"Following service in the army, then a stint in the diamond business that ended in bankruptcy, he had figured in a 1990s scandal in Monaco involving commemorative stamps, which Mr. Lhéritier resold as investments at a fantastic markup. About 1,200 people, mostly French, parted with more than $50 million before the stamps proved worthless."
A Billion-Dollar Scandal Turns the ‘King of Manuscripts’ Into the ‘Madoff of France’
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/21/business/aristophil-lheritier-rare-books.html
Q/ And how did the ‘King of Manuscripts’ get his start, you ask?
"Following service in the army, then a stint in the diamond business that ended in bankruptcy, he had figured in a 1990s scandal in Monaco involving commemorative stamps, which Mr. Lhéritier resold as investments at a fantastic markup. About 1,200 people, mostly French, parted with more than $50 million before the stamps proved worthless."