Way back in 1983, I was in London England & stopped into the Stanley Gibbons shop on the strand. I was looking for the Cyprus 1928 One pound issue of King George V. I already had a used copy, but wanted a Mint NH copy. Upon inquiring, I was shown 7 copies of this stamp, but one copy stood out in particular, so I just had to have it. I proudly mounted that stamp in my Cyprus hingeless Kabe Album. Several years later, I ended up selling my Cyprus collection, as other financial issues took precedence. It was something that always left me uneasy. Over the next 30 years, I rebuilt the collection & am only missing 3 stamps, all extremely rare.
Now to the main point of this story. Several weeks ago, I was attending an estate sale, where my wife was looking at some antiques. While she was browsing, I found 2 boxes full of stamps in albums & loose in glassines, so I inquired if this was for sale in the auction. I was told yes, so I quickly looked through the collection & decided it was worth bidding on. Lots of modern material which I could use for scanning into Ezstamp & then selling. I was the only one bidding on that lot & got it for $25 + 10% buyers premium, so the lot cost me a whopping $27.50 . When I go home, I put the lot aside as I had other things to do. About a week later, I went thru the collection & for Cyprus Sc# 123 found pretty much what I had expected, except for one set. You guessed it. The complete Cyprus George V 1928 set, right to the pound (Sc# 114 to 123). Upon inspecting the one pound stamp, I quickly realized that this copy was the one I had sold back in 1983. There was no mistaking it, due to the selvedge on the stamp. Here is a scan of my stamp.
I was so happy to have that stamp back. But when I think of the odds of getting that particular stamp, my stamp, back into my collection, it must be astronomical. Impossible I thought to myself! Needless to say, it will stay in m y collection now & I will pass it on to my heirs. And, yes, I did go out I purchase a lottery ticket, thinking my luck is on a roll.
One Very Happy Collector, Marios