Rare Audrey Hepburn stamp goes to auction

Fritz Reiss/STF
The rare stamp featuring British actress Audrey Hepburn will be auctioned Tuesday and is said to be worth more than $40,000. In 2001, the German government printed the Audrey Hepburn stamps as part of a series featuring movie stars, but they were destroyed after Hepburn’s son objected to the cigarette holder dangling from the actress’ mouth and refused to grant copyright. Only five of these stamps are known to exist.
Rare Audrey Hepburn stamp goes to auction

By RACHEL NOLAN

Associated Press

Monday, May 25, 2009

Berlin — A collector stands to make a tidy profit after discovering a rare stamp portraying movie star Audrey Hepburn smoking — one of a series that should have been incinerated by the German government.

In 2001, the government printed 14 million Audrey Hepburn stamps as part of a series featuring movie stars including Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe and Greta Garbo. The print run was destroyed after Hepburn’s son, Sean Ferrer, objected to the cigarette holder dangling from the actress’ mouth and refused to grant copyright.
Associated Press story