One of the missing “McCoy” Jenny Inverts has been recovered, after it was consigned to an auction in New York City. (The stamp shown on the right is the recovered stamp. Photo courtesy the Philatelic Foundation.)

It was one of a block of four that had been stolen while on display at a 1955 stamp show, the American Philatelic Society convention in Norfolk, Va. Two other stamps from that block had already been recovered.

The stamp, Sc. 3A, belongs to the American Philatelic Research Library in Bellefonte, Pa., which is associated with the APS. One of just 100 stamps for this issue with an inverted center vignette, it is worth about $150,000.

The would-be consignor is in his 20s and lives in Britain. He said he inherited the collection from his grandfather and knew little about it.

There is more about the recovery of the stamp and its background on the websites of the APRL and the Spink auction house. The story was picked up by the Associated Press and there is also a story in the Christian Science Monitor.

Added April 20th: The stamp was certified as genuine, although reperforated, by the Philatelic Foundation. That story is here.