World's most expensive stamp sold

The “Treskilling Yellow” was issued by mistake.

A David Feldman employee shows what is believed to be the world's most expensive stamp, the Swedish "Treskilling Yellow - Error of Color", at David Feldman Philatelists auctioneers in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday, May 20, 2010. Treskilling Yellow is estimated to be worth 1.5 - 2.0 million euro (US dlrs 1.85 - 2.45 million) . It will be sold on May 22, 2010 in Geneva. The first stamp of Sweden issued in 1855 was printed in green, but 30 years later one example was found in yellow. The stamp was discovered by a Swedish schoolboy on a letter of his grandmother in 1885 and sold to a stamps dealer for 7 crowns. (AP Photo/Keystone/Martial Trezzini)

The world's most expensive postage stamp, a one-of-its-kind issue printed in Sweden in 1857, was sold at auction in Geneva to an international consortium on Saturday, auctioneers said.

One of the rarest known stamps, the “Treskilling Yellow” — or three-shilling stamp — was issued by mistake during a print run of eight-skilling stamps, which are yellow. The three-skilling was normally green.

A Swedish schoolboy stumbled upon it in 1885 while rummaging for stamps to sell for pocket money. Since then it has passed through the hands of a series of stamp collectors.

The last time it was sold, in 1996, it fetched 2.875 million Swiss francs ($4.5 million) at auction. Stamp auctioneers David Feldman did not disclose the identity of the buyers, nor the price paid this time round. They did say, however, that the stamp remained the world's most expensive.