Tag Archives: stamp collecting

Postal Service Releases Very Limited Edition ‘Right Side Up’ Inverted Jenny

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The 2013 Inverted Jenny issuance features a new version of perhaps the most famous error in the history of U.S. stamps: a 1918 misprint that mistakenly showed a biplane flying wrong side up.

Collectors be on alert: this week, the Postal Service announced it has printed 100 additional sheets of stamps of the recently issued Inverted Jenny stamp — but with the plane flying right side up.

0-0_USPS13STA045dThese very limited edition stamps were circulated with the recent issue of the most famous “misprinted” stamp. Customers who have recently purchased the new Inverted Jenny stamp could have a very limited edition of the famous stamp.

1-0_USPS13STA045eUnique to this stamp issuance, all sheets were individually wrapped in a sealed envelope to recreate the excitement of finding an Inverted Jenny when opening the envelope and to avoid the possibility of discovering a corrected Jenny prior to purchase.

Individuals purchasing “corrected Jenny sheets” will find a congratulatory note inside the wrapping asking them to call a phone number to receive a certificate of acknowledgement signed by Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe.

The idea for creating the “misprinted misprint,” came to light after the Postmaster General mentioned the stamp to customer groups shortly after it was previewed in January.

“Our customers were enthusiastic about printing a new version of the most publicized stamp error in U.S. history as a great way to spur interest in stamp collecting,” said Donahoe. “Some jokingly commented that we should be careful to avoid repeating the same mistake of nearly a century ago. That was the impetus behind this initiative. What better way to interest a younger generation in stamp collecting?”

Just days after the Postal Service issued the new $2 version of the most publicized stamp error in U.S. history — the 24-cent 1918 Curtiss Jenny airmail stamp depicting a biplane flying upside down — Glenn Watson of Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, purchased the new $2 version with the biplane flying right side up.

“I’ve been collecting U.S. and Canadian stamps for more than 50 years,” said Watson, who ordered his Inverted Jenny stamp sheet through the Postal Store on eBay. “By far this was a total surprise, and I can now relate to how stamp collector William Robey felt when he purchased the original sheet of 100 Inverted Jennys in 1918. Clearly this right-side-up version will be the treasure of my collection. I hope this stamp will encourage younger generations to get involved in this educational hobby.”

Order a new Inverted Jenny today! The stamp is available online at usps.com/stamps, by calling (), and at Post Offices around the country.

Valuable Inverted Jenny Error Spotted at Ceremony!

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[From guest contributor Laurie]

OK, that headline’s a bit of a tease. It just so happens that the Inverted Jenny stamp’s release ceremony coincided with another big stamp event – the grand opening of the new William H. Gross Stamp Gallery at the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C.

One of the highlights of the new stamp gallery is the “Gems of American Philately” exhibit. Here, visitors can view a block of four of the famous 1918 Inverted Jenny stamps. So while the enthusiastic crowd that stood in line to have their new Inverted Jenny stamps cancelled didn’t notice any mistakes with the 2013 versions… it was exciting to see the originals in the same place!

Before and after the festive ceremony, stamp fans toured the new exhibit, kids designed their own stamps, and a kindly looking Benjamin Franklin strolled around the museum floor.

The new Inverted Jenny stamp is available online , by calling 800-STAMP-24 (), and at Post Offices nationwide.

The Inverted Jenny: A Treasure Among Treasures

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The upside-down plane on the Inverted Jenny stamp is probably America’s most famous postal error. The Inverted Jenny even showed up on The Simpsons in 1993, when Homer finds—and discards—a highly unlikely sheet of the very valuable stamps. Doh!

The sheet includes six Inverted Jenny stamps, reprinted with an updated denomination. Click the image for ordering details.

When William T. Robey purchased a sheet of Inverted Jenny stamps from a Washington, D.C., Post Office on May 14, 1918, stamp collecting was forever changed. It was the only sheet of the misprinted stamps to fall into public hands, and those 100 stamps would be coveted by collectors as only the rarest stamps are.

In honor of , here’s a look at some other treasures found by stamp collectors.

World’s Most Valuable Stamp: The world’s most valuable stamp is believed to be Swedish Treskilling Yellow, an 1855 stamp that was misprinted in yellow instead of its normal green. In 1996, it was sold in Zurich for 2.8 million Swiss francs, or about 2.3 million U.S. dollars. The stamp was auctioned again in 2010, but the price was not officially disclosed.

World’s Most Valuable Postal Item: An envelope known as the “Bordeaux Letter” was sold at a 1993 auction for 5.7 million Swiss francs, equal to more than 3 million U.S. dollars at the time. The letter bears two of the world’s most valuable stamps, both produced in Mauritius in 1847. Only 500 copies of each stamp were printed, and according to legend, the wife of the Governor of Mauritius used many of those to send out invitations to a ball. The Berlin museum that owns the Bordeaux Letter estimates its value at about five million U.S. dollars.

While the next commemorative stamp you buy may not inspire bidding wars, the experience of pursuing a fun hobby is its own reward—some might say priceless!

Inverted Jenny Flies Again

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Today’s the day. The is set to fly again! If you’re in the Washington, D.C., area and are interested in attending the official release ceremony, come join us at the Smithsonian’s National Postal PaneMuseum, just steps from Union Station. The event kicks off at 1 p.m. and coincides with the grand opening of the museum’s new William H. Gross Stamp Gallery.

This stamp features a new version of perhaps the most famous error in the history of U.S. stamps: the Inverted Jenny, a 1918 misprint that mistakenly showed a biplane flying wrong side up. Reprinted with a $2 denomination to make them easily distinguishable from the 24-cent originals, the Inverted Jennys on this sheet commemorate the many ways a single stamp can turn a moment in history upside down.

For nearly a century, philatelists have chased the Inverted Jennys, accounting for nearly all 100 of them even as the stamp became one of the country’s best known philatelic treasures. In a 1993 episode of The Simpsons, Homer Simpson discovers (and, humorously, discards) a highly unlikely sheet of 40 Inverted Jennys, and the stamp made headlines beyond philatelic circles in 2006, when a faked version appeared on an envelope for an absentee ballot in Broward County, Florida.

Today, two Inverted Jennys soar among the Postal Museum’s treasures. The Inverted Jenny is said to be the postage stamp most often requested for viewing by visitors, and a third Inverted Jenny on long-term loan from the New York Public Library’s Benjamin K. Miller Collection was a major attraction in the Postal Museum’s “Rarity Revealed” exhibition from 2007 to 2009.

Come on down to the museum and check them out!

Upside-Down History: USPS Issues New Inverted Jenny Stamp

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History will be on display this Sunday, September 22, when Postmaster General Pat Donahoe dedicates the new at the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C.

The stamp dedication coincides with the grand opening of the museum’s William H. Gross Stamp Gallery, a major expansion of the facility to house the world’s largest stamp collection. The event also heralds National Stamp Collecting Month, which begins October 1.

InvertedJenny-Invite-email.inddIn addition to housing the stamp collection, the remodeled museum has a glowing wall of windows featuring depictions of 54 historic U.S. stamps. The windows provide an impressive backdrop to the 12,000-square-foot exhibit and remind visitors that the history of stamps and the history of America are intertwined.

The “Inverted Jenny” sheet of stamps, issued the day prior to the nation’s first airmail flight in 1918, has become the most publicized stamp error in U.S. history.

PaneThe $2 2013 Stamp Collecting: Inverted Jenny stamp, which is being issued in sheets of six stamps, is now available for preorder at or by calling 800-STAMP-24 ().