Inverted Jenny, the nicest error of the United States of America

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

It was a sheet of one hundred 24-cent stamps, which in 1918 escaped all controls. Its error is a reverse image of the biplane aircraft showed upside down compared to the text. Jenny is the familiar name given to the biplane, a Curtis 4-N.

The visitor to the post of Washington DC who realized the error had already a very good business by selling the sheet six days later to a stamp dealer. Thus began the epic, which continues today at auction, of the Inverted Jenny.

The sheet was separated, and each stamp has received a number from 1 to 100, depending on its position. Dispersed between different collectors, these specimens had a various history of conservation.

The stamp presented the day after tomorrow, June 7, on sale at RA Siegel Auction Galleries in New York is number 21, ie the far left of the third row, and it still has its left sheet selvage. It is in very good condition with minor defects.

The auction house announced a value, under the wording "2008 Scott Catalog Value: $ 400,000.00." This sample is certainly more expensive than this amount, and we find very easily on the site of Siegel the price got by the last one which was sold there: 977 500 $, including fees (850 000 $ before fees) in November 2007. It was number 57.

A few days after this record result, the number 84 was sold 825 000 dollars before fees to the under-bidder of the 57 at Heritage Auction Galleries.

The stamp market is, more than any other, a business for insiders. I almost did not see in advance the arrival on the market of number 21. Fortunately one of my search engines drew my attention to a remarkable result that Siegel won today on a group of three stamps of Brazil from 1843 (two of 30 reis and one of 60-reis): $ 1.9 million before fees. This information was provided by Newsday.com.

[Pierre Tavlitzki]

400 K$ before fees: this is the result for our Inverted Jenny number 21, lot 706 of the Siegel sale.

I have reviewed the description of number 57, sold 850 K$ in the same place last year. It was announced with an exceptional freshness and well centered, making it one of the best of the series.

The condition of 21 was just Fine - very Fine.

The whole price difference is explained by the difference of condition.

In the same sale last Saturday, Lot 636 was sold at 625 K$ before fees from an estimate of 35 K$. It is a 4 cents Pan American with reversed centre. Here also, of course, the centring and the perfect condition raised the price.

We cannot see anything at the first visit! I would like to add here the excellent auction result of $ 2.97 million obtained by Siegel in 2005 on a block of four Inverted Jennys from the last rows of the sheet, with their lower sheet selvages.