The Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block

The Story Behind the World’s Greatest Stamp Rarity he Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block is America’s T greatest stamp rarity. It has always been the most sought-after and valuable of the six blocks. It is the only plate-number block from the legendary 1918 24¢ stamp error sheet, which makes it unique. Although the “upside-down airplane” stamps are among the most recognizable in the world, the unique Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block spent decades in relative seclusion and was rarely exhibited. Nearly 90 years after it first made headlines, America’s greatest stamp rarity was featured in headlines around the world. The Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block was auctioned for $2.97 million, a record amount for a U.S. philatelic item. Less than two weeks later, the legendary plate-number block attracted even greater attention. Television cameras rolled as ’s elite gathered to watch the World’s Greatest Trade – the one-for-one exchange of America’s rarest stamp for America’s greatest stamp rarity. This is its story...

Visit Mystic’s website at www.mysticstamp.com and click on the “Jenny Swap” tab for more information. Copyright 2006 Mystic Stamp Company, Inc. Don Sundman and Charles Shreve exchange stamps on November 2, 2005. The Greatest Trade in Philatelic History One-for-one Exchange of the 1868 1¢ for the 1918 Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block

The following article was written by Matthew Healey. It was published in the November 21, 2005 issue of Linn’s Stamp News and is reprinted here with permission.

Less than two weeks after anonymously bidding nearly $3 million at public auction for the famed U.S. Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block, the new owner identified himself and traded the stamps away November 2. Bill Gross, well-known bond fund manager and collector of classic U.S. stamps, swapped the unique plate block of the 1918 24¢ airmail error with Donald Sundman, presi - dent of Mystic Stamp Company, in return for Sundman’s 1868 1¢ Z Grill stamp – the one stamp Gross needed to finish the most complete collection of classic 19th-century U.S. stamps ever assembled. The historic trade took place at the offices of Shreves Phila - Mystic Stamp Company President Donald Sundman and brother Dave, President of telic Galleries. Littleton Coin Company, with the Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block. Charles Shreve, president of Shreves Philatelic Galleries, represented Gross. 3 “This was the world’s greatest trade,” said Sund - man, who purchased the nearly unique Z Grill stamp at auction in 1998 for $935,000, until now a record price for a single U.S. stamp. Sundman called his Z Grill “the Hope Diamond of Amer - ican philately and the key to Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries Catalog for any collection. When we October 19, 2005. acquired it, it really reposi - Maynard Sundman reviews the sale catalog tioned our company – it after the trade. Sundman, 90, founded Littleton showed our buying power.” Stamp Co. in Littleton, N.H., in 1945. Littleton has served millions of stamp and coin collectors Sundman says he expects in the past 60 years. Mystic acquired Littleton’s the stamp to continue to stamp operations in the mid-1980s. increase in v alue as its true rarity is appreciated. He added, “The rarest American stamps are undervalued and still have room to grow in price because they’re symbols of U.S. culture.” The room was packed with three television crews, several reporters and numerous philatelic VIPs, some of whom, to judge from conversa - tions I overheard, had been underbidders at the Jenny Invert Plate-Num - ber Block auction as well as at the last Z Grill auction in 1998. “Envious” was a word I heard several times. The media attention, unusual for a stamp event, was an indication of the momentous nature of this trade. Tracy Shreve, co-owner of Shreves Philatelic Galleries, introduced her husband Charles Shreve, Donald Sundman, and Allen Kane, director of the Smithsonian Institution’s Nation - al Postal Museum, which will display both known examples of Mystic President Donald Sundman and the 1¢ Z Grill stamp in 2006. Charles Shreve interviewed after the trade. 4 After very brief speeches, The trade attracted media attention from around the world. ons Swap Worth Milli Blockbuster Stamp

– ABC News

Stamp Collectors Make Blockbuster NY Trade Three television crews joined print Pakistan media reporters and an eager audience to witness the exchange. Times Pictured above are David Sundman (left), President Littleton Coin Com pany and Wilson Hulme Stamp Sa le Lands $3–m (right), Curator National B “BHCo lNy EGWraSil” Postal Museum.

Philate lists Mak $3 M e illion Tra –Nat de ional Pub lic Radio

2 Col lectors Set to Sw ap Rare Stamps

Shreve and Sundman smiled for photographers and ceremonially exchanged the stamps, together worth $6 million, which were encased in protective plastic. Sundman started collecting as a child. He recently recalled how his father Maynard Sundman would sit with him and his brother David on the porch of the family home and teach them how to put hinges on stamps. The senior Sundman started the Littleton Stamp Co., which is now the Littleton Coin Co., and run by David. Maynard Sundman, now 90, still goes to work there every day. Bill Gross, whose PIMCO firm manages assets worth $500 billion, is 5 by all reports a passionate stamp collector. He has been building his col - lection of classic U.S. stamps for more than 10 years and has won top international awards each time he exhibits it.

In an exclusive interview with Linn’s in June 2005, Gross said that he views his stamps as a relaxing hobby but that he has them costed and entered in a spreadsheet.

Charles Shreve, the stamp dealer and auctioneer who bought the Plate Block as an agent of Gross and then arranged the trade for the Z Grill stamp said, “Bill Gross is very interested in exhibiting competitively and will continue to do so. He is focused on the 1847 issue, and he is still interested in the largest known multiples of classic stamps whenever he can obtain them.”

The Jenny Invert airmail error stamp is a legend beyond the world of .

The blue-and-red stamp got its name from the Curtiss JN-4H biplane that was printed upside-down in error. Only one 100-stamp pane came into collectors hands, which makes the Plate-Number Block unique.

With a long and illustrious history, the stamp’s fame has made it a symbol of the charm of pioneer airmail service.

Sundman said Mystic, which has shown its 1¢ Z Grill stamp in its advertising for several years, would soon switch to using the Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block instead.

The story of the 1¢ Z Grill stamp, though more obscure than the leg - end of the Jenny Invert, provides no less fascinating a window into the early days of American postal service.

The federal government was concerned that people would try to reuse stamps after washing off the ink on canceled stamps. To make this less likely, stamp printers experimented with pressing various waf - flelike rectangular grills into the stamp paper, to break the fibers and allow the canceling ink to be better absorbed.

