Updated: Jul 15

The British Guianan 1 Cent Magenta is known as the most valuable and rarest postage stamp. It was issued in limited numbers in British Guiana (now Guyana) in 1856 and only in specimen is now known to exist.

Its mutely coloured and octagon shaped. It was created in wake of stamp shortage in British
Guiana, produced with no thought of design Aesthetics. Its imperforate, printed in black on magenta paper, and it features a sailing ship alone with the colony ‘Latin Moto.

It was used to cover postage on the mailing of a weekly newspapers, It is estimated that some 500 of the I cent stamps were printed and almost thrown away, along with the newspapers after it was read.

The World most Sought – After stamp, the one cent magenta, is today valued at $9.48 million Dollars because nobody could have guessed that a less than spectacular looking stamp would so seize the Imagination of Wealthy and Powerful collectors but that’s exactly what happened.

Aabid Muktahr
Grade 5C
St. Thomas’s Preparatory School