A smudged octagon of magenta paper, barely bigger than a thumbnail, changed hands for $9.5 million in 2014. Known as the 1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta, this stamp is the only one of its kind and has spent most of its existence hidden from public view. Its story begins with a printing shortage and spans across centuries, continents, and even a murder trial.
A Colonial Shortage and a Newspaper Solution
In 1855, British Guiana’s postmaster faced a dilemma. Only 5,000 stamps had arrived from Britain instead of the expected 50,000. To avoid disrupting postal services, he turned to the local Royal Gazette newspaper to print provisional stamps.
These included one-cent stamps for newspapers and four-cent versions for letters. Using movable type and a borrowed ship illustration, the printer created a crude but functional design, complete with the colony’s motto and a clerk’s initials to prevent forgeries.
Lost, Found, and Sold by a Boy
After fulfilling their short-term purpose, the provisional stamps were quickly withdrawn. Few were saved—especially the one-cent versions used on newspapers.
But in 1873, a 12-year-old Scottish boy named Vernon Vaughan discovered one among his uncle’s papers in British Guiana. He sold it for six shillings to fund his stamp collection. That discarded scrap would soon become the rarest stamp on Earth.
From Count to Convict: A Stamp’s Unlikely Owners
The stamp passed through the hands of legendary collector Count Philippe la Renotière von Ferrary, whose collection was seized by France after World War I as reparations. It was then bought by American industrialist Arthur Hind, followed by Australian engineer Frederick T. Small and a Pennsylvania dealer consortium.
In 1980, chemical heir John E. du Pont acquired it for $935,000. After du Pont was convicted of murder in 1997 and died in prison, the stamp was auctioned in 2014 and purchased by shoe designer Stuart Weitzman for $9.5 million.
The stamp was next sold in June 2021 to London stamp dealer and publishing company Stanley Gibbons PLC for $8,307,000.
Science, Security, and Public Display
In preparation for the 2014 sale, Sotheby’s collaborated with the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum to verify the stamp’s authenticity using forensic techniques like infrared imaging and filtered lighting. For the first time in decades, the stamp was loaned for public display—shown in full, including its back side, revealing layers of markings from past owners.
The stamp had previously been seen publicly only a handful of times, including a brief 1940 World’s Fair appearance. Its current exhibition includes detailed analysis of the postmark, security initials, and traces of its long, curious journey.
A smudged octagon of magenta paper, barely bigger than a thumbnail, changed hands for $9.5 million in 2014.
Known as the 1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta, this stamp is the only one of its kind and has spent most of its existence hidden from public view…🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/TISOiuLNbC
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) June 23, 2025