Grab a piece of art with fractional ownership

Fractional ownership allows you to buy shares in assets such as stamps, paintings and music royalties, says David Stevenson.

Last week brought exciting news for stamp collectors such as yours truly. Stanley Gibbons has purchased the world’s most famous and valuable stamp: the unique 1856 One-Cent Magenta from British Guiana. The rare-stamp dealer bought it at auction in the US for $8.3m. Even more exciting, however, is that the group will not only display the stamp at its flagship store on the Strand, but is also planning to allow “everybody to enjoy owning a piece of this unique and storied item through the increasingly popular concepts of fractional ownership and the creation of digital collections.”