World’s rarest stamp British Guiana 1856 1¢ Magenta stamp will be auctioned again on 17th June by Sotheby’s Auction house in New York.

The 1856 British Guiana 1 Cent stamp the stamp is said to be the last example of the British Guiana one-cent Magenta. The world will know what the world’s rarest stamp is actually worth. Sotheby’s Auction House will offer the British Guiana 1856 1¢ Magenta stamp in a dedicated evening sale on 17^th June 2014 at New York. The stamp is estimated around US $10-20 Million. The unique stamp has set a world record each of the three times it has been sold at auction.

British Guiana 1856 1¢ Magenta  world's rarest stamp.

Printed in black on magenta paper, the British Guiana stamp bears the image of a three-masted ship and the Latin motto "we give and expect in return". It was produced in Georgetown, British Guiana (now GUYANA) after a shipment of stamps was delayed from London, threatening to disrupt the postal service. It carries a post mark, showing it has been used, and is initialed by a post-office employee. 

The stamp is cut to shape, thinned, torn, and repaired apparently. But the original 1935 RPSL Certificate does not mention the repairs and thins and creases that it allegedly has? As can be seen the circular date stamp is nice and dark and words BRITISH GUIANA top and base can be made out readily. 

Original Certificate issued by the Royal Philatelic Society ,London on 17th October 1935.

The British Guiana is equally notable for its legacy, having been rediscovered by a 12 years old Scottish boy living in South America in 1873, and from there passing through some of the most important stamp collections ever assembled. Since it was discovered, it has had this wonderfully colourful history and that certainly adds to its appeal.The stamp looks really terrible on the front, and seems to have suffered under John E. Du Pont’s ownership.He was a chemical industry millionaire, who kept it largely out of public view, locked away in a vault. It is rumoured to have sometimes he slept with it under his pillow. Du Pont was later jailed for 40 years for shooting dead an Olympic gold medal winning wrestler David Schultz in 1996, and died in the prison during 2010. Frederick T. Small an Australian owned this stamp for nearly 30 years and sold it via Robert Siegel auction at New York in 1970. 

HISTORY OF OWNERSHIP

1873- L. VERNON VAUGHAN, BRITISH GUIANA.

• Discovered by the Scottish schoolboy living in South America, among family papers in 1873.

NEIL R. MCKINNON, BRITISH GUIANA.

• Purchased from Vaughan

• Sent to Glasgow, Scotland for inspection 1878.

THOMAS RIDPATH, LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

• Purchased from McKinnon.

• Recognized the stamp’s rarity 1878.

PHILIPPE LA RENOTIÈRE VON FERRARY, FRANCE.

• Purchased from Thomas Ridpath.

• Austrian nobleman and owner of the world’s most famous stamp collection, who moved to Switzerland at outbreak of World War I.

• Bequeathed his collection to Postal museum in Berlin at his death.

• Ferrary Collection seized by France as war reparations and sold in a celebrated series of 14 auctions from 1920 to 1925, including the British Guiana in 1922.

1922- ARTHUR HIND, UTICA, NEW YORK.

• Purchased at the auction by dealer Hugo Griebert on behalf of Hind
Set then-record auction price of $35,000.

1933- WIDOW OF ARTHUR HIND, NEW YORK.

• Hind's will directed that his collection should be sold for the benefit of his estate. His widow successfully contested this, saying Hind had given her the stamp in his lifetime.

• Hind’s widow continued to exhibit and display the stamp.

• Sold to Frederick T. Small by Finbar Kenny, Manager of the stamp department of R.H. Macy of New York, after the 1940 World’s Fair exhibition.

 1940- FREDERICK T. SMALL, FLORIDA.

• Australian living in Florida.

 • Consigned for auction with Robert Siegel of New York, 1970.

1970-IRWIN WEINBERG STAMP CONSORTIUM. 

• Irwin Weinberg led a consortium of buyers at the auction
Set then-record auction price of $280,000.

• Consigned to auction in 1980.

1980-JOHN E. DU PONT, PENNSYLVANIA.

• Purchased at auction for then-record price of $935,000.

