Rare Audrey Hepburn stamps sold at Berlin auction

Rare Audrey Hepburn stamps sold at Berlin auction

Some more rare stamp news now, this time featuring the enduring film star Audrey Hepburn.

Once again this shows how good can come out of an unfortunate circumstance. I can readily understand why the son of Miss Hepburn was uneasy about the doctoring of the image used on the stamps and the subsequent destruction of all but a few sheets has quite naturally meant that the price for such items remains high. That Mr Ferrer has allowed the one set in his ownership to be auctioned for children's charities shows generosity of spirit and means that this small mistake and subsequent disagreement has ended up benefiting children the world over.

Of course the philatelic world is better off too, as interest in such rare stamps continues to prove. The auction of this one-time contentious stamp design must surely mean that there is no more ill-will regarding the original oversight by the Deutsche Post and it will also mean that if any further examples come up for sale a better knowledge of the existence and number of the stamps should prove useful.

As it is in this case a collector acquires a rare piece, a charity benefits and everyone gets to feel good about themselves, which is all one can ask, really.