6 Why I Traded America’s Rarest Stamp for the Unique Jenny Plate-Number Block. by Donald Sundman President Mystic Stamp Company

I traded the 1¢ Z Grill for the Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block because it sounded like it would be fun. It was also the only way to guaran tee Mystic would own the two best U.S. stamp rarities. I loved buying, owning, and exhibiting the 1¢ Z Grill Mystic purchased in 1998. The 1¢ Z Grill is the rarest Moments after the trade and most valuable United States stamp. Although we buy, sell, and own other rare and wonderful stamps, few compare to the 1¢ Z Grill. In fact, the stamp is so famous and well known that dealers who had a fleeting connec - tion with the stamp twenty years ago still advertise their involvement. Mystic featured the 1¢ Z Grill in our marketing, and the stamp was our good-will ambassador at major stamp shows. From time to time collectors offered to buy the stamp. I rejected their offers because I consider the Z Grill to be the Hope diamond of stamps and a source of great pride for Mystic. Over the years Charles Shreve, President of Shreves Philatelic Galleries, said he might have some interest in the stamp if I would sell the Z Grill. It was the only stamp Mystic owned that was not for sale. In the fall of 2005, the stamp press reported the news that the owner of the unique Jenny Plate-Number Block would auction the block in Octo - ber. Mr. Shreve offered me a unique proposition – if his client acquired the Jenny Plate-Number Block, would I trade the Z Grill for it? The Jenny Plate-Number Block is a fantastic rarity. I first saw it at the 1976 International Stamp Exposition in Philadelphia. Every collec - tor and millions of non-collectors know the stamp, but few have seen the Plate-Number Block. It last sold at a 1989 Christie’s auction for $1.1 million to Kerby Confer, at the time the highest price paid for a philatel - ic object. Confer is a collector who knew the famous story and was drawn to the rarity, romance, and beauty of the Plate-Number Block . The idea of a trade of two of the world’s rarest and most valuable philatelic objects seemed whimsical, almost childlike. Stamps and 7 collecting stamps is about history, fun, and intellectual pursuit. A trade of the two world’s most valuable items by weight would be historic, fun, and make a great story for stamp collectors everywhere. Despite this, I turned down the offer because of my enjoyment of possessing the Z Grill and because I had committed to lending the stamp to the Smithsonian’s starting in June 2006. Left to right: Allen Kane, Executive Director of the National Postal Museum; Don Sundman, President When told of my decision, Mystic Stamp Company; and Wilson Hulme, Curator Mr. Shreve’s client generously of Philately of the National Postal Museum. offered to honor my commit - ment to lend the Z Grill to the NPM. It was then that I agreed to the trade. Today I’m thrilled to have been able to trade our 1¢ Z Grill for the Jenny Plate-Number Block. As a boyhood collector, the Jenny Invert was one of the rare stamps I fantasized of owning. With this trade, those fantasies became fact and I had the special privilege of owning the two best and most valuable United States philatelic objects. At the trade itself I experienced a positive feeling of excitement, almost an electric sensation. And I get that same feeling showing the Inverted Jenny Plate- Number Block to collectors and non-collectors. I’m proud of the positive attention the trade brought to philately. The stamp trade story was covered around the world, and thousands of peo - ple discovered the history, romance, and intrigue of our hobby.

Left to right: George Kramer, Chairman Philatelic Founda - tion, premier stamp expertising and research educational insti - tution; Don Sundman, President of Mystic; and Wade Saadi, President Collectors Club. Founded in 1896, the club does a wonderful job in promoting interest in and knowledge of philately. They publish the Collectors Club Philatelist.

8 The Legend of the Jenny Invert The Jenny Invert may be the most recognized U.S. error stamp ever issued. So what is it about the upside-down airplane stamps that fuels our imagination? Perhaps it’s the sheer number of impressive tales that come together to make one outstanding stamp story...

The Find : Leaving his wife and infant daughter at home in their one-bed - room apartment, an office clerk of modest means withdraws $30 from his savings account – an amount worth almost $1,300 today. A new bi-color stamp is about to be issued, and he dreams of making that once-in-a-life - time find – and he does! Out of 2,000,000 24¢ Jenny airmail stamps issued, he purchases the only sheet of 100 inverted stamps sold.

The Era : World War I produced a new brand of hero – the daring ace pilot and his incredible flying machine. Imaginations were captured with the announcement that these swashbuckling men would brave the perils of the skies to deliver in record time. America thrilled to tales of crashes and near-misses, challenges and successes, and dashing young men flying by the seat of their pants.

The Owners : Colonel Edward H.R. Green purchased the entire sheet of 100 24¢ airmail error stamps for $20,000. Over the course of the following 18 years, Green’s antics added to the rich lore of the Jenny inverts. After his death, the Jennys were traded among some of the top U.S. collectors.

The Invert : An invert is the most-prized form of stamp error. Only 11 inverted errors have occurred on U.S. postage stamps. The image of an upside-down airplane is instantly identifiable and especially dramatic.

The History : The only inverts released to the public were sold intact in a single sheet of 100. Each stamp was lightly numbered before the sheet was divided. This simple action allows collectors to follow the paths of each beloved stamp over the course of almost nine decades!

