新奇事件簿 稀有邮票（在线收听）

A new world record has been set for the sale of a postage stamp. Not just any old stamp, but a one-of-a-kind. The 1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta was sold at an auction in New York for $9.48 million. The auction house, Sotheby's, said it was the fourth time the stamp has broken the record. Sotheby's vice chairman David Redden said the record would never be broken again, unless the same stamp came up for auction again. He told reporters: "That price will be hard to beat, and likely won't be exceeded unless the British Guiana itself comes up for sale again in the future." David Beech, a former curator of stamps at the British Library, compared the sale to buying the artwork the 'Mona Lisa'.

一项新的世界纪录已经因邮票拍卖而产生。并不是任何古老邮票，而是一种邮票。在1856年发行的英属圭亚那的1分洋红邮票在纽约的拍卖会上以948万美元卖出。苏士比拍卖行称，这是这张邮票第四次打破记录了。苏士比的副主席大卫.雷登称，纪录将不会再次被打破。除非这枚邮票再次现身拍卖行。won't be exceeded 他告诉记者，这个价格很难被打败，而且很可能不会被超越。除非英属圭亚那在将来自己去售卖这枚邮票。大卫.比奇，负责保管英国图书馆的邮票，并将这次售卖与艺术品《蒙娜丽莎》的购买相媲美。

The stamp was bought by an anonymous buyer. It was previously owned by John E. du Pont, an heir to the du Pont chemical fortune. He is currently in prison for fatally shooting an Olympic champion wrestler. It was first discovered in 1873 by a 12-year-old stamp collector. He sold it a few years later for six shillings - about $50 in today's money and a tidy sum back then. It has since had a dozen owners, including the French government. Mr Redden marvelled at how sought after the stamp has become. He said: "This is the most valuable item in the world by weight. It's just a tiny piece of paper." He added he was happy that the stamp had been bought by a collector who would cherish it, and not by an investor.

邮票的购买者是匿名的。这枚邮票起初由约翰.E. du Pont拥有，他是杜邦公司化学制品的继承人。他目前在监狱，因射杀一名奥林匹克摔跤运动员而坐牢。这枚邮票是被一位12岁的集邮者在1873年发现的。几年之后，他以6县令卖出，相当于今天的50美元，在那时是一笔巨款。这枚邮票的主人有许多，包括法国政府。雷登先生对于搜索邮票的方式感到很惊奇。他说，以重量作为衡量标准的话，这是世界上最贵的一件物品。它只是薄薄的一张纸。他还说，他很高兴，因为邮票是被一位懂得珍惜它的集邮爱好者购买的，而不是被投资者购买的。