Sale of 'Treskilling Yellow' Shrouded in Secrecy

The Associated Press reports, "The Swedish 'Treskilling Yellow' retained its title as the world's most expensive stamp when it changed hands at a private sale shrouded in secrecy."

The one-of-a-kind 1855 misprint was sold to a group of buyers who asked that their identities and the winning bid be kept confidential according to auctioneer David Feldman. Feldman declined to reveal whether the sale matched the 2.875 million Swiss francs (then about $2.3 million) price it set a record for in 1996.

Reporter Frank Jordans writes, "The Treskilling Yellow is the only known misprint of an 1855 three shilling stamp that was supposed to be green. It has fabled status among collectors and is considered one of the world's most valuable objects for its size."

 

Frank points out, "For years the owner of another unique stamp, the 1856 'British Guiana 1 cent Magenta,' remained a mystery until it transpired that it had been bought for nearly $1 million by chemicals fortune heir John du Pont in 1980... That stamp is believed to lie in a bank vault while du Pont serves a 13- to 30-year sentence for third degree murder."

 

According to Frank, the first collector to own the 'Treskilling Yellow' is said to have been a Swedish schoolboy, who found it in 1885 among a pile of letters left by his grandparents. A similar tale is told about the 1 cent Magenta."
 
Shown above, a 1992 stamp from Sweden featuring the 'Treskilling Yellow'.
 
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