Download or read book The One Cent Magenta written by James Barron and published by Algonquin Books. This book was released on 2017-03-07 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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. 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 traveled 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. Recommended for fans of Nicholas A. Basbanes, Susan Orlean, and Simon Winchester, The One-Cent Magenta explores the intersection of obsessive pursuits and great affluence and asks why we want most what is most rare.

Download or read book The American Philatelist written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 616 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Guide to Botswana Lesotho and Swaziland written by Alec C. Campbell and published by . This book was released on 1983 with total page 1276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Gibbons Stamp Monthly written by and published by . This book was released on 1968 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Standard Encyclopaedia of Southern Africa written by and published by . This book was released on 1973 with total page 696 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Pharmaceutical Philately written by George Griffenhagen and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 94 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Birth, biographies, subjects, countries, bibliography.

Download or read book Swaziland Philately to 1968 written by Royal Philatelic Society (Great Britain) and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Mekeel s Weekly Stamp News written by I. A. Mekeel and published by . This book was released on 1913 with total page 462 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Annual Report written by Swaziland Posts & Telecommunications Corporation and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Who s who of Southern Africa written by and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 664 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Vols. for 1967-70 include as a section: Who's who of Rhodesia, Mauritius, Central and East Africa.

Download or read book Stamps written by and published by . This book was released on 1963 with total page 1150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Annual Report and Statement of Accounts written by Swaziland Posts & Telecommunications Corporation and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 842 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Index to South African Periodicals written by and published by . This book was released on 1971 with total page 740 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

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Download or read book Stamp Collecting written by and published by . This book was released on 1963 with total page 814 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Who s who of Rhodesia Mauritius Central and East Africa written by and published by . This book was released on 1970 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Scott s Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue written by Scott Publishing Co and published by . This book was released on 1959 with total page 968 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: