Latest update February 24th, 2025 9:02 AM
Group on mission to boost awareness of value of stamps
What is tiny, made of paper, and worth US $9.5 M?
Is it a rare artefact?
Actually, it’s Guyana and the world’s most famous and valuable stamp, the British Guiana 1c magenta.
In fact, collectors say that the British Guiana 1c magenta is not only regarded by many philatelists as the world’s rarest stamp but the most expensive –it was sold for US $9.5 M some (GYD $2 B) at an auction in 2014.
Motivated by facts like these, the Guyana Philatelic Society is on a mission to raise awareness about the importance of collecting and keeping stamps.
Ann Wood and members of Guyana Philatelic Society during a display at the Guyana Post Office Corporation
President of the organisation, California-based Ann Wood is currently on tour in Guyana to help raise awareness and encourage stamp collecting among locals.
Wood and her team have been to several secondary schools, post offices, the Giftland Mall and other public venues sharing the importance of preserving ‘these pieces of history.’
When Kaieteur News caught up with the group, the Philatelist shared about her passion. She noted that as a little girl she enjoyed collecting stamps. “so much that I would collect all the stamps from my father’s mail.”
She explained that she later thought of forming the society after meeting several persons, who shared her passion.
“When I met with the other stamp collectors I found out that most of them had stopped collecting stamps. However, so great was our love for collecting that we decided to form a club to up keep the hobby.”
According to Wood, the society has since grown to over five hundred people from all over the world. She noted that as such, they would make visits to Guyana twice a year; once in April and once in October. During these visits, she aims to meet with children from every secondary school to share her interest.
In addition to lectures on stamp collecting, the group feature display is done at the selected locations across the country.
British Guiana 1c magenta is sold for US$9.5 M
This year’s featured display is themed “The Landmarks of Guyana on stamps”
According to Wood, “every stamp tells a story and you can learn so much, it is a piece of art.”
Persons interested can visit the society’s web site at www.guyanastamps.com or their Facebook page at Guyana Philatelic Society.
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