I know that the selling of shares of the 1856 British-Guiana 1c Magenta has received mixed reviews from some philatelists. Many view it with a hefty dose of skepticism. A gimmick.
Perhaps it is a gimmick. Or it could be the beginning of a new form of ownership for rare and valuable stamps, and even a model for rethinking ownership and access to cultural artifacts as a whole. I viewed it as akin to a company offering an IPO. I signed up to receive an early purchase option. This morning when the initial 80,000 piece offering went live, I purchased one. We actually have two in the household as my husband purchased one as well.
However, the issues surrounding this offering - the issues of ownership and access are not new ones for librarians. We have bee discussing and grappling with complex access and ownership issues surrounding our electronic collections for a couple decades now. Our world is full of licenses and contracts dictating the "ownership" terms of e-books, e-journals, e-archives, streaming media, and more purchased from vendors and dealers. Do we really own it? Can we lend it? Do we have any right of first sale?
It seems the philatelic world has entered into this complex fray. This move may just be the beginning. Crypto stamps already exist and are being sold by various countries and entities. Don't get me wrong, I love my little virtual piece of the Magenta. However, I hope that fellow collectors realize that the proverbial horse is out of the barn and philately has changed forever.
We may have made a wise decision or a foolish one. Only time will tell. Now, how to put my 1 piece into a stamp album?
