Willowdale, Toronto, Ontario Canada for his question:

What does the rarest stamp look like?

Stamp collecting is a fascinating hobby because even those that have no cash value are handsome. What’s more, stamps are travelers and every one has a tale to tell of far away places. However, some stamps are valuable, either because they are rare or because their pictures are slightly imperfect. One of these may be worth a fortune.

In 1970, a rather shabby little stamp was sold for $280,000. It is shaped like a squat oblong with each of its corners sliced off. Its color is a purplish red called magenta and its lettering is black. Lots of others just like it were printed in British Guiana, way back in 1856. So far as we know, only this one has survived, which is why it may very well be the rarest stamp in the world. Its original cost was one penny—and among certain stamp collectors it is known as the Penny Magenta.