A wealthy collector, Ethel B. Stewart McCoy, had bought the four-stamp block in 1936 and allowed the American Philatelic Society to exhibit them at the 1955 collectors’ convention in Norfolk, Virginia. One of them belongs to the Smithsonian. A Washington, DC, Post Office clerk — who had never seen an airplane — sold a sheet of 100 stamps mistakenly showing the biplane upside down. Be on the lookout for it. 49 was an unusually treasured find. Bassey said others with the upside-down airplane have sold far north of that price, including one for roughly $1.5 million. But a financial clerk named William T. Robey noticed when he went to a Washington post office during his lunch hour soon after the biplane stamps became available. The others … The Flawed Stamp Had Not Been Seen Since 1918. After the office confirms the order, payment can be mailed to Los Angeles Special Events, Attn: Retail-Inverted Jenny, 7001 S. Central Ave. RM 337, Los Angeles, CA 90052-9601. So for 100 years, No. Larry Lyons, the executive director of the Philatelic Foundation, traveled from New York to Chicago to verify the authenticity of the Inverted Jenny. In today’s market, an Inverted Jenny stamp could fetch close to $1 million. But the mystery surrounding the Inverted Jenny remains: ... and the fourth is missing. The #66 Jenny Stamp is a missing and lost treasure which might resurface at any time and any where! No. In the book "History of U.S. The stamps, printed in panes of six, were sent to fulfill orders, including to field retail units. For nearly a century, stamp collectors have chased the Inverted Jennys and have accounted for nearly all 100 of them. 66, remains missing. Below the airplane, in a straight line of Roman capital letters, is the word �Cents' with the numerals �24' within circles in the two lower corners. Who stole the four stamps in Norfolk, Va., on Sept. 23, 1955, when they were on exhibit? Stewart Corp., at 76 Ryerson Ave. A 1932 telephone directory has two listings for Bert A. Stewart, one in Morningside Park and one at Lake Lenape. "Inverted Jenny" stamps are considered the most famous in America: ... (In 2014, a dealer offered a $50,000 reward for the missing inverted Jennies.) It is one of the world’s most collectible stamps because a sheet of 100 misprinted stamps showing an upside-down biplane was accidently sold to a customer. Inverted Jennies are not the most expensive stamps in the world — that title belongs to the one-cent magenta from British Guiana, the only one of which sold for $9.5 million in 2014. It was 1918; the country was involved in that Great War to end all wars and the U.S. government, to the disapproval of many of its citizens, planned to inaugurate mail delivery by plane. He paid $24, the face value of the 100 stamps. Mr. Lyons, the foundation’s executive director, called. An Inverted Jenny stamp, with a biplane upside down, is considered one of the most valuable stamps in the world. It was one of the four stamps that had been stolen from Mrs. McCoy, in 1955. A great-uncle apparently bought it after the sheet of 100 was broken up, and after the great-uncle died, the great-aunt left it to the man’s mother in the 1930s. By the 1980s, two had been recovered, but the mystery still intrigued collectors. 76 was stolen at a stamp show in Norfolk, Va., in 1955. Aside from having the biplane printed upside down, the inverted Jenny has become famous for other reasons as well. A 1986 book that tracked each of the 100 Jennies had this entry for No. An Inverted Jenny stamp, with a biplane upside down, is considered one of the most valuable stamps in the world. He accompanied the owner to a bank where the stamp lay in a safe deposit box in a Mosler safe. Scott English, American Philatelic Society/American Philatelic Research Library, Mobile: 803-312-4001 Email: scott@stamps.org “It spent all those years in bank vaults, which was a good thing for the stamp,” he said. You never know if, like #76, it might now rest in hands of someone who is unaware of what they hold. Mrs. McCoy passed away on Aug. 17, 1980, at age 87. To stamp experts like Mr. Lyons, No. Of the original 100, six stamps are missing altogether, their whereabouts unknown. Despite strong persuasion by postal officials, Robey declined to return the stamps, but fearing they would be confiscated, he sold them to stamp dealer Eugene Klein, of Philadelphia, for $15,000. 79 for $299,000 and No. Only 100 Inverted Jenny stamps exist. 