2 Stamp Issued in 1852 Brings $1.1 Million
A world-record price for a single stamp--$1.1 million--was paid Friday for a stamp that sold in Pittsburgh, Pa., 135 years ago for 2 cents, the auctioneers said.
Marc Rousso, chairman of Coach Investments Inc., said the stamp, known as the Lady McGill, was bought by a Japanese bank, which he refused to identify.
Rousso said the stamp was sold by dealer David Champagne of Melbourne, Fla. It was issued in 1852 and distributed by the A. J. Dallas Co., which was authorized to carry mail within the city limits of Pittsburgh, Rousso said. The 2-cent price guaranteed delivery within two hours.
He said the stamp, from a wedding invitation mailed to a “Reverend and Mrs. McGill,” has a red-brown border and red-brown lettering that says “City Post” on a field of white.
The old record was $1 million in 1981 for a 5-cent Blue Alexandria U.S. cover, the 1988 Guinness Book of World Records says.
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