# Bride of Three Minute Mysteries **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 29, 2000, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335 "2000-03-29T19:59:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335/1 "2000-03-29T19:59:00Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Flypsyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Flypsyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flypsyde)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335/2 "2000-03-29T20:00:00Z")
Did he mail it to himself? ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335/3 "2000-03-29T20:03:00Z")
No. ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335/4 "2000-03-29T20:04:00Z")
Did he eat it? (long shot, but I can’t let Flyp get it so easily.) ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335/5 "2000-03-29T20:05:00Z")
_Did he eat it?_ No. (flood control’s gonna kill me.) ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335/6 "2000-03-29T20:06:00Z")
You get used to the flood control. Was the stamp hidden in the room until the theif could retrieve it? ---
**Author:** ![Flypsyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Flypsyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flypsyde)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335/7 "2000-03-29T20:07:00Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335/8 "2000-03-29T20:09:00Z")
_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. ---
**Author:** ![Flypsyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Flypsyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flypsyde)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335/9 "2000-03-29T20:12:00Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335/10 "2000-03-29T20:12:00Z")
Was the stamp stuck to something (like the theif)? ---
**Author:** ![Mojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335/11 "2000-03-29T20:14:00Z")
Was the stamp in the room the whole time? Is this based on a Alfred Hitchcock story? ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335/12 "2000-03-29T20:16:00Z")
_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. ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335/13 "2000-03-29T20:17:00Z")
Had the stamp been postmarked when it was returned? ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335/14 "2000-03-29T20:17:00Z")
_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. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335/15 "2000-03-29T20:19:00Z")
_Had the stamp been postmarked when it was returned?_ No. The stamp was not postmarked. ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335/16 "2000-03-29T20:20:00Z")
Was the stamp in the room when the police were searching the room? ---
**Author:** ![Gilligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Gilligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gilligan)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335/17 "2000-03-29T20:20:00Z")
Was it a _postage_ stamp? ---
**Author:** ![Mojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335/18 "2000-03-29T20:22:00Z")
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.) ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335/19 "2000-03-29T20:22:00Z")
Did the theif disguise the stamp by putting it on an envelope? (and not mailing it…) ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2000, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335/20 "2000-03-29T20:23:00Z")
_Was the stamp in the room when the police were searching the room?_ No. _Was it a postage stamp?_ Yes. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bride-of-three-minute-mysteries/15335.md?page=2)