stamp1.jpg

This faded piece of paper here is actually the most sought after and revered stamp in the world. It is poised to fetch a whopping $10-20 million at auction this June. Why is it so valuable?

The stamp is the only remaining 1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta stamp. It is one of the rarest stamps in the world. Printed in black ink on magenta paper, it features an image of a three-masted ship and the colony's motto: "We give and expect in return".

The ship itself is framed by four thin lines, with the country of issue and value written along the outside edges.

stamp2.jpg

The stamp hasn't been on public display since 1986. It is the only major stamp missing from the British Royal Family's private Royal Philatelic Collection. It remained in the private collection of John E. du Pont, and when he died in 2010, his family decided to auction it off this coming June at Sotheby's.

have $10-20 million to spare this coming June 14?