The One-Cent Magenta: Inside the Quest to Own the Most Valuable Stamp in the World
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.66 (681 Votes) |
| Asin | : | B06WRV8HXX |
| Format Type | : | |
| Number of Pages | : | 291 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-03-19 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
"Beyond philately, an absorbing book illuminating all our obsessions with collecting" according to LEB. His latest, "The Once-Cent Magenta: Inside the Quest to Own the Most Valuable Stamp in the World" ---like James Barron's previous book "Piano: the Making of a Steinway Grand"--- reads like a non-fiction drama. While reviewing world events and technology impacts over the past two centuries, the reader follows the erratic meanderings of one small piece of paper, blown through world events and technology development like a will-of-the-wisp leaf, blown from loca. What a delightful read! This book will appeal to Amazon Customer What a delightful read! This book will appeal to both philatelists and casual readers of detective novels, travelogues, history -- and eccentric behavior. The style is smooth and gripping, as one would expect from a veteran journalist. To borrow an expression from the world of collectors, this book is one-of-a-kind.Carroll Brown. A pure delight, even if you aren't a philatelist! Marie T From the very first chapter, I was enthralled, delighted and entertained. And I don't even collect stamps.The characters are vivid and colorful. From the owner who found it and sold it for next to nothing to the glamor this small piece of paper enjoys today. The history tour with the stamp is engaging and well-researched. I love the writing style. The author had with the topic and it shows.A wonderful read that I can't recommend enough.
He soon sold it for what would be $17 today. 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. du Pont, who died while serving a 30-year sentence for the murder of Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz. 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. The One-Cent Magenta explores the intersection of obsessive pursuits and great affluence and asks why we want most what is most rare.. 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. 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. One-cent magentas were provisional stamps, printed quickly when a shipment of official stamps from London di