The Rarity : The plate number was printed in just one area of the sel - vage – and that would have been trimmed away had the sheet not been inverted. It’s an accident that the Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block exists at all! As the world’s greatest stamp rarity, it has commanded record-breaking prices throughout its remarkable history. After decades of quiet transactions and anonymous ownership, the Jenny 9 The “Curtiss JN-4” boasted few frills and even fewer safety fea - tures. Remarking on its general condition, one pilot observed dryly that his plane’s “carburetor would vibrate...so badly that it would shake the ice off the wings.” Photo courtesy of National Postal Museum Invert Plate-Number Block was auctioned for an unprecedented $1.1 million in 1989. In 2005, the legendary stamps shattered sales records again when the block was auctioned for $2.97 million – the largest amount ever paid for a U.S. philatelic item. Experts predict the Plate- Number Block will sell for over $5 million the next time it trades. Early Aviation and the Curtiss JN-4 As a new form of transportation, early flight was a pioneering effort that suffered from a near-complete lack of precedent. A full 15 years after Orville Wright’s historic 1903 flight, aircraft mechanics, instruc - tors, and flight schools were still virtually non-existent. Planes lacked reliable navigational instruments, pilots crash-landed with their planes because parachutes weren’t widely available, and airports were scarce and unlit. Ground crews often rounded up volunteers with automobiles and used their headlights to guide planes to a safe landing. Aircraft were used solely for surveillance at the beginning of World War I. In fact, enemy pilots frequently waved to each other, secure in the knowledge that they posed no threat to one another. As the war pro - gressed, traditional ground combat was replaced by dogfights and bomb - ing runs, convincing many that air supremacy was the key to victory. The significance of aviation as a military tool prompted rapid advances in technology. American industry swung into action and produced thou - sands of combat-ready airplanes by the time of the Allied victory in 1918. Manufactured to train Allied pilots, the Curtiss JN-4 was the first mass- produced U.S. plane. More than 6,000 “Jenny” planes were produced by the end of the war, which made it the most widely used and recognizable model. The single engine Jenny flew at a top speed of 80 miles per hour with a range of 175 miles, and could maintain an altitude of 11,000 feet. 10 How to Fly a Jenny A 1920s parody attributed to pilots Sam Stites and Fred Disosway Inspection: It is best not to inspect this ship. If you do, you will never get into it. Climbing into the cockpit: Do not attempt to enter the cockpit in the usual way. If you put your weight on the lower wing panel, it will fall off, and besides, your foot will go through the wing, probably spraining your ankle. The best Photo courtesy of National Postal Museum way to get into the cockpit is to climb over the tail surface and crawl up the turtle deck. Be sure to brush the squirrel and gopher nests out of the seat. Take care not to cut your hand on the remnants of the windshield. Instruments: After having carefully lowered yourself into the seat and groped in vain for a safety belt, take a good look at the instruments; both of them. The one on the right is the tachometer. It doesn’t work. The other one is an altimeter, and functioned perfectly until 1918, when the hand fell off. Look at them now, for after the engine starts you won’t be able to. Starting the motor: The switch is on the right; it is not connected. Howev - er it gives a sense of confidence to the mechanic who is pulling the prop through to hear the switch click when you say “switch off”. If for some rea - son the motor does start, don’t get out to pick up the unconscious, and bleed - ing mechanic, he deserved it. Warming up: Don’t warm up the motor. It will only run a few minutes anyway, and the longer it runs on the ground, the less flying time you have. After the throttle is opened, do not expose any portion of your person beyond the edge of the cowling. It is no fun to have your face slapped by a flying rocker arm or to be peppered by small bits of piston rings, valves, etc., that are continually coming out of what were once exhaust stacks. The Take-off: The take-off is in direct defiance of all the laws of nature. If you have a passenger, don’t try it. The Flight: After you have dodged through the trees, windmills, and chim - neys until you are over the lake, you will see a large hole in the left side of the fuselage. This hole is to allow the stick to be moved far enough to make a left turn. The Landing: The landing is made in accordance with the laws of gravity. If the landing gear doesn't collapse on the first bounce, don’t worry, it will on the second. After you have extracted yourself from the wreckage and helped the spectators put out the fire, light a cigarette and with a nonchalant shrug, walk (don’t run) disdainfully away. 11 The Announcement The possibility of airmail delivery had been debated and dismissed for nearly a decade, so it came as a surprise to many when General Burleson suddenly announced that service would begin between New York City, Philadelphia, and Wash - Second Assistant Postmaster ington, D.C. The year was General Otto Praeger’s 1918 and the world was at war. areas of responsibility in - Critics argued that every avail - cluded mail transportation. An early and enthusiastic able resource – including advocate of airmail, Praeger planes and pilots – was needed insisted that “it would not be to win the war. a pink tea flying affair” and that the mail be flown in However, Burleson brokered spite of dangerous weather a deal with the War Department conditions. Ironically, the first scheduled flight from Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia crashed in on March 1, 1918, that satisfied a field near Praeger’s country home. a very important military issue. Experienced pilots were scarce. America’s most seasoned pilots were serv - ing overseas, leaving few opportunities for training new recruits. Under the new arrangement, the Postal Department would handle their traditional tasks and the military would provide the planes and pilots. Americans would have a rapid system of mail transportation, and military pilots would receive badly needed flight training. However, the War Department didn’t notify the Army Air Service of its new assignment until May 3, 1918. Major Reuben H. Fleet, an Army executive officer in charge of planning instruction, was placed in charge of making the necessary arrangements. Fleet received his assignment on May 6 – just days before the scheduled May 15th flight. The task was overwhelming. Fleet faced a shortage of planes, pilots, airfields, and aircraft mechanics. None of the available planes were

Major Reuben H. Fleet (1887-1975) received his pilot’s wings as military aviator #74. Assigned to Air Service Headquarters in Washington, D.C., Fleet supervised the training of nearly 11,000 pilots by November 1918. Upon leaving military service, Fleet founded Consolidated Air - craft in 1923. The company developed training aircraft as well as the famed “Admiral” patrol bombers for the Navy, “PBY Catalina” and the B-24 “Liberator.” World War II broke out shortly after Fleet’s retirement. Fleet volunteered his expertise as an advisor to private business and the government.

12 capable of flying the proposed route. “The best plane we have is the Curtiss JN-4D Jenny , and it will fly only an hour and twenty minutes. Its maximum range is 88 miles at a cruising speed of 66 miles per hour,” Fleet advised. The Postal Department stood firm in spite of the logistical and safety issues. The first regularly scheduled U.S. airmail flight was to leave Washington, D.C., on May 15th. Major Fleet had just two weeks to plan a major revolution in communication.

The 24¢ Denomination By all accounts, the 24¢ fee for airmail transportation with Special Delivery was an arbitrary decision. At eight times the regu - lar first class rate, the amount outraged sev - eral officials. The figure was equal to more than $10.00 in modern wages, and the serv - ice only shaved a few hours off existing transportation time.

As late as April 25, 1918, officials 1918 24¢ denied that a special stamp would be issued to frank airmail letters. The public was told that regular postage stamps would be valid for airmail delivery. However, available stamps didn’t include a 24¢ denomination. A decision was made to produce a patriotic red, white, and blue stamp to inaugurate the revolutionary new service and lift war-weary spirits. It would be the first bi-colored U.S. stamp issued since the 1901 Pan- American Exposition commemoratives. The Bureau of Printing and Engraving Prepares the First Airmail Stamp The formal request for a new 24¢ airmail stamp reached the Bureau of Engraving and Printing less than two weeks before the first scheduled flight. The understaffed BEP worked around the clock to design, engrave, and print the first U.S. airmail stamps.

Early BEP office 13 Using a War Department photo, BEP veteran Clair Aubrey Huston designed a blue vignette featuring the Curtiss Jenny JN-4 surrounded by a red frame. Although the precise date isn’t recorded, the actual engrav - ing began around May 9, 1918. The BEP’s “Spider” flat press was used to print the airmail stamps. Used primarily for banknotes, the Spider press printed sheets of 100 stamps each rather than the typical 400- stamp sheets. Because the stamps were to be bi- colored, each sheet would be fed through the press twice – once to print the red frame and a second pass to print the blue vignette. On Friday, May 10th, the BEP began printing sheets of red frames with the plate number “8492” in the top selvage. Late Saturday afternoon, the printing plates and ink were Spider Press changed. Sheets with the preprinted red frames were fed through the press again to add the blue Jenny vignette and plate number “8493.” The full sheets of 100 stamps were slightly larger than the typical panes of 100 stamps cut from full-sized, 400-stamp sheets. To make the 100- stamp sheets fit the storage drawers used by postal clerks, the top selvage of the 24¢ airmail stamp sheets was cut away during the perforation process. As a result of this unusual procedure, all non-error stamp sheets of the initial printing feature a straight edge at top and no plate numbers or siderographer’s (plate-maker’s) initials. With the tight deadline met, the 24¢ airmail stamps were placed on sale slightly ahead of time late Monday afternoon – May 13, 1918. Unknown at the time, nine of the 20,000 sheets printed had been hand- fed through the printing press upside down. The mistake created an inverted vignette and positioned the plate number on the bottom selvage. At some point, eight sheets were found in the BEP office and destroyed. However, a single sheet made its way to the New York Avenue post 14 office branch in Washington, D.C. The Collector Stamp collector William Robey eagerly awaited the first airmail flight. The young Washington, D.C., resident planned to exchange covers with special “first trip” with fellow collectors at the other two points of the tri-city route. At the age of 29, Robey was an experienced collec - tor of error stamps and knew the potential for inverts associated with bi-color printing. On the same day printing began on the stamps, Robey advised a fellow collector, “It might interest you to know that there are two parts to the design, one an insert into the other, William Robey like the Pan-American issues. I think it would pay to be on the lookout for inverts on account of this.”

