The One - Cent Magenta by James Barron (Algonquin Books ARC)

The release of new postal stamps on the market is exciting especially if it is your hero or heroine. I've had my favorite stamps. However, I never thought about the stamps which become collector items. For example, where is their country of origin? That's why "The One - Cent Magenta" by James Barron is a very gripping book to read. Some of the collectors know they have a treasure and other collectors like Harry Vaughn, a twelve year old, have no idea what they have in their hands. That makes for eccentric people and pretty ordinary people who choose to become stamp collectors.

I have to start with the twelve year old. He paid sixteen dollars and some cents for his magenta stamp. At the exact opposite side of the totem pole is the businessman who walks around with a briefcase chained to his wrist. Inside is the stamp that is a rarity.

Along the way, there are many fun facts in this non-fiction book about a very, very valuable stamp with a strange color. Groucho Marx, the Fifties talk show host, discusses the stamp and collecting on his show. When other people talk about it, the place becomes important. British Guiana and lo and behold a religious massacre whose leader is Jim Jones.

I now know stamps have a history. They are one of the items that can become cherished because of an error or two. Once a biplane was turned upside down on a stamp. That's a keeper. When I kept stamps, I didn't know to compare one lot by looking for an eye closed and one eye open or a flag missing a stripe or pineapple. What were you suppose to do with these little items other than slip the squares under plastic and inside a loose leaf book. On a rainy day, you could just pull them out and admire a moon, Nineteenth Century dress or a bicycle. Boring!

Believe me, these people make Philately exciting. When can I visit British Guiana?

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