One of the more fascinating aspects of the British Guiana 1856 1¢ Magenta stamp is the reverse, which shows the personal owner marks of several of its famous owners.

Back side of British Guiana 1856 1¢ Magenta showing the personal owner marks of several of its famous owners. 

1. Two impressions of Count Ferrary's famous ‘trefoil’ owner's mark.

2. A large faint "H" of American Billionaire Arthur Hind. It is said to have burnt a second copy sold to him. 

3. A small "FK" of Finbar Kenny, the stamp manager at Macy's who brokered its sale by Arthur Hind's widow.

4. A small shooting star added by the Australian, Frederick T. Small who owned it from 1940 to 1970.

5. A penciled "IW" by Irwin Weinberg, head of a group of investors who bought the stamp in 1970 and sold it to John E. Du Pont.

6. A large pencilled "J E d P", initials of the late John E. Du Pont who bought it for $US 935, 000 in 1980, and died in prison.

7. The large and ornate 17-pointed star has all the experts completely stumped.

On April 17 The National Postal Museum in Washington was visited by David Redden, a vice president of Sotheby’s, who took along the 1¢ British Guiana for detailed analysis.

On April 17 The National Postal Museum in Washington was visited by David Redden, a vice president of Sotheby’s, who took along the 1¢ British Guiana for detailed analysis.

On April 17 The National Postal Museum in Washington was visited by David Redden, a vice president of Sotheby’s, who took along the 1¢ British Guiana for detailed analysis. Redden was joined by highly respected stamp expert Captain Robert Odenweller, of the museum's Council of Philatelists, a security officer, and a reporter and photographer from the New York Times. The equipment used for testing included the VSC6000, Leica Microscope, X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (XRF) and the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscope (FT-IR). ”VSC6600” is the Video Spectral Comparator 6000, which is a high resolution analyser, allowing for the removal of color to better see the stamp and its markings under high magnification. The wonderfully clear VSC6000 MONO image shown nearby is from that recent visit. The stamp design, detail and postmark all show wonderfully when in mono, as you can see! If you look at the colour shot nearby of the face you cannot even see the central ship design, Latin wording, nor read the postmark not the wording on outer edges of stamp.

The stamp has not been on view publicly since the 1986, when it was exhibited at the Ameripex 1986 International Stamp Show in Chicago. Sotheby’s took the Guiana stamp on a road show during May that included London and Hong Kong. Their “Buyer Fee” alone, if it sells for the middle of their estimate range is around $US2 million.

The current auction record for a single stamp is CHF 2, 8750,000 (approximately US$2.2 million), set by the Treskilling Yellow of SWEDEN in 1996. So, all are finger crossed for the auction on 17^th June that who will be the proud owner of world’s rarest stamp!!!

On April 17 The National Postal Museum in Washington was visited by David Redden, a vice president of Sotheby’s, who took along the 1¢ British Guiana for detailed analysis.

On April 17 The National Postal Museum in Washington was visited by David Redden, a vice president of Sotheby’s, who took along the 1¢ British Guiana for detailed analysis.

COLLECTION OF ERROR BANKNOTES OF INDIA IN DIFFERENT DENOMINATION.

2 Rupees note obverse with the sign of S. Venkitaramanan as Governor is having error printing at the top right hand corner.

2 Rupees reverse of the above note is having error printing at the top left hand corner.

 10 Rupees note obverse with the sign of R.N. Malhotra as Governor.(No error)

10 Rupees reverse of the above note is having blank error printing.

10 Rupees obverse with the sign of Y.V. Reddy as Governor with upper serial number is missing having border at the bottom of the note.

10 Rupees reverse of the above with part of the upper portion is missing having border at the bottom of the note.

50 Rupees obverse with the sign of Bimal Jalan as Governor showing inset 'B' with upper serial number 6RN 168767 at the right hand corner is missing.

50 Rupees reverse of the above note showing part of the serial number in red colour is printed at the top left hand corner.