The First Airmail Flight As the BEP prepared the airmail stamps, Major Reuben Fleet began the task of securing a fleet of airplanes, selecting pilots, and untangling a host of other details. The plan for the first regularly scheduled flights in U.S. aviation his - tory seem simple by today’s standards. One plane was to depart New York and fly south at the same time a second plane flew north from Washington, D.C. The planes were to meet in Tri-city route for the first scheduled air - Philadelphia to exchange mail bags mail service. Lieutenant Torrey H. and refuel before returning home. Webb was assigned to fly his airmail cargo 90 miles from New York’s Bel - Fleet promptly arranged for the Cur - mont Park Raceway to Philadelphia. tiss Aeroplane Corporation to modify Webb’s mailbags were transferred to the six JN-4’s with 150-hp engines and waiting plane of Lieutenant James C. Edgerton, who carried them on to hoppers for the mailbags. Extra gas Washington, D.C. The 128-mile Wash - and oil tanks were added to increase ington-Philadelphia leg was to be flown the Jenny’s flight capacity. The planes by Lieutenant George Boyle. However, were shipped from the Buffalo factory Boyle flew in the wrong direction. 15 to Hazel ton Field on Long Island at midnight on Sunday, May 12th. The search for landing areas in each of the three cities required careful consideration. The areas needed to be free of large trees and buildings, visible to the pilots as they approached by air, close to the city, and easi - ly accessible by train or auto. Fleet made arrangements with the owner of Long Island’s Belmont Park to fly out of the racetrack’s infield. Bustleton Field in Philadelphia was selected for refueling and mail exchange, and the old Polo Grounds in Washington, D.C., was chosen for the first day of flight ceremonies. Working against the wire, Fleet located aircraft mechanics and had them reassigned to each of the three locations. Fleet was allowed to personally select four of the six Air Service pilots required. He chose the most experienced pilots available – Lts. Stephen Bonsal, Howard P. Culver, Walter Miller, and Torrey Webb. Only Culver had more than four months flying experience. Two remaining pilots were selected by the Postal Department. Lts. George Boyle and James Edgerton had both graduated from flight school only days earlier. They had flown one 10-mile cross-country training flight and had just 60 hours of student-pilot air time. However, Boyle and Edgerton had important political connections. Edgerton’s father was a purchasing agent for the , and Boyle’s future father-in-law was Judge Charles McChord. McChord was the chair - man of the Interstate Commerce Commission and had a pivotal role in pro - tecting a takeover by private companies of the Post Office’s Parcel Post. Leaving Boyle in Washington to take the first flight, Fleet and the remaining pilots traveled by train to New York on Monday. Any plans to prepare for the flight were abandoned. Instead, the men worked fever - ishly through the night to assemble the Jennys , which had arrived in crates that very afternoon. The Discovery Unaware that the first 24¢ airmail stamps had already been distrib - uted and placed on sale the previous afternoon, William Robey planned a special trip to the post office on the morning of May 14th. As he left his one-bedroom apartment, Robey told his young bride, “I have a very strange feeling there’s going to be a mistake.” Some of Robey’s recollections grew fuzzy over the years, but many essential facts are clear. The young office clerk withdrew $30.00 from his 16 bank account, a figure equal to more than $1,300.00 in today’s wages, to purchase a full sheet of the new stamps. Shortly after noon, Robey entered a branch of the post office in Washington, D.C., and asked for a sheet of 100 of the 24¢ airmail stamps. When the unknowing clerk Robey withdrew $30 from his bank account placed the sheet of inverted stamps on the counter, Robey said his “heart stood still.” After paying for the sheet without comment, Robey asked the clerk if he had additional sheets. The clerk apparently realized something was amiss, closed his window, and contacted his supervisor. Robey’s search of other post office branches was unsuccessful. He returned to his office and shared his news with a fellow stamp collector, who immediately left the office to search for more error sheets. His activities alerted authorities, who arrived at Robey’s office less than an hour after he returned from the post office. The officials Reproduction of the error sheet purchased by threatened to confiscate the Robey. Notice the location of the plate-num - sheet of inverts, but Robey ber block, arrow, and sideographer’s initials. stood firm. They would have been printed in the top sel - vage and trimmed away if the sheet hadn’t Alerted to the error, author - been inverted. ities immediately halted sales of the 24¢ airmail stamp in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York City as they searched branch offices for other sheets. A Calculated Risk Robey’s actions in the hours following his discovery suggest that he never considered keeping the inverted stamps. In stead, he contacted Washington stamp dealer Hamilton F. Coleman immediately. Coleman 17 of fered to purchase the sheet for $500.00 – an amount equal to more than $21,500 today. Robey declined the offer. Robey’s decision was a gamble. The value of any particular stamp is based on the law of supply and demand. Although errors in general – and inverts in particular – are highly valued, the extent of the BEP’s error was unclear that afternoon. In fact, the chief philatelist of the Smithsonian was also present at the meeting and speculated on the existence of other error stamps. Like many others who searched post offices upon hearing Robey’s news, Joseph Leavy incorrectly assumed the stamps had been printed in tradi - tional sheets of 400 prior to being cut into panes of 100. Had this been true, at least 3 more panes of 100 stamps each had to exist and the value of Robey’s sheet would diminish greatly. After riding around on streetcars for hours pondering his options, Robey slipped into his apartment under the of darkness. Mindful of the government threats and the potential value of his stamps, Robey and his bride slept with their newly found treasures hidden under the bed. May 15th – A Revolution in Communication As the Robeys slept, Major Reuben Fleet and his crew worked feverish - ly against the clock. Many of the planes required extensive repairs. One motor had to be replaced, another’s gasoline tank leaked, fuselage wires were broken on two planes, none of the air pressure safety valves worked, and several adjustments for poor workmanship had to be made. At 4:30 a.m., workers discovered that there was no oil at the field and scrambled to locate two barrels. A crowd of several hundred gathered at Washington’s Polo Grounds to witness history being made. After carefully reviewing the route to

