Half a rare German postage stamp sells for 221K pounds !

London, Nov 26 (ANI): Half a rare German stamp dating back to 1872 has been sold for a whopping 221,000 pounds at an auction.

The auction was conducted at a southern German town of Bietigheim-Bissingen.

A spokeswoman from the auction house informed a German collector purchased the well-preserved half stamp, which originated from the northern German town of Syke, despite its hefty price tag because it was so rare.

"Stamps were in short supply in Syke between 1872 and 1874 so it was decided that they should be cut in half as a makeshift solution," the Telegraph quoted her as saying.

"But because this was only done for a short period, very few letters actually bear these halved stamps," she added.

It was also informed the winning bidder from north Germany was able to secure the stamp, which had an asking price of 102,000 pounds, only after a lengthy duel with a bidder from south Germany.

The stamp was particularly valuable because it was featured as the cover picture on a book written about Syke's collection of halved stamps by Rolf Rohlfs in 1982. (ANI)