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A review by shanaqui
The One-Cent Magenta: Inside the Quest to Own the Most Valuable Stamp in the World by James Barron
informative
medium-paced
3.0
I am not really a stamp person, but because of my work at Postcrossing, I've been exploring the world of postal stuff more generally, and thus came across The One-Cent Magenta, by James Barron. It's the story of obsession with one particular stamp, which collectors have made the most valuable stamp in the world.
There isn't, in the end, a whole lot to say about the one-cent magenta in and of itself. It's a very plain-looking stamp, and it doesn't have a particularly special story. Barron's book is more about the people who've gone after it, and how that incredible value was created -- partly out of rarity (the one discussed is the only one extant, as far as we know) and partly just out of sheer enthusiasm/greed/desire to be the one who owns the thing only one person can own.
It's interesting to get a glimpse into that world, and also kind of repellent. I'm sure some people who collect stamps are lovely, but the fuss over the one-cent magenta is kind of silly, and the amounts of money spent on it have much better uses.
There isn't, in the end, a whole lot to say about the one-cent magenta in and of itself. It's a very plain-looking stamp, and it doesn't have a particularly special story. Barron's book is more about the people who've gone after it, and how that incredible value was created -- partly out of rarity (the one discussed is the only one extant, as far as we know) and partly just out of sheer enthusiasm/greed/desire to be the one who owns the thing only one person can own.
It's interesting to get a glimpse into that world, and also kind of repellent. I'm sure some people who collect stamps are lovely, but the fuss over the one-cent magenta is kind of silly, and the amounts of money spent on it have much better uses.