Photo courtesy of National Postal Museum After two weeks of frenzied work, the first scheduled U.S. airmail flight prepares for takeoff. 18 Philadelphia on Fleet’s map – a photo opportunity that would become more ironic as the day progressed – Lt. George Boyle climbed inside the Jen - ny. His bags contained 5,500 letters destined to fly on the first airmail route in U.S. history. Interestingly, the plane on the air - mail stamps bore the same identifi - cation number as Boyle’s aircraft – No. 38262. How this occurred remains a mystery even today. Photo courtesy of National Postal Museum Although numbers had been assigned Major Reuben Fleet and Lt. Boyle review the map for the first airmail to the mail planes, choosing the first flight. Fleet’s advice – follow the rail - plane to fly the Washington leg had road tracks northward out of Washing - not occurred and would be done by ton’s Union Station all the way to random at the last minute. Yet days Philadelphia. before the flight, Marcus Baldwin of the BEP engraved the number 38262 on the fuselage of the stamp’s plane. As President Woodrow Wilson looked on with a crowd of dignitaries, mechanics tried to start Boyle’s plane. The propeller turned but the engine wouldn’t start. “Why in tar - nation can’t they start that infernal machine?” sputtered President Wil - son. After four attempts, mechanics checked the gas tank and realized the plane was out of fuel. Furthermore, there was no gas on the field, so mechanics quickly siphoned fuel out of nearby planes. Boyle flew off for his journey to Philadelphia at 11:46 a.m. – 45 minutes late and barely clearing nearby trees. Hours later, officials would learn Photo courtesy of National Postal Museum that Boyle had flown in the wrong President Woodrow Wilson and Lt. George Boyle direction and crashed his plane. Instructed to follow the train tracks north, Boyle had become disoriented and used a southeastern branch of

19 the track as his guide. Although Lt. Boyle escaped injury, Jen ny No. 38262 was lying upside down in a field near Otto Praeger’s country home, much as it appeared on Robey’s stamps! The mailbags aboard Boyle’s plane were quietly brought back to Washington, D.C., and flown to Philadelphia and New York City the following day. Meanwhile, Lt. Webb had left New York and arrived safely in Philadelphia. Photo courtesy of National Postal Museum His mail bags were transferred to the Captain Benjamin Lipsner, Superin - waiting plane of Lt. Edgerton, who tendent of the Army’s Air Service arrived in Washington, D.C., at 2:20 Production, and Colonel Rice Cush - p.m. After two weeks of intense prepa - man hold U.S. flag flown on the first airmail flight. ration and high drama, America’s first airmail service was established. In the months that followed, pioneering aviators expanded airmail service, flying by the seat of their pants over the treacher - ous Allegheny Mountains to Chicago and eventually the west coast. Lt. George Boyle, howev - A total of 8,307 letters er, was not one of them. Two were carried on May 18, 1918 days after his first disastrous air - mail flight, Boyle again left Washington aboard Jenny No. 38262 bound for Philadelphia. Another pilot escorted him as far north as Baltimore. Left on his own, Boyle quickly became confused and landed on Cape Charles, Virginia – 125 miles south of Washington. According to an enraged Major Fleet, only “the Atlantic Ocean and lack of gas” kept him from going further. Boyle set off again with a full tank of gas – and ran out of fuel shortly before Philadelphia. He was forced to crash land and heavily damaged the plane. Boyle escaped without injury but was relieved of his duties. The cost of sending an airmail letter dropped dramatically in the early months of the service– to 16¢ in July to just 6¢ in December. (Special Delivery service became optional with the December rate.) With each decrease, a new single color stamp was issued using the same design as the 20 24¢ Jenny. Scott Catalog assigned numbers to the set of 3 1918 airmail stamps based on denomination rather than chronology, which unfortunate - ly created confusion among collectors. The first U.S. airmail stamp (24¢) was issued as U.S. #C3, while the last 1918 airmail stamp is identified as #C1. The BEP Reaction Because the 24¢ airmail stamps were still in production, the BEP reaction to the news of an invert was swift and certain. On May 15th, new procedures were imple - mented to prevent further printing errors. Shortly thereafter, still another change was made to reduce the risk. Each “gener - ation” can be distinguished from the others by the selvage and its characteristics. The 24¢ airmail stamp sheets produced prior to May 15 feature a straight edge top, straight edge right side, and selvage on the bottom of the sheet. The plate number was printed in the top selvage, On May 15th, the BEP added the word “TOP” in blue ink to sheets of 24¢ airmail stamps to which was trimmed away help inspectors identify inverted sheets. Shortly during the perforation pro - thereafter, the word was also added in red ink. cess. Because of this proce - Perforation knives were reset to trim the bottom dure, a plate-number block selvages rather than the top. was only possible on an inverted sheet! On May 15, in an effort to avoid additional printing errors, the knives in the perforating machine were reset to leave the top selvage in place and trim the bottom. The word “TOP” was printed in blue ink in the top sel - vage. In addition, the second knife was switched midway during this generation, so its sheets may have either a left or right straight edge. On a later date, the word “TOP” was also printed in the top selvage in red ink. Sheets of the third generation feature a top selvage, straight edge at bottom, and the side selvage is always located on the left. 21 Eugene Klein As the dramatic events were unfolding in the skies above Washington, D.C., William Robey raced to dispose of his stamps. Fearful that more sheets would appear, Robey wrote to New York dealer Elliott Perry on May 15, 1918, and informed him of his intent to sell the stamps. Per - ry answered with a request to retain the right to purchase the sheet in exchange for a $1 deposit. Perry’s offer would have allowed him to match the highest offer. However, Robey didn’t receive the Eugene Klein letter in time. On Thursday, May 16th, Robey met with dealer Percy Mann. Mann offered $10,000 for the sheet. Although he was still unaware of Perry’s letter promising to equal any offer, Robey declined Mann’s offer and made arrangements to travel to New York City himself on Friday. Robey spent Saturday traveling around New York City in an attempt to sell his sheet. He stopped at the office of Colonel Edward H.R. Green and learned that the multi-millionaire stamp collector was out of town. As the day progressed, Robey received an offer of $250 from Eustace Power of Stanley Gibbons, an offer to sell the sheet on commission from Scott Stamp and Coin Company, and a $2,500 offer from John Klemann of the Nassau Stamp Company. Discouraged, Robey telegraphed Percy Mann in Philadelphia to tell him that he would be returning home Sunday without a match to his offer of $10,000 and had decided to withdraw his stamps from the mar - ket. Mann encouraged him to make a brief stop in Philadelphia on his way. Mann took him to meet Eugene Klein, who was Philadelphia’s most prominent stamp dealer. Eugene Klein (1878-1944) was an internationally known stamp col - lector, dealer, and author. At the time of the meeting, Klein was also the official expert of the American Philatelic Society. Klein asked Robey to name his price. Robey asked for $15,000 and promised not to sell the stamps to anyone else before 3 p.m. the following day, May 20th. Before the deadline came, Hamilton Colman contacted Robey with an offer of $18,000 – exactly 36 times the original offer he’d extended six days earlier. However, a deal had been struck with Klein. Robey sold 22 his $24 stamp sheet to Klein for $15,000 – a 62,500% profit over the purchase price! The precise chain of events that would unfold over the course of the fol - lowing days remains a mys - tery. William Robey delivered his sheet of inverted stamps to Eugene Klein’s Philadelphia office at noon on May 21, 1918. Klein ran a front page ad in the May 25th edition of Mekeel’s Weekly Stamp News which advertised “a few of Courtesy Mekeel’s Weekly Stamp News the remaining copies of the only sheet found for $250 each. Copies with one straight edge $175 each.” One week later, Klein’s ad stated that the entire pane had been sold to a philatelist who was incorporating a por - tion of the sheet into his collection and selling the rest. However, the Dallas News ran the following headline May 22, 1918 – one day after Robey relinquished his pane of inverts to Klein. Dallas News MAY 22, 1918 “E.H.R. Green Pays $20,000 For Hundred Spoiled Stamps”

