One Cent Magenta Stamp Tour with Lunch

A journey into the colonial history of Guyana and the story of the 1 cent Magenta, the world's rarest and most expensive postage stamp.

The One-Cent Magenta Stamp was first discovered by a 12-year-old schoolboy, L. Vernon Vaughan, amongst some family papers in the 1856 edition of The Royal Gazette, Georgetown, in 1873.

He sold it for six shillings, apparently convinced he could find a better stamp example, but no one ever has.

It was no longer an ordinary stamp, a disposable element on a newspaper that was itself disposable. From the 1870s, the one-cent magenta was prized, tucked away in closely watched storage cabinets in palaces or vaults in banks. It fits the definition of collected objects prescribed by the cultural historian Philipp Blom in 2011. Such things "are like holy relics, " he wrote. "They have shed their original function and become totems."

This tour will bring you close to the home of the world's rarest stamp.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: National Park, RRCX+H93, Thomas Rd, Georgetown, Guyana

Our first stop is a visit to the Manatee Pond in the National Park . Manatee’s were depicted on Guyanese stamps in 1993.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Walter Rodney Archives, RV35+3QX, Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown GY, Guyana

Visit the Walter Rodney Archive and see an original copy of the Royal Gazette newspaper which the 1 cent magenta was found on

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: High Street, Georgetown, Guyana

Visit the original site of the Royal Gazette newspaper who were commissioned to print the 1 cent Magenta in 1856.

Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Guyana National Museum, North Road and Hincks St, Georgetown Guyana

Visit the Guyana Museum and see the original printing press that the 1 Cent Magenta Stamp was printed on. View the range of stamps that form part of the exhibition.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Parliament Building of Guyana, Hadfield Street, Georgetown Guyana

We then journey to the Parliament Building , the site of the first Post office in Guyana and view the original post box
This was the Post Office where the 1 cent Magenta Stamp was sold

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Guyana Post Office Corporation, RR7M+5J9, Robb St, Georgetown, Guyana

Then go to the Philatelic shop in the Georgetown Post Office and view and maybe purchase the Guyanese Stamps and First Day Covers .

Duration: 45 minutes

Stop At: Foreshaw Street, Foreshaw St, Georgetown, Guyana

Visit the Tortoise Protective Haven where 12 giant yellow and red footed tortoises roam. The tortoises featured on the 2012 Reptiles of South America Stamp edition.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Foreshaw Street, Foreshaw St, Georgetown, Guyana

Then its off to the Secret Garden with the coconut palm and bamboo gazebo where Eon John will prepare a sumptuous meal of traditional British fare with a Guyanese twist which the young finder of the stamp and his uncle the original owner of the 1 cent magenta would have enjoyed
This will consist of Roast Beef, Yorkshire Pudding ,Roast Potatoes ,Baked Pumpkin,
Callaloo and Gravy . After which a delightful fresh fruit salad with coconut patisserie and coconut jelly
See the original Donald Duck comic that Walt Disney created in 1952 to chart Donald Ducks adventures into British Guinea to find the world’s rarest stamp and see photos of President Ali with the 1 cent Magenta in London


Duration: 2 hours

You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.