When issued in 1856, it only cost a penny. In 2014, the only 1-cent magenta stamp that exists today was sold for nearly $9.5 million. James Barron ’77 tells the stories of the various owners of the most valuable stamp in the world, from a Frenchman who hid it from everyone to a businessman who kept it in a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. The One-Cent Magenta (Algonquin) explores obsessive pursuits and great affluence, asking why we want most what is most rare.