Indeed, Eugene Klein had sold the full sheet of Jenny Invert stamps to Colonel Edward H.R. Green for $20,000. News that Colonel Green

Colonel Edward H.R. Green and his electric car. The Colonel had received a port - able re ceiving set as a gift and enjoyed it im mensely. At his re quest an additional set was installed on his electric car, making it the first radio- equipped automobile in the state of Massachusetts.

Courtesy of Captain Noel Hill and Barbara Fortin Bedell 23 had paid such an enormous figure (comparable to more than $860,000 in today’s average wages) was greeted with skepticism by many. In reaction to the news, a letter to the editor of the Philadelphia Record proposed purposely printing error stamps to entice such frivo - lous collectors to fund the war. “Collecting stamps and coins does not seem to be a very useful occupation, but it might be made so if collec - tors could be relieved of their money to help the war effort.” Unknown to the editorial’s author, Colonel Green had purchased more than $1,000,000 in War Bonds! Colonel Green stood 6’4, weighed more than 345 pounds, and had a checkbook balance sufficient to pursue any item that struck his fancy. The Colonel was the son of Hetty Green, the richest woman in American history. Known as “The Witch of Wall Street,” Hetty had inherited a million dollars from her father, Black Hawk Robinson, increased it to more than one hundred million dollars, and went to great lengths to pre - serve every cent. According to legend, Hetty once spent hours searching for a 2¢ stamp she’d dropped. Turned away when a clinic for the needy recognized her, Hetty applied her own home remedies to her young son’s recurring leg infec - tion. After nine long years, Edward’s leg had become gangrenous and had to be amputated. Hetty placed money above her own comfort as

Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block Positions 87, 88, 97, and 98 After the red frame was printed, this sheet was fed through the printing press upside down, resulting in an inverted vignette. Had the sheet been fed through the press properly, the plate number would have appeared in the top selvage and been trimmed away after the per - foration process.

24 well. Too frugal to spend $150 for an operation, Hetty endured a hernia for the final 15 years of her life by tightly wrapping the tender area. Hetty also disapproved of Edward’s fiancé, Mabel, and what she believed to be Mabel’s checkered past. However, Hetty’s 1916 death and her $100 million estate left the Colonel free to do as he pleased. One of his goals was to “spend one day’s income in one day.” Buying rare stamps – individually, in sheets, or entire collections – brought him one step clos - er. The Colonel was rather indiscriminate at times – although the Jenny Invert was widely reported in the media, he is said to have thought he was purchasing a sheet of 1901 2¢ Pan-American inverts. Green also amassed an impressive collection of rare coins and expensive jewelry during his lifetime. Green reportedly asked Klein how the sheet was to fit into his stamp album. Whether Green’s question was serious or in jest, the course of philatelic history was charted by Klein’s response. The dealer suggested that fellow stamps collectors would benefit – and Green would recoup his purchase cost – if he sold some single stamps from the sheet. The Colonel agreed to let Eugene Klein break up the sheet of 100 inverted Jenny stamps. Before breaking up the sheet, Klein lightly numbered each stamp in pencil. This simple action has allowed four generations of stamp collec tors to trace the ownership of each stamp. Colonel Green kept a plate- number block of 8, the center line block, the left arrow block of four, the lower left corner block of four containing printing assistant De Binder’s initials in the selvage, and several individ - ual stamps for his own collec - tion. For the next 26 years, 41 Jenny Inverts would remain in Reverse (gummed) side of the the Colonel’s private collection. legendary Jenny Plate-Number Block

25 The Coveted Jenny Stamps A law in force until 1938 prohibited publishing illustrations of U.S. stamps, so the Colonel’s sale of individual inverted Jenny stamps gave the public its first glimpse of the rarities. And demand for the striking error stamps was strong from the start. One of the first individual stamps to reach the public was a copy Colonel Green had donated to the Red Cross. Just five weeks after the error stamp was issued, the organization realized $300 for it at an auc - tion – an amount worth nearly $13,000 today. Eugene Klein acted as Green’s agent in dispersing individual stamps. By the end of July 1918, Klein wrote that he had sold most of his copies and expected prices to reach $500.00 shortly. In fact, Klein’s front-page ad in Mekeel's Weekly that offered Jenny Invert stamps Klein had run continuously since May 25 ended on July 20th. Legendary philatelist Benjamin K. Miller also purchased one of the first Inverts (position #18) offered for sale. “I got in early and bought one for $250 and commission,” said Miller, indicating that he dealt directly with Eugene Klein shortly after the Inverts were offered for sale. Owning the Jenny Invert inspired Miller to pursue other notewor - thy U.S. stamps, and he devoted ten years to acquiring the most com - plete 19th century stamp collection in history. Miller owned a 1868 1¢ Z Grill – one of only two that exist. In 1925, Miller donated his stamp collection – including the rare 1¢ Z Grill and his Jenny Invert – to the New York Public Library. Coinci - dentally, Mystic traded the only other 1¢ Z Grill for the Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block in November, 2005. Stories about the trials and tribulations of Colonel Green and his Jen - ny Invert stamps began to circulate during the summer of 1918, stressing his flamboyant spending and casual indifference to the rare stamps. The tales grew taller as the years passed, adding to the fame of Green and his legendary stamps. Even the highly respected author Max G. Johl repeated Green’s “waste paper basket” story, a tale which claimed 13 straight-edged Jen - ny stamps had fallen off his desk and been thrown away with the garbage. (After Green’s death, researchers found that each of the 19

