Queen Elizabeth's 100 Million Stamp Collection Is Missing The World's Most Famous Stamp

I wonder if they all have certs.

Wilson's "The Royal Philatelic Collection" infers that King George 5th's bid for the British Guiana 1 cent was $10,000 below Arthur Hind's final acquisition bid.

The Royal collection, one of the foremost collections in the world goes back several generations. It was started by Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Consort Albert, and therefore younger brother of "Bertie", Prince of Wales who became King Edward VII on Victoria's death. The collection was taken over by his nephew, King George V, who really made the collection take off. One popular story is that his personal secretary came to him one day with a newspaper clipping about a recent stamp auction and said to him "your Majesty, some bloody fool has just paid ...(I forget the exact amount, I'll say 1200 pounds)for a stamp. To which the king replied, "yes, I'M the bloody fool!" For a fascinating story about this famous collection, you couldn't wish for a better introduction than the book The Queen's Stamps by Nicholas Courtney.

I doubt the Guiana Magenta is the most famous stamp in the world. It might be the most expensive, but the Penny Black, Machin and Blue Mauritius, most likely are more famous.

I always thought KGV bought that stamp.

The story about King George V and his secretary was about a sum nearer to £ 10.

In order to be happy in life, one tries appreciating what one has rather than what one doesn't have, otherwise one can never be happy.

Some have gone chasing after something that they didn't have only to lose everything that they already had in the process so that they ended up with nothing.

I've just looked it up and depending on the source it was either 1400 pounds or 1450 pounds, in either case a vast amount of money in those days, (KG V reigned from 1910-1936) the courtier is not actually named and the epithet was "damned fool" not "bloody fool"

If I had started my collecting thinking I was going to own all of the worlds rarest stamps known it would not have been enjoyable and ended in disappointment. The thrill of the search to lean and complete as much of what interests you, is what keeps the fire burning.

Like jogil mentions, enjoy what you have and be happy. There are a lot more things to be happy for, rather than worrying or wasting time, energy, as well as money chasing something the majority of us will never own. Go to the auctions and shows when those items are available for free viewing, and enjoy them like others do.

Wasn't it also said that Arthur Hind upon hearing that he had outbid the King for this stamp had offered the King a chance to own it right there and then but the King passed this up?

George V didn't bid for the 1c magenta, for which Hind paid £7,343 in Paris. It later appeared at auction in London, but the bidding didn't exceed £6,500, below the reserve. GeorgeV didn't bid on this occasion either.