WORLD'S RAREST STAMP

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22738, 26 November 1935, Page 14

WORLD'S RAREST STAMP

In- the year 1850 there was a temporary dearth of postage stamps in the town of Georgetown, British Guiana. The firm of Joseph and William Dallas, who published a local newspaper, set up of their* ordinary stock type to print some stamps which should tide the community over for a few days or weeks. They arranged rulings in a rectangular frame. Within the frame they placed a tiny picture of a sailing ship, which usually adorned the column of shipping notices in their paper; and they added the word "British" at the top, " Guiana " at the foot, " Postage " on the left, and "One Cent" on the right. The motto of the colony was added below the ship. The design was printed on dark magenta sugar-paper. What makes the stamp so valuable! The fact that, though about 40 different one-cent stamps from Guiana are known to collectors, there, is only one known specimen of this particular stamp. Tn 1871 a schoolboy, rummaging in an attic in Georgetown, found it and, as he had not got one like it, he added it to his collection. He did not think much of it and when an older friend offered to buy it he gladly sold it for. 6s and thought he had done extremely', -well. By and by the whole collection of\wJiich the stamp now formed part was to a dealer for £25. The dealer realised that the magenta one-cent stamA \was unusual, and he 'sold it to a leading philatelist, Count Ferrari, for £125. vf or 40 years the stamp remained in th\f\Ferrari collection. When, after the fount's death in 1922, his stamps were so\d\ there was very keen competition amorigvbuyers to secure what they realised wtysVa "unique specimen. It was sold to tiie v agent of the late Mr Arthur Hind for' v £7Goo— highest figure ever paid fc£ to, single stamp. Since then it has been\snp\vn at many exhibitions insured ftjr, sums ranging from £IO,OOO to £15,000; Air Hind presented the treasure to his 1 wife