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  • The One-Cent Magenta

  • Inside the Quest to Own the Most Valuable Stamp in the World
  • By: James Barron
  • Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
  • Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (2 ratings)
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The One-Cent Magenta cover art

The One-Cent Magenta

By: James Barron
Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
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Summary

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 $10 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 when a shipment of official stamps from London did not arrive in British Guiana. They were mostly thrown out with the newspapers; one stamp survived. The singular One-Cent Magenta has had nine owners since a 12-year-old boy rediscovered it in 1873. He soon sold it for what would be $17 today. Among later owners was a wealthy French nobleman who hid the stamp from almost everyone; a businessman who traveled with the stamp in a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist; and John E. du Pont, who died while serving a 30-year sentence for the murder of Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz. The One-Cent Magenta explores the intersection of obsessive pursuits and great affluence and asks why we want most what is most rare.

©2017 James Barron (P)2017 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
Historical World Modern
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Good listen for an afternoon

It was nice to hear a story on philatelic study for a change. Could have been a little more in depth.

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