A new world record was set for the sale of a stamp. The 1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta was sold in New York for $9.48 million. It is the fourth time the stamp has broken the record. The auction house, Sotheby's said: "That price will be hard to beat, and likely won't be exceeded unless the British Guiana itself comes up for sale again in the future." An expert on stamps at the British Library said the sale was like buying the 'Mona Lisa'.

An anonymous buyer bought the stamp. An heir to the du Pont chemical fortune was the last owner. He is in prison for killing an Olympic wrestler. A 12-year-old stamp collector first found the stamp in 1873. He sold it a few years later for about $50 in today's money. It has since had a dozen owners. Sotheby's said: "This is the most valuable item in the world by weight. It's just a tiny piece of paper." They were happy a collector bought it.