A rare 'British Guiana One-Cent Magenta' stamp dating from 1856 is expected to fetch between 6-12million pounds and with that it will set a new world record for the fourth time.
It was first discovered among family papers in 1873 by a 12-year-old Scottish boy and making through a journey it was last owned by John du Pont, heir to a chemical company fortune, who paid 935,000 dollars in 1980 but now it is being sold by his estate, the Daily Express reported.
The only surviving 1856 One Cent Magenta from British Guiana was put on show at Sotheby's in London and it will be auctioned in New York on June 17.
David Redden, director of special projects at Sotheby's said that as a schoolboy stamp collector this magical object was the definition of rarity for him and he knew about the British Guiana before he knew about the Mona Lisa.
