06 October 2021
|
A new website, entitled 'Showpiece', has been launched, giving stamp collectors the chance to own a piece of the world’s most valuable stamp, the One Cent Magenta, which was acquired earlier this year by Stanley Gibbons.
Showpiece is the newest entrant to the fast-growing fractional ownership market and is 'focused on giving individuals ownership of the world’s most rare and remarkable items'.
The first item Showpiece is offering ownership of is the world’s most valuable stamp, the One Cent Magenta, acquired earlier this year by stamp dealer Stanley Gibbons. Showpiece is partnering with leading experts such as Stanley Gibbons when an item is listed on its platform so they can provide detailed knowledge and expertise.
According to the team behind the new website, over 5,000 enthusiastic participants ranging from philatelists to individuals, have applied for more information about owning part of the world’s most famous stamp.
SIGN UP TO THE FREE NEWSLETTER TODAY and we'll send you news, views and stamp guides direct to your inbox. It's completely free and a great way to keep up to date with the very latest new stamps and enter our latest competitions.
Share of stamp to cost less than £100
The offer is being made available in stages, with the first phase spanning a limited time period when each piece of the One Cent Magenta will be on sale for an exclusive early adopter’s price of under £100. This will occur when the Showpiece platform goes live in November.
The remarkable 165-year history of the One Cent Magenta is perhaps the greatest story in all philately, a tale involving the foremost collectors, dealers, and experts dating back to the very beginning of the hobby.
The stamp was issued in limited numbers in British Guiana (now Guyana) in 1856, and only one specimen is now known to exist. It is the only major postage stamp ever issued that is not represented in the British Royal Philatelic Collection and it is believed the Queen’s great grandfather, George V, tried to buy the stamp twice.
Graham Shircore, Co-Founder of Showpiece, said:
'Showpiece makes the rarefied world of collecting these types of treasures an affordable pleasure open to anyone not just the wealthy. The way people collect is changing and there is an increasing appreciation of the flexibility and enjoyment which the digital world can offer collectors.
'We provide a truly unique experience by giving everyone the chance to share in the ownership of some of the most captivating and iconic cultural treasures. The One Cent Magenta is only the first amazingly rare item that Showpiece intends to offer ownership of – there will be more to come and we look forward to making these available.'