One of the most widespread myths about stamps is that the older a stamp is, the more valuable it must be. Few examples disprove that idea better than this German stamp, which is not old at all: it was issued only a little over 20 years ago.
In its 2001 film-star stamp series, which featured Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe and Greta Garbo among others, the German postal administration printed 14 million copies of a stamp showing Audrey Hepburn smiling with a cigarette.
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The star’s son, Sean Ferrer, however, refused permission for the stamp to be issued after seeing it, because the original photograph had been altered and he did not want his mother shown smoking on a postage stamp. The stamps therefore had to be destroyed. One sheet went to the Audrey Hepburn Children’s Fund; its stamps were auctioned for the benefit of UNICEF and the sheet was subsequently broken up. A few other stamps also reached the mail under unknown circumstances, and individual examples occasionally appear at auction. So far $176,000 has been the highest price paid for one. So age is not what makes a stamp valuable. What does? It helps if very few examples exist – and a good story does no harm either, because that creates demand.
Audrey Hepburn ’s first leading film role was Roman Holiday . In the classic romantic film, her co-star was Gregory Peck , and the young actress immediately won an Academy Award for her performance. If you would like some relaxation, take a look at the film.