1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta (reverse)
Multiple markings on the reverse of the stamp testify to its provenance, or ownership history. They are listed here in the order they were applied:
Circled trefoil (two strikes, one of them incomplete): Count Philipp von Ferrary
Four-leaf clover and AH: Arthur Hind
Seventeen-point star: Applied by Ann Hind to obscure her husband’s mark.
Comet: Frederick T. Small
Pencil initials FK: Finbar Kenny, manager of Macy’s stamp department, brokered the stamp’s sale to Frederick T. Small.
Pencil initials IW: Irwin Weinberg and Associates
Handwritten J.E.d.P.: John Eleuthère du Pont
(Photo courtesy Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum)
1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta (reverse)
