The world's most valuable stamp has been purchased for $8.3 million by a London dealer.

One-Cent Magenta Stamp

One-Cent Magenta Stamp

The 1856 One-Cent Magenta from British Guiana was bought at auction in New York by Stanley Gibbons. It is known as the Mona Lisa of the stamp collecting world because it is the only one in existence.

Stanley Gibbons are planning to offer investors the opportunity to buy fractional ownership of the asset as the firm looks to move into digital collecting.

The stamp has attracted record prices throughout its history and it last sold for a record-breaking $9.5 million back in 2014.

Graham Shircore, chief executive of Stanley Gibbons, explained that the company wanted to make the prized asset available to everyone through the fractional ownership scheme.

He remarked that the deal brought together "the world's largest stamp dealer and the world's most valuable stamp".