26 straight-edged copies had survived.) In 1919, several respected philatelic publications mistakenly reported on the sinking of Colonel Green’s yacht and the loss of his entire stamp collection. Another amusing rumor claimed – erroneously – that Mabel Green had mailed a letter with a Jenny Invert. Sale prices climbed steadily when the first generation of Jenny Inverts were offered for resale: $675 (1920), $750 (1924), and $1,000 (1928.) Even the Great Depression couldn’t stop the upward spiral. In 1931, Klein sold John Klemann a copy for $2,360 – nearly the amount Kle - mann had offered Robey for the entire sheet 13 years earlier. And the estate of legendary stamp collector Arthur Hind sold his block of four to Ethel McCoy for $16,000 in 1936, establishing a new record at $4,000 per stamp. However, the real test of the stamp market came in 1944 when the Colonel’s estate sold his celebrated stamp collection.

“The Greatest Piece in All Philately” is Auctioned For 26 years, Colonel Green held nearly half of all the Jenny Inverts in his private collection. Green never exhibited the stamps, and had floated some far-fetched accounts about them. With Green’s 1936 death came worries about the impact an estate sale featuring 41 inverts would have on the stamp market. Collectors would have to wait while four states fought over the right to claim inheritance tax from Green’s estate. In 1939, the United States Supreme Court declared Massachusetts as Green’s state of residence and allowed it to collect $6 million in taxes on his estate. Green’s widow Mabel had signed a prenuptial agreement and received a lump sum of $500,000 and an $18,000-per-year allowance. The bulk of the Colonel’s estate went to his sister Sylvia, a childless widow who kept more than $31 million in an interest-free bank account. With the winds of World War II Cover of 1944 Harmer, swirling and no financial reasons for urgency, Rooke & Co. auction catalog Sylvia and the Colonel’s executors decided to for the Green collection. 27 hold trial auctions to test the philatelic market. If the first auctions went well, Green’s entire stamp collection would be sold. In the end, Green’s collection comprised 50,000 lots – more than twice the number ever offered from a private collection – sold in a series of 21 auctions. The Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block of eight was offered in the seventh Green auction held on November 13, 1944. Although pre-auction estimates ranged as high as $50,000, dealer Y. Souren purchased the Plate-Number Block for $27,000 on behalf of wealthy collector Amos Eno. “Y. Souren” was the name used by Souren Yohannessiantz. A flam - boyant Russian, Souren had fled his native country during the 1920s with a stash of expensive clocks and sold them to bankroll a stamp dealership in the United States. In addition to the Plate-Number Block, Souren also purchased the remaining three blocks offered in the subsequent Green estate auctions. At the request of Eno, Souren removed four stamps from the original Plate-Number Block, leaving positions #87, 88, 97, and 98 intact. Amos Eno was a member of a wealthy family whose history and phi - lanthropy is tightly interwoven with U.S. history. The Eno family’s wealth resulted largely from shrewd real estate investments. Various members of the Eno family were instrumental in the construction of the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty, the 5th Avenue Hotel in New York City, the organization of the Progressive Party, and the co-founding of the American Civil Liberties Union. Raymond H. Weill began his lengthy associa - tion with the Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block upon the death of Amos Eno. Together with his brother Roger, Raymond Weill owned a respected New Orleans stamp business which represented wealthy clients with quiet discretion. Acting on behalf of an anonymous collector, the Weill broth - ers purchased the Plate-Number Block from the Courtesy of Philatelic Foundation Eno estate for $18,250 in 1954. Raymond H. Weill Together with his broth - The collector was Benjamin Dwight Phillips, er Roger, Weill discrete - the owner of a large energy company in Penn - ly acquired several Jen - ny Invert stamps and sylvania. Represented by the Weills, Phillips blocks for wealthy acquired a number of valuable stamps for his 28 collection over the course of the next two decades. In 1968, the Weills purchased the entire Phillips collection for a record $4.07 mil - lion. The B.D. Phillips collection included four Jenny Invert blocks in addition to the Plate-Number Block. The Weill brothers sold the Plate-Number Block for $150,000 in 1971. After quickly regaining ownership, the Weills displayed the leg - endary block in Aristocrats of Philately displays in 1971 and 1976. Among the visitors to the exhibit in 1976 was a young collector named Donald Sundman, who never imagined that he would be proudly dis - playing the Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block 30 years later at the Wash - ington 2006 World Philatelic Exhibition! The Weills held the Plate-Number Block until 1989. Auctioned at Christie’s, the Plate-Number Block fetched a record- breaking price of $1.1 million. Sixteen years later, the anonymous purchaser was identified as Kerby Confer, a broadcasting executive with a desire for unique and important collectibles. Although the Inverted Jenny Plate- Number Block remained out of the public Christie’s Auction Catalog eye for decades, other stamps from the 1989 error sheet were shattering sales records. In 1968, the Lilly (siderographer) block sold for $100,000, a record for a philatelic item. The Princeton block commanded $500,000 dur - ing a 1979 auction. A single Inverted Jenny sold for $577,500 in 2005 – three times its 1998 sales price. In 2002, a lot of three Inverted Jen - ny blocks were purchased by collector Bill Gross for the remarkable figure of more than $2.5 million. The $2.5 million sale price for the lot of 3 blocks was eclipsed with the drop of a hammer at the Robert A. Siegel auction gallery on Octo - ber 19, 2005. At the end of a tension-filled auction, Charles Shreve, bidding on behalf of collector Bill Gross, had purchased the Inverted Jenny Plate-Number Block for a world record-setting $2.97 million.

