The world’s most expensive stamp, with a rich and colourful history, was displayed in London yesterday ahead of its sale for more than £6 million later this month.
The only surviving 1856 one cent magenta from British Guiana has rarely been seen since it was last publicly exhibited in 1986.
On each of the three occasions it has been sold at auction, the stamp has set a new world record and it is expected to set yet another high when it goes under the hammer in New York on June 17. The sliver of paper – which was shown off at the London base of Sotheby’s – is estimated to sell for between £6 million and £12 million.
Gaping chasm on highway
Highway engineers were stunned when they went to inspect a section of road and discovered a giant hole.
The gaping chasm, measuring five metres across and more than 3.5 metres deep, was found near Wells, Somerset. Workers quickly undertook a safety study before filling the void, in the middle of the B3135 Roemead Road at Green Ore, with nearly 200 tons of stone.
Drainage and resurfacing work then took place, allowing the road to be reopened. Harvey Siggs, cabinet member for highways at Somerset County Council, said it was unclear what caused the massive hole.
‘Queen of the literary put-down’
Gone With the Wind author Margaret Mitchell has been crowned the ‘queen of the literary put-down’ in a new poll.
The writer, whose novel inspired the classic film starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, topped a poll which included that famous wit Oscar Wilde, Jane Austen and William Shakespeare. The line in question – Rhett Butler’s “My dear, I don’t give a damn”, which was altered in the film “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn”– picked up the most votes.
In second place in the top 10 of immortal insults is Lady Bracknell’s line, from Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, where she says: “To lose one parent, Mr Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.”
Mega-Earth found far, far away
A new kind of rocky planet – dubbed a ‘mega-Earth’ – has been discovered in a distant star system.
The heavyweight world is up to 17 times more massive than the Earth and should have evolved over time into a gaseous “mini-Neptune”.
Instead the planet, known as Kepler-10c, has managed to remain solid despite being more than twice as old as the Earth. The discovery suggests that potentially life-bearing rocky planets may be far more abundant than was thought, and some could be immensely ancient. The Kepler-10 star system is an estimated 11 billion years old, meaning it formed less than three billion years after the Big Bang that gave birth to the universe. Earth, by comparison, is only around 4.5 billion years old.
Hedgehogs now popular as pets
They may not be the cuddliest of animals but a growing number of Americans are keeping hedgehogs as pets.
Hedgehogs are steadily growing in popularity across the US, despite laws in at least six states banning or restricting them as pets.
Breeders say the trend is partly fuelled by the fact that hedgehogs require less maintenance than dogs and cats, and because they emit little odour – in sharp contrast with rodents and rabbits.