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Envelope along with "Red Mauritius"
Photo: Bernd Weissbrod / dpa
The so-called Rote Mauritius, one of the most famous and rarest postage stamps in the world, was auctioned in Ludwigsburg for 8.1 million euros.
According to the auction house, the new owner is a German-speaking collector from Europe.
The copy with the title "1847 Mauritius 1d Ball Cover" was offered by a private owner on Saturday for a starting price of four million euros. According to the auction house, the historically valuable envelope with the stamp only changes hands every few decades. A total of three interested parties had raised their hopes when bidding on the phone.
With the Red Mauritius, the postage for sending invitations to a costume ball was paid for the first time.
Three of the envelopes are said to have survived.
"Queen Elizabeth II has one of the
ball covers
in her philately collection," said auctioneer Christoph Gärtner.
Another copy is in the Philatelic Collection of the British Library in London.
"Both can never be sold." The third cover still in existence is now privately owned.
»Enjoyed every second«
The name of the stamp comes from the place of issue: The Red Mauritius was one of the first stamps, along with the so-called Blue Mauritius, to be issued by the British Crown Colony of Mauritius for 174 years.
The stamps show the British monarch Victoria.
According to his own words, the previous owner parted with the rare stamp with a heavy heart.
He enjoyed every second that he owned the prestigious brand.
But he also felt "that it was now time to pass it on to someone who is just as passionate and proud to own it," the auction house quoted from a greeting given by the man before the auction.
Perhaps 8.1 million other reasons also played a small role.
beb / dpa