29 Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block Provenance November 2, 2005 – Mystic Stamp Company traded its 1868 1¢ Z Grill for the Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block. The exchange involved the two rarest U.S. philatelic items with a combined value of $6 million . October 19, 2005 – Collector Bill Gross had sought the rare 1868 1¢ Z Grill in 1998 and was outbid by Mystic Stamp Company. Only one 1¢ Z Grill is available to collectors, and its acquisition would give Gross the most complete collection of 19th century U.S. stamps ever assembled. An agreement was reached between the collectors – if Gross acquired the Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block, Sundman would trade his 1¢ Z Grill in an even exchange. Gross purchased the block for $2.97 million and set a record for the highest amount ever paid for a U.S. philatelic item. October 12, 1989 – Kerby Confer purchased the block for a record-set ting $1.1 million at Christie’s auction of the Weill brothers’ stock. Confer began his career as a teenage disc jockey and hosted a television dance show in Baltimore. Confer emceed some of the biggest acts in show busi - ness, including the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Iron Butterfly, and James Brown, before buying his first radio station. A series of profitable business deals allowed him to indulge his childhood passion for collecting a variety of desirable items, including stamps, coins, and Carl Barks paintings. January 1976 – Young stamp dealer Donald Sundman of Mystic Stamp Company is among the visitors to Interphil ‘76 International Stamp Show who view the Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block. 1971 – Owned briefly by an anonymous collector from the eastern U.S. who specialized in errors. Selling price $150,000 . Weill brothers exhibit the Plate-Number Block. Unnamed collector sold the block back to Ray - mond and Roger Weill before year’s end. Price unknown. 1968 – Entire B.D. Phillips collection purchased by dealers Raymond and Roger Weill of New Orleans. May 18, 1954 – Sold at Harmer, Rooke auction by the Eno estate for $18,250 . Purchaser was referred to as “Mr. B.” until after his death. Mr. B. was actually Benjamin D. Phillips, a wealthy businessman and dedi - cated collector of classic stamps. Phillips’ collection included a total of five Jenny Invert blocks. November 13, 1944 – Sold at public Harmer, Rooke auction by the Green

30 estate as a block of eight for $27,000. Purchaser was Amos Eno, a wealthy real estate investor and member of a prominent family in U.S. history. 1918 – Intact sheet of 100 inverted stamps purchased by Colonel Edward H.R. Green for $20,000 . Green’s bank balance rivaled his larger-than- life personality, and it has been reported that the Colonel thought he was buying a sheet of 1901 Pan-American inverts. May 21, 1918 – Eugene Klein purchased the complete sheet for $15,000 . Although Klein offered a few “remaining” individual stamps in the May 25, 1918 Mekeel’s Weekly , the entire intact sheet had been pur - chased on behalf of Klein’s client Colonel Green. May 14, 1918 – William Robey purchased a sheet of 100 of the 24¢ air - mail stamps for $24 . Eight other sheets are reported to have been found and destroyed, and Robey’s are the only inverted stamps known to have survived. Robey immediately contacted dealers and sold his sheet one week later for $15,000 , a 62,500% profit!

31 The Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block Up Close Stamp Positions #87 and #88 The 24¢ stamp was valid on all U.S. mail, so the phrase “airmail” wasn’t included in the design.

After the red frame was printed, an error occurred during the printing of the blue Jenny Plane that resulted in an inverted vignette.

Plate number printed in blue ink. Had the error not occurred, this number would have appeared in the top sel - vage and been trimmed away after the perforation process.

Stamp Positions #97 and #98

Before separating the sheet of 100 Jenny Inverts for his client Colonel Green, dealer Eugene Klein lightly numbered each stamp in pencil. This simple act made it possible to trace each stamp through the decades and was critical in solving cases of theft and fraud. The Jenny Invert Plate-Number Block is comprised of stamps located in the 87, 88, 97, and 98 positions.

Reverse (gummed) side of the legendary Jenny Plate-Number Block

32 Mystic Stamp Company Mystic Stamp Company, located in Camden, New York, has been serving the needs of stamp collectors for over 80 years. The company is the largest retail mail order stamp President Don Sundman and 150 skilled col - dealer in the United States. leagues serve Mystic’s customers. Mystic offers a full line of U.S. stamps, collecting supplies, supplements, and albums through the renowned Mystic’s U.S. Stamp Catalog . In the years since its founding in 1923, Mystic has grown to a staff of over 150 employees, each working hard to help stamp collectors enjoy the world’s greatest hobby. Mystic is proud of its service to stamp col - lectors and stamp collecting, and that its honest, hometown values are fundamental to the way customers and colleagues are treated. In addition to sending stamps to thousands of collector friends every day, Mystic also buys millions of dollars worth of stamps each year to satisfy the needs of those valued customers. Mystic supports the preservation of our nation’s philatelic heritage through donations to the National Postal Museum. Funding of the May - nard Sundman Lecture Hall at the American Philatelic Society headquar - ters in Belfont, Pennsylvania, is just one example of Mystic’s efforts to further enhance that heritage.

Photo courtesy of National Postal Museum The 1918 Jenny Plate-Number Block Found a New Home at Mystic Stamp

Jenny Mystic Invert America’s Leading Stamp Dealer Plate Don Sundman with Mystic’s Block authentic Curtiss Jenny prop. World’s Greatest Stamp Rarity 33 Mystic Pays More For Stamps!

nest... “Mystic’s bid of $91,400.00 was nearly endly, ho “Very fri for my twice as much as the other bids. air price I got a f commend Mystic ‘s bid was also nine times what would re tamps. I s.” I thought the collection was worth.” s my friend stic to linois –J.E.T., New York My –G.G., Il

Anthon y F. Nazar

Donald Sundman W My ilton, ME stic Stamp 04294 Company Camden, NY 13316

Dear Don,

I’m happ y to confir stamp sto m in writin “...your buyer inspected the ck. As you g that Mys than know, my tic came i fifty year father, Va n as high b s owning B he Nazar, idder for m items and made a very fair roeafllfye re oston Sta was in the y father’s tired. Sev mp, Sterlin stamp bus his eral years g Stamp a iness for m for its purchase... You paid f sotor ck wh ago I asked nd V. Naz ore en the time his advic ar Stamps. The na came. He e on liquid He never me was tha wrote a n ating what the material and arrangedM for its t of your f ame on a s might rem r. Sundma ather, May lip of pape ain of n and his s nard Sund r and hand transportation to your offiinc aen. e ons for ye man. He s ed it to m state the s ars. He al aid he’s d e. ize and typ so said yo one busine This was all done with the e of his an u were larg ss with D d he truste e enough t ad passed d you to tr o be intere co on this pas eat the fam sted highest degree of efficiencym apannid es to t April and ily fairly. bid along the family topped with Myst felt it best professionalism...” the next cl ic for Dad to invite s osest offer ’s stock. A everal oth by over te s I told yo er stamp –D.L.E., CaliIf wornia n thousand u on the ph ould not h dollars. one, Myst sta esitate to r ic mps. It wa ecommend s a pleasu you and M re doing bu ystic to a siness. nyone wan ting to sell We’ve Proven It Time and TSinicemrely, e Again! ver the years, Mystic has been So when it’s time to sell your O publishing letters in advertise - postage stamps, do y ourself a favor and ments from collectors and dealers join the long list of satisfied people who’ve sold us their stamps. who’ve contacted Mystic. These letters confirm one important Mystic travels for high-value stamp detail that anyone selling stamps collections. Not sure of the value? should care about: Call today and speak with an expert Mystic Pays More! stamp buyer for honest advice. Call 1-800-835-3609

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Mystic Stamp Company 9700 Mill Street, Camden, N.Y. (315) 245-2690 www.mysticstamp.com