Why is the British Guiana 1c Magenta the most expensive stamp?

It's the only one known to exist. You can't get rarer than one copy, and it has 170 years of storied provenance.

Could a second British Guiana 1c Magenta be discovered?

Theoretically possible but extremely unlikely. After 150+ years of searching, no second copy has emerged.

British Guiana 1c Magenta Value & Price Guide (2026)

Name: 1856 British Guiana 1c Magenta
Brand: British Guiana

Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1873, a 12-year-old Scottish boy named Vernon Vaughan was rummaging through his uncle's papers in British Guiana when he found a small, ugly, one-cent stamp printed on magenta paper. He sold it to a local collector for six shillings. That stamp - the only one of its kind known to exist - last sold for $9.5 million in 2014, making it the most expensive postage stamp ever sold at auction.

Quick Value Summary


Item	1856 British Guiana 1c Magenta
Year	1856
Category	Stamps - British Colonial
Denomination	1 cent
Total Known	1 (one)
Condition	Used, with clipped corners (unique - condition is what it is)
Last Sale	$9,480,000 (June 2014, Sotheby's New York)
Previous Sales	$935,000 (1980), $280,000 (1970)
Rarity	One of a kind - the rarest stamp on Earth

The Story

In 1856, British Guiana - a small British colony on the northern coast of South America (now Guyana) - was waiting for a shipment of stamps from England. The shipment was late. Mail was piling up. So the colony's postmaster authorized a local newspaper printer, The Royal Gazette, to produce a small run of provisional stamps.

The printer used the newspaper's own press to create crude, simple stamps: a sailing ship flanked by the colony's Latin motto, "Damus Petimus Que Vicissim" - "We give and expect in return." They printed them on magenta paper in black ink. Three denominations were made: 1 cent (for newspapers), 4 cents (for letters), and possibly others. Each stamp had to be initialed by a postal clerk to prevent counterfeiting.

The 4-cent version survives in several copies. The 1-cent version? Just one. That's it. One stamp, in the entire world, from an emergency print run in a small South American colony 170 years ago.

After young Vernon Vaughan found it in 1873, the stamp passed through a succession of increasingly wealthy collectors. Philipp von Ferrary, the greatest stamp collector of his era, owned it until his death in 1917. It was seized by France as war reparations and auctioned in 1922. Arthur Hind, an American industrialist, bought it - and legend has it he purchased and burned a second copy to preserve his stamp's uniqueness (though this story is unverified and widely doubted).

In 1970, a syndicate led by Irwin Weinberg bought it for $280,000. In 1980, John du Pont - heir to the chemical fortune - acquired it for $935,000. Du Pont kept it in a vault until his death in 2010 (he had been convicted of murder in 1997). His estate consigned it to Sotheby's, where it sold for $9,480,000 in June 2014 to luxury goods company owner Stuart Weitzman.

In 2023, Weitzman loaned the stamp to the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum, where it's now on public display.

How to Identify It

This section exists mostly for completeness - you almost certainly don't have a British Guiana 1c Magenta. Only one exists.

Key Visual Markers

Paper: Magenta-colored (faded to a dark pinkish-brown after 170 years)
Ink: Black printing
Design: A three-masted sailing ship at center
Text: "BRITISH GUIANA" at top, "ONE CENT" at bottom
Motto: "Damus Petimus Que Vicissim" on either side of the ship
Shape: Octagonal - the corners were clipped by the original owner, a common practice in the era
Imperforate - no perforations, as was standard for provisional stamps
Postal clerk initials: E.D.W. (Edmond Dalton Wight) written in ink on the stamp

The 4-Cent Companion

The 4-cent version from the same 1856 provisional issue does survive in multiple copies and is itself extremely valuable (though nowhere near the 1c). If you find a crude stamp on colored paper with a sailing ship and "BRITISH GUIANA," it could be a 4-cent variety worth investigating.

Value History

There's no "condition range" for this stamp - there's only one, and it's in the condition it's in. Its corners are clipped. It's been cancelled. It's faded. And it's worth nearly $10 million.

Year	Price	Buyer
1873	6 shillings	N.R. McKinnon (local collector)
1878	£150	Philipp von Ferrary
1922	300,000 French francs	Arthur Hind
1970	$280,000	Irwin Weinberg syndicate
1980	$935,000	John du Pont
2014	$9,480,000	Stuart Weitzman

The stamp has increased in value at every sale. If the trend holds, the next time it sells could break $10 million.

Authentication & Fakes

Is There Really Only One?

Yes. Despite periodic claims of "second copies" surfacing, none has ever passed expert scrutiny. The Arthur Hind story about burning a second copy is almost certainly a myth. Every major philatelic authority accepts that only one genuine 1856 British Guiana 1c Magenta exists.

Could Another Surface?

It's theoretically possible but extremely unlikely. The stamp has been the subject of worldwide attention for over 150 years. If a second copy existed, it would likely have been found by now. That said, the 4-cent version exists in small numbers, so survival of the 1-cent wasn't inherently impossible - it just didn't happen.

Authentication History

The stamp has been examined and authenticated by the Royal Philatelic Society London, the Philatelic Foundation, and numerous independent experts over its lifetime. Its provenance is unbroken from 1873 to the present day.

Where to See It

The British Guiana 1c Magenta is currently on loan to the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C. It's one of the few opportunities to see the world's most valuable stamp in person.

If it ever comes back to auction, expect Sotheby's or Christie's to handle the sale. But for now, it's a museum piece - as it probably should be.

Common Questions

How much is the British Guiana 1c Magenta worth?

It last sold for $9,480,000 in 2014 at Sotheby's. Given the trajectory of its value over 150+ years, it could sell for $10 million or more if it returned to auction.

Why is it the most expensive stamp in the world?

Simple: it's the only one. Rarity is the fundamental driver of value in philately, and you can't get rarer than one. Add 170 years of provenance, a murder conviction, and a story involving a 12-year-old boy - and you have the most famous stamp on Earth.

Can I buy the British Guiana 1c Magenta?

Not currently. It's on loan to the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. Its owner, Stuart Weitzman, purchased it in 2014. When and if it sells again is up to him or his estate.

Are there any other stamps from the same issue?

Yes. The 4-cent British Guiana 1856 provisional survives in several copies and is itself a major rarity. If you find any stamp matching the description of a crude sailing ship design on colored paper with "BRITISH GUIANA" text, have it examined by a specialist.

Could a second 1c Magenta be discovered?

It's the most tantalizing question in philately. Theoretically possible - a small number were printed and used on mail in 1856. But after 150+ years of searching, no second copy has emerged. Most experts believe the one we have is truly the only survivor.