[press release]
American Philatelic Society and Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum
Release New Book

One small error that produced 100 years worth of stories

The Inverted Jenny – popularly known as the upside-down airplane stamp – is the United States’ most famous postage stamp. Desired by collectors from around the world, the little red, white and blue stamp has been making news for 100 years now.

A single Inverted Jenny – with an original price of 24 cents – cost its first real collector $1,500 a century ago. A perfect stamp from an original sheet 100 – the only sheet ever released to the public – could bring nearly 1,000 times that price today.

What makes the stamp so special and who has pursued and owned it?

The Stamp of the Century, a new book by Kellen Diamanti and Deborah Fisher to be released May 1, tells about the origins of the airmail stamp and particularly focuses on those who sought out and have owned a copy over the past 100 years.

“… The stories told here reveal the passions of collectors, portrayed in an endearing way, connecting both the worldly and bizarre,” said Cheryl Ganz, Ph.D., curator emerita of philately at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

Characters from the famous to infamous abound in these pages. Among those you will meet are William Robey, who discovered a sheet of 100 error stamps at a Washington, D.C. post office and ultra-rich collector Colonel Ned Green, whose wealth came from his mother, “the Witch of Wall Street.”

Within The Stamp of the Century’s pages are the stories of brave soldiers and wayward pilots; owners of old money and new money; industrialists and politicians; smart, strong women who dared to shine in a hobby dominated by men; war heroes and schemers; the braggadocio and collectors of quiet gentility.

The book will be officially unveiled May 1 at the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C. In a day filled with activities at the National Postal Museum, the U.S. Postal Service will issue [the first of] two first-class forever postage stamps commemorating the 100th anniversary of the advent of U.S. airmail. Following the ceremony, Stamp of the