Bride of Three Minute Mysteries

Let’s see how well I do setting this up:

A meeting of world famous stamp collectors is held in the study of one avid collector’s luxurious home. During the meeting, the host brings out a unique and extremely valuable stamp and allows it to be passed amongst the guests. Before he does so, however, he locks the doors to the study so that no one can leave.

At the end of the meeting, the stamp is nowhere to be found. The host calls the police. The police do a thorough search of the study and the occupants but don’t find the stamp anywhere.

Several weeks later, one of the stamp collectors is arrested for selling the stamp on the black market. How did he do it?

Did he mail it to himself?

No.

Did he eat it? (long shot, but I can’t let Flyp get it so easily.)

Did he eat it?

No. (flood control’s gonna kill me.)

You get used to the flood control. Was the stamp hidden in the room until the theif could retrieve it?

Wait. It doesn’t say which collector got caught. Was an insurance scam involved? Was the original owner the one who got caught selling the stamp?

Was the stamp hidden in the room until the theif could retrieve it?

No.

Was an insurance scam involved?

No.

Was the original owner the one who
got caught selling the stamp?

No, it was one of the guests.

I’m guessing it would be too easy to say one of the cops was colluding with a collector?

Had the stamp been modified/changed/harmed in any way when it was retreived?

Was the stamp stuck to something (like the theif)?

Was the stamp in the room the whole time?

Is this based on a Alfred Hitchcock story?

I’m guessing it would be too easy to say one of the cops was colluding with a collector?

Yes, it would be too easy. All the police officers were on the up and up.

Had the stamp been modified/changed/harmed in any way when it was retreived?

Please rephrase the question to be more specific.

Was the stamp stuck to something (like the theif)?

No. Please assume that the search was complete and thorough.

Had the stamp been postmarked when it was returned?

Was the stamp in the room the whole time?

No.

Is this based on a Alfred Hitchcock story?

I have no idea. And it’s irrelevent.

Had the stamp been postmarked when it was returned?

No. The stamp was not postmarked.

Was the stamp in the room when the police were searching the room?

Was it a postage stamp?

Was the stamp in the room at the time the police searched it?

(And the Hitchcock question was relevant- if you had gotten it from the short story, I wouldv’e recused myself as I read the answer instead of deducing it.)

Did the theif disguise the stamp by putting it on an envelope? (and not mailing it…)

Was the stamp in the room when the police were searching the room?

No.

Was it a postage stamp?

Yes.