Four Rare Stamps Bring Record Price at Auction

A block of four stamps bearing a picture of an upside-down airplane brought $1.1 million at auction Thursday, the highest price ever paid for a philatelic item. The 24-cent stamps were printed in 1918 to inaugurate the U.S. Postal Service’s air mail delivery, according to stamp expert Scott Trepel of Christie’s auction house, which handled the sale.