49 remained off the radar, to use an expression that did not come along until decades after the Jennies had captured the public’s imagination. It was never put in a locket, as still another was, as a present for an owner’s wife. Those copies had to be soaked apart and therefore have no gum. No. Valuable stamps can be worth millions. Who and why did someone donate a fraudulent Inverted Jenny Biplane stamp to the Iowa Aviation Museum in Greenfield, Iowa, 20 years ago with a written notation that it was then valued around $73,000? Mr. Kaufman suspected it was No. All rights reserved. When the phone rings at the nonprofit Philatelic Foundation in Manhattan, sometimes it is a caller claiming to have a rare stamp and wanting the foundation to authenticate it. It was never recut and reperforated, as one Inverted Jenny was after it was stolen. The United States Postal Service has said it has distributed all of the 100 upright $2 Jenny Invert stamp panes it created as a promotional scheme in 2013. High-resolution images of the stamps are available for media use only by emailing mark.r.saunders@usps.gov.. WASHINGTON — The Postal Service has printed 100 additional sheets of stamps of the recently issued $2 Inverted Jenny stamp but with the plane flying right-side up. Mr. Lyons said the Illinois man’s 91-year-old father had been a stamp collector, but the stamp had come from his mother’s side of the family. In 1936, 47-year-old Bert A. Stewart, of Newton, just prior to his death, purchased four of the stamps, numbers 65, 66, 75 and 76 for his wife, Ethel Bergstresser Stewart, for $16,000. 76 for $295,000 last May. The sheet that he purchased portrayed -- in error -- an upside down airplane. Three that had small flaws have changed hands since then, for far less money: No. Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. In 2014, Mystic’s President Don Sundman offered a $100,000 reward for the remaining two missing stamps to be returned. The FBI recovered the second of the four stamps, position 75, in 1982. Most of all, it was never resold, although Mr. Lyons suspects the man is considering selling it. He soon turned a profit of $14,976, selling the sheet of 100 stamps for $15,000, enough to buy a new car, which he drove through the back wall of the garage that came with a new house. You ought to call this guy back.”. 58 sold for $1.35 million in May 2016, according to the Siegel website. So Mr. Lyons flew to Chicago. Who made off with the block, and who separated them into single stamps, remains a mystery. Many of us who collected stamps as kids were drawn by their beauty and variety. During the first three months of operation the Post Office used Army pilots and six Jenny training planes of the Army (JN-4Hs). Benjamin Kurtz Miller, one of the early buyers of these inverts, 10 in all, bought the stamp for $250. Unfortunately, her block of four 1918 Inverted Jenny Biplane stamps disappeared at the American Philatelic Society convention in Norfolk, Va. Personal checks or money orders made payable to United States Postal Service are accepted for payment. The date is viewed as an important one, not only for the post office, but also for all commercial aviation. After so long, on September 6, 2018, The New York Times reported that the Philatelic Foundation had authenticated an inverted Jenny stamp that had not been seen since the original sheet of 100 was divided in 1918. Although the Inverted Jenny Biplane stamps were issued just over a century ago, together with the initiation of mail delivery with Jenny biplanes, mystery continues to shroud the stamps' history and until the one missing stamp is located, the saga of the Jenny Biplane stamps continues. In 2005, the stamps again made headlines. No. 49: “No record.” No. These very limited edition stamps were circulated with the recent issue of the most famous “misprinted” stamp. And then I turned it over and saw the 49 and went ‘Jackpot.’”. Unfortunately, her block of four 1918 Inverted Jenny Biplane stamps disappeared at the American Philatelic Society convention in Norfolk, Va. A June 1981 news article reported that "one of the world's most valuable stamps stolen a quarter century ago has been recovered and is in the possession of its present owner, the American Philatelic Research Library." I believe most stamp collectors are familiar with Inverted Jenny, one of the worlds rarest and most prestigious stamp printing errors.But how many has seen the non-inverted version of it and other stamps of the same set? It’s not that special.”. Only 100 Inverted Jenny stamps ended up in circulation and two remained unaccounted for before the Illinois family revealed that they had one, No. The president of a stamp company is offering $50,000 for each of two missing “Inverted Jennies” — stamps that were stolen nearly 60 years ago. He sold the "Inverted Jenny" — named for the upside-down biplane — stamps for $15,000. It is simply a gallery with 23 silent and splendidly preserved postage stamps on decorous display. Green had stored some of the Jenny's in a safe, where there was apparently a little too much moisture and they became stuck together. Klein and Green numbered each stamp on the back. The stamp that was issued to commemorate this new novel service has been described as "rectangular in shape, about seven-eighths inches long and three-quarters of an inch high. An Inverted Jenny Surfaces. This one has been owned for decades by a family in Illinois. The early planes had no instruments, radios or other navigational aids, compelling pilots to fly by dead reckoning. ). It was never sucked up by a vacuum cleaner, as another was. The Jenny stamps were already highly anticipated, as they were the first airmail stamps ever printed. Triangular ornaments appear in the two upper corners. A sheet of 100 stamps depicting Jenny bi-planes were inadvertently printed upside down, hence the term “Inverted Jenny.” Inspectors failed to spot the error, and on the sheet went into regular distribution. The