to have politely declined an offer to own it, although he had sent his agent to the Paris auction.[6]
With its sale in June 2014 to Stuart Weitzman for $9,480,000,[1][2] the 1c magenta has broken the world record for a single stamp auction price a total of four times.[7] The 2014 auction also made it the most expensive item, by weight and size, ever sold in history.[7] The stamp was next sold in June 2021 to London stamp dealer and publishing company Stanley Gibbons PLC for $8,307,000.[8]
^ abCite error: The named reference sothebys-n09154-auction was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abCite error: The named reference sothebys-n09154-results was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Carlton, R. Scott (1997). The international encyclopaedic dictionary of philatelics. Krause Publications. pp. 36–37. ISBN 0-87341-448-9.
^"Rare stamp sets auction record". BBC News. 18 June 2014. Archived from the original on 25 November 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
^Feinberg, Ashley (1 March 2014). "Why This Red Smudge Is The Most Valuable Stamp In The World". Gizmodo Australia. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
^ abCite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ab"Rare British Guiana stamp sets record at New York auction". BBC News. 17 June 2014. Archived from the original on 18 June 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
^Cite error: The named reference Linns was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
and 23 Related for: British Guiana 1c magenta information
BritishGuiana1cmagenta is regarded by many philatelists as the world's most famous rare stamp. It was issued in limited numbers in BritishGuiana (now...
BritishGuiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has...
record price for a single stamp is US$9,480,000 paid for the BritishGuiana1cmagenta. This list is ordered by consumer price index inflation-adjusted...
child, anonymously purchased the "world's most famous stamp", the BritishGuiana1cmagenta at a Sotheby's auction in New York for $9.48M, including buyer's...
handled some of the greatest rarities in philately such as the BritishGuiana1cmagenta of 1856 and the block of four of the 1869 24c United States stamps...
$935,000 for one of the rarest stamps in the world, the BritishGuiana 1856 1c black on magenta. After his death, this stamp was sold at auction for $9...
culture (10 November 2021). "Stanley Gibbons BritishGuiana1cMagenta fractional ownership". "The One Cent Magenta - Own a Piece of History". Showpiece. Retrieved...
Treskilling Yellow of Sweden and the 1856 one-cent "Black on Magenta" of BritishGuiana. Of Italian family background, Ferrary took French nationality...
formed the syndicate of Pennsylvania businessmen who bought the BritishGuiana1cmagenta, the rarest stamp in the world. Irwin Weinberg was born around...
first mayor of that town. A stamp collector, he once owned the BritishGuiana 1856 1cmagenta stamp, the only known copy of that stamp, which he bought from...
Bicycle mail Bisect Bogus postal markings Bogus stamp issue Booklet BritishGuiana1cmagenta Bulk mail Cachet Camel mail Cancellation Cancelled to order Caribou...
stamp department of Macy's. He arranged the sale of the unique BritishGuiana1cmagenta in 1940, and continued to look after it for the next thirty years...
canceled, soiled, cut to shape. Only great rarities such as the BritishGuiana1cmagenta are collected in poor condition. Rare or unusual stamps can be...
June 2015 until December 2019, the museum displayed the 1856 BritishGuiana1cmagenta, the world's most valuable stamp, which sold for nearly $10 million...
founded by the Jesuits in Belgaum, India. The BritishGuiana1cmagenta postage stamp is issued in BritishGuiana in limited numbers; the one surviving specimen...
of Corrientes 1856 - first stamps of Danish West Indies 1856 - BritishGuiana1cmagenta issued 1857 - 1 April - Ceylon(Sri Lanka) issues its first stamp...
the British Empire. Caspar Last uses his newly created time machine to travel to 19th-century BritishGuiana to obtain the very rare BritishGuiana1c magenta...
of the postage stamps of the colony that included the famous BritishGuiana1cmagenta stamp. Wylie was born into a famous retail family, with his grandfather...
Global Information