100 Rupees obverse with the sign of Bimal Jalan as Governor is showing extra paper at bottom right hand corner.

100 Rupees reverse of the above note is showing extra paper at bottom left hand corner.

100 Rupees note obverse with the sign of Bimal Jalan as Governor is having error printing at the Bottom left hand corner.

100 Rupees reverse of the above note is having blank error printing at right hand side.

100 Rupees obverse with the sign of Y.V. Reddy as Governor showing inset 'L' with half of the upper serial number 8BH at the top right hand corner and 174167 is missing.

100 Rupees note reverse of the above note.(No error)

500 Rupees obverse with the sign of Y.V. Reddy as Governor is showing extra paper at top right hand corner.

500 Rupees reverse of the above note is showing extra paper at top left hand corner.

FANCY NUMBERS NOTES ISSUED BY THE RESERVE BANK OF INDIA.

111111 Serial Number note is found in the bundle of notes starting with the number 111101.

222222 Serial Number note is found in the bundle of notes starting with the number 222201.

333333 Serial Number note is found in the bundle of notes starting with the number 333301.

444444 Serial Number note is found in the bundle of notes starting with the number 444401.

555555 Serial Number note is found in the bundle of notes starting with the number 555501.

666666 Serial Number note is found in the bundle of notes starting with the number 666601.

777777 Serial Number note is found in the bundle of notes starting with the number 777701.

888888 Serial Number note is found in the bundle of notes starting with the number 888801.

999999 and 1000000 Serial Number notes are found in the bundle of notes starting with the number 999901. Only one seven digit note of a denomination is found in 10 lakhs notes starting from serial No.000001 to 1000000. So, seven digits note is rare to see.

5 Rupees notes with the signature of Bimal Jalan as Governor was issued without inset and year during 1997.

STAR SERIES NOTES ISSUED BY THE RESERVE BANK OF INDIA.

Star Notes Notification issued by the Reserve Bank of India.

100 Rupees Star Notes signed by D. Subbarao with inset 'F'. 

100 Rupees Star Notes issued during the year 2010.

50 Rupees Star Notes signed by Y.V. Reddy with inset 'L'.

50 Rupees Star Notes issued during the year 2011.

20 Rupees Star Notes signed by Y.V. Reddy without inset. 

20 Rupees Star Notes issued during the year 2006.

10 Rupees Star Notes signed by Y.V. Reddy without inset. 

10 Rupees Star Notes issued during the year 2006.

UNITED STATES DOLLARS.

1996 series 100 Dollars note with portrait of 1st Post Master General of United States Benjamin Franklin bearing signature of Mary Ellen Withrow as Treasurer and Robert E. Rubin as Secretary of the Treasury.

Back side shows Independence hall located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

2004 series 50 Dollars note with portrait of 18th President Ulysses S. Grant bearing signature of Anna Escobedo Cabral as Treasurer and John W. Snow as Secretary of the Treasury.

Back side shows U.S. Capitol building located in Washington D.C.

2006 series 20 Dollars note with portrait of 7th President Andrew Jackson bearing signature of Anna Escobedo Cabral as Treasurer and Henry M. Paulson as Secretary of the Treasury.

Back side shows White house building official residence of President of United States of America located in Washington D.C.

2009 series 10 Dollars note with portrait of 1st Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton bearing signature of Rosa Gumataotao Rios as Treasurer and Timothy F. Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury.

Back side shows U.S. Treasury building in Washington D.C.

2006 series 5 Dollars note with portrait of 16th President Abraham Lincoln bearing signature of Anne Escobedo Cabral as Treasure and John W. Snow as Secretary of the Treasury.

Back side shows Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.

1976 series 2 Dollars note with portrait of 3rd President Thomas Jefferson bearing signature of Francine Irving Neff as Treasure and William E. Simon as Secretary of the Treasury.

Back side shows signing of the declaration of Independence, 1776.

2003 series 1 Dollar note with portrait of 1st President George Washington bearing signature of Rosario Marin as Treasure and John W. Snow as Secretary of the Treasury. 

Back side shows Great seal flanking ONE.
 

United States Dollar notes are made from cotton fiber paper and printed by the Bureau of the Engraving and Printing.