clerk handed him the sheet of Inverted Jennies. He left the post office as fast as he could and rebuffed postal inspectors who came looking for him, trying to get back what, to their bosses, were bloopers. It was Green who broke up the sheet of stamps but retained eight of them. Green for $20,000. The Post Office reportedly convinced Secretary of War Newton D. Baker that the student fliers would gain invaluable cross-country experience by carrying the mail. NEWTON -- The famed 1918 Inverted Jenny biplane stamp, viewed as one of the most unique and valuable stamps in the world, has once again made headlines. No. Usually someone from the foundation calls back and says something like, “Sorry, your stamp is not what you think it is. But a recent call from Illinois got their attention. But Jennies can be pricey. The saga of the Inverted Jenny Biplane stamp continues. Where is the missing number 66 stamp? 49 has been a black hole on a Jenny website set up by Siegel Auction Galleries, a Manhattan firm that has sold many Jennies over the years. In 1955, a block of four inverted Jenny stamps was stolen from a Virginia stamp show. Various newspapers have reported that at a stamp convention meeting held at the Iowa Aviation Museum in Greenfield, Iowa, a stamp on display for the past 20 years and identified as a 1918 Inverted Jenny Biplane stamp, was determined by members of the American Philatelic Society as being fake. It was in pristine condition. When the postmaster general of British Guiana ordered three different stamps to be made in 1856, the shipment soon went missing, causing an emergency production. The foundation contacted the FBI, which investigated. She may be contacted at jenniee@warwick.net. He knew what he had. Finally, in 1927 and 1928, Stewart purchased land at Lake Lenape. Klein, in turn sold them to Col. Edward H.R. I had a big magnifying glass with me, and the colors were so fresh. Ethel Stewart (later McCoy) enjoyed exhibiting the stamps at stamp conventions. Or so the story goes. Some Inverted Jennies have sold for over $1 million. Postage.' An inverted Jenny stamp sold in March for $271,400. “That’s when I realized exactly what it was. I said, ‘Put it in a FedEx envelope and send it to me.’ He said, ‘I’m not doing that.’”. 49 (! Postal Service 1755-1984," a brief history of airmail service is included. 66, began when no one at a government printing plant in Washington noticed the problem with the planes appearing upside down on a single sheet of 100 stamps among thousands printed in May 1918. In 1941, Mrs. Stewart married Charles R. McCoy. Yes, collectors are passionate about their stamps. "Inverted Jenny" stamps are considered the most famous in America: ... (In 2014, a dealer offered a $50,000 reward for the missing inverted Jennies.) Newspapers reported on the trade of stamps, which were worth $3 million, an unprecedented high value, even in the philatelic world. “He said, ‘You take it out,’” Mr. Lyons said. When the man sent a cellphone photo, the foundation’s curator, Lewis Kaufman, suspected the stamp was an Inverted Jenny that disappeared from sight soon after it was printed in 1918. “The owner was even afraid of handling it,” Mr. Lyons said. The article reported that there were few clues to the whereabouts of the stamp until 1977 when a stamp dealer tried to sell one of them to a Nevada man. Miller's inverted Jenny, position 18 on the sheet, was stolen in 1977 but was recovered in the early 1980s though, unfortunately, the top perforations had been cut off to prevent it from being recognized as the stolen Miller stamp. The complete set contains 3 stamps: … Of the four, only one, No. He handed the photo to his boss, Larry Lyons, and said, “I think it might be genuine. The saga of the 1918 Inverted Jenny Biplane stamps remains steeped with fascinating tales, thefts and the mysterious missing one. A more recent newspaper article reported that the FBI announced the return of a rare Inverted Jenny Biplane stamp to the APRL. When the man sent a cellphone photo, the foundation’s curator, Lewis Kaufman, suspected the stamp was an Inverted Jenny that disappeared from sight soon after it was printed in 1918. Subsequently, on Jan. 12, 1979, McCoy, who had collected $15,000 from an insurance company, assigned the title and all rights of the four stamps to the American Philatelic Research Library. Spink turned to the Philatelic Foundation and outside experts to make sure this was one of the genuine missing Inverted Jennys. Green's wife used one of the stamps for postage. In the internet age, the people at the foundation can ask for a cellphone photo of the stamp in question. This was followed in 1924 when Stewart purchased 15 acres of land where Newton High School is now located. 49. The man in Illinois said the stamp had been in his family for generations, most of the time in one safe deposit box or another. New Jersey Herald ~ 2 Spring St., Newton, NJ 07860 ~ Do Not Sell My Personal Information ~ Cookie Policy ~ Do Not Sell My Personal Information ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service ~ Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. It noted that in 1918 Congress appropriated $100,000 to establish experimental airmail routes and the Post Office urged the Army Signal Corps to lend its planes and pilots to the Post Office to initiate airmail service. Inverted Jenny stamp stolen in 1955 is returned to owner ... and the fourth is missing. It never had a gummed hinge affixed to the back, for mounting in a stamp album. The FBI was contacted and took possession of the stamp number 65. WASHINGTON — The Postal Service announced today that it printed 100 additional sheets of stamps of the recently issued Inverted Jenny stamp but with the plane flying right-side up. It was guessed that had the stamp been authentic it would have been valued at between $300,000 and $400,000 at an auction. On May 15, 1918, the Post Office Department commenced scheduled airmail service between New York, Philadelphia and Washington. “He asked me to come and get it. More than six decades after four rare “inverted Jenny” stamps were stolen in a notorious heist, one of the stamps has resurfaced. 28 for $389,000, both in February of last year, and No. Anyone with information about the still missing McCoy Inverted Jenny stamp can contact The American Philatelic Society at 814-933-3803, extension 246, and submit an image via e-mail to jenny@stamps.org. Nor would he schedule a trip to New York, Mr. Lyons said. The whereabouts of No. Incidentally, deed expert Richard Stevens checked county deeds for Stewart and advised that on Jan. 3, 1918, Newton resident Stewart purchased several lots on Fairview Street just off Ryerson Avenue. In 1988, the APRL offered a $10,000 reward for each of the two still-missing stamps, but neither one was located. Bert A. Stewart is also one of the names listed on a plaque at the county Historical Society as a contributor to building the society's unique fireplace. The stamp is printed in two colors, with the border design red and the airplane is blue.". It had been one in a block of four that belonged to the daughter of one of the founders of Dow Jones & Company. This mutilation made the stamp appear as if it had come from th… The news reportedly came as a total shock and sheer disappointment as the museum's members had hoped to sell the stamp to finance a new museum hangar. George Aumick, in his book, "The Inverted Jenny: Money, Mystery, Mania," devoted an entire chapter to Mrs. McCoy's four stamps. The dealer he sold them to quickly resold them, for $20,000, but not before writing little numbers on the back of each stamp. Above, in a curved line of Roman capital letters are the words, �U.S. Jennie Sweetman is the history columnist for the New Jersey Herald. © Gannett Co., Inc. 2021. The man on the phone said he had one of the most famous stamps in the world, an Inverted Jenny with — oops — the airplane upside down. This one has been owned for decades by a family in Illinois.Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York Times. It is a sixth never-hinged copy, the long-missing Jenny at position No. “If someone tried to sell one of them now, it would be seized and they’d have nothing. Take the 1918 Inverted Jenny 24-cent airmail stamp. The number “49” was visible on the stamp in the cellphone photo. “The Inverted Jenny stamps are a philatelic treasure, but title to the two missing McCoy stamps belongs to the APRL,” Sundman explained. The central design is a mail airplane in flight. Described as a blockbuster trade, a block of four Inverted Jenny Biplane stamps (not the McCoys) bearing the image of an upside down plane was traded for a single stamp; an 1868 one-cent "Z" grill stamp. When the first airmail stamp was issued on May 13, 1918, a stamp collector, William T. Robey went to the Washington Post Office and purchased a sheet of 100 stamps for $24. But the mystery surrounding the Inverted Jenny remains: Who stole it and three other such stamps at a 1955 convention in Virginia? Reportedly, the postal clerk insisted that he did not know that the plane was inverted on the stamp, as he had never seen an airplane. The newspaper article noted that one of the four McCoy stamps, position 66, remains missing. That was an appropriate coincidence: Gustave M. Mosler, who was president of the American Philatelic Society from 1929 to 1931, was part of the family from the safe-manufacturing company. to the one-cent magenta from British Guiana. 49, one of only two that remained unaccounted for. The stamps are $12 for a pane of six $2 stamps. The 1923 through 1925 directories for Newton list Bert A. Stewart as president of the B.A. 66 remains unknown. 49’s story, like that of No. In September of 2018, #49 of the 100 Inverted Jenny Stamps sold at auction for a record sum of $1,593,000 dollars. NEWTON -- The famed 1918 Inverted Jenny biplane stamp, viewed as one of the most unique and valuable stamps in the world, has once again made headlines. The stamp, position 76, had been in the possession of Keelin O'Neill, of Northern Ireland, who had acquired it from his now deceased grandfather in October 2013. Mr. Lyons said the man, who has asked not to be identified, could not explain why his father never put it in an album with his other stamps. No one has ever been arrested. 49 of 100 Jennies famously misprinted with an upside-down biplane was locked away in vaults for generations.