100 years after a printing error created one of the most legendary stamps in philatelic history, one of the 100 Inverted Jenny stamps from the only known sheet of misprints has been confirmed as legitimate.
Via New York Times:
To stamp experts like Mr. Lyons, No. 49 was an unusually treasured find. It was in pristine condition. It never had a gummed hinge affixed to the back, for mounting in a stamp album. It was never recut and reperforated, as one Inverted Jenny was after it was stolen. It was never sucked up by a vacuum cleaner, as another was. It was never put in a locket, as still another was, as a present for an owner’s wife.
Most of all, it was never resold, although Mr. Lyons suspects the man is considering selling it.
So for 100 years, No. 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. A 1986 book that tracked each of the 100 Jennies had this entry for No. 49: “No record.” No. 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.
• An Inverted Jenny Surfaces. The Flawed Stamp Had Not Been Seen Since 1918. (New York Times)
