Inverted Jenny

The Inverted Jenny (German: upside-down Jenny ) sometimes Jenny Invert, is the name of a famous misprint of a U.S. postage stamp from 1918.

The Misprint

The misprint is different from the original brand is that the aircraft, a Curtiss Jenny, in the center of the stamp motif was printed upside down. This was possible because the stamp was produced in two different colors and printing processes. The aircraft was printed in blue, the edge in red. This misprint is one of the greatest rarities of philately. There are known only 100 copies of this stamp. Its value is around € 120,000.

Formation and discovery

In the original brand is the first airmail stamp of the United States. They could be used from 15 May 1918 payment of airmail charges. At that time there were Airmail connections between Washington DC, Philadelphia and New York City. Previously, several attempts by the United States Postal Service have been made with a possible carriage of mail by air. The postage stamp, which coincided with the airmail charges was set relatively high at 24 cents.

With the pressure of airmail stamps was begun on 10 May 1918. Previously it was since May 4, busy with the engraving of printing plates. The delivery of the stamps was, however, already on May 13. The pressure of the stamps had to be done so in a big hurry. An emergence of misprints was thus very likely.

On 14 May 1918 the first issue of airmail stamp, the philatelist WT Robey discovered a sheet of 100 stamps of the Inverted Jenny ( "my heart stood still "). He bought it and was convinced that this was the only bow with misprints of the post office. He was the bow, which all come from today's well-known pieces, sell for $ 15,000 to the known stamp dealer Eugene Klein. He sold it immediately for $ 20,000 to the collector Edward HR Green on. This severed on the advice of Eugene Klein's bow and began the sale of several couples and single pieces, now find themselves in a variety of stamp collections in the world.

" Inverted Jenny " in film, television and press

The " Inverted Jenny " was in the U.S. popular culture to symbolize a particularly expensive stamp: The Movie To hell with the coals had the protagonist Brewster within 30 days to spend $ 30 million - which he manages, among other things, a postcard with a " Inverted Jenny " to frank. In the Simpsons episode Homer and the Sangesbrüder ( 9F21 ) Homer Simpson finds at a flea market a whole sheet with " Inverted Jenny " and throws it away carelessly.

As far as known was achieved at an auction of the Inverted Jenny, a record price recently in 2005.

Property for counterfeiters

The Inverted Jenny was due to their high collector value again and again also object to attempts at forgery. End of 2006, an anonymous letter franked voters in the U.S. midterm elections, the election envelope with an " Inverted Jenny ". When choosing the stamp on the Fort Lauderdale ( Florida) found envelope it was, however, to intention, as a collector admitted who enrolled himself a few days later. The brand used was from a printed by the U.S. Postal Service commemorative block and was worth more than 50 cents. He used these brands often in order to attract attention to the addressee. This was confirmed in a study in the Returning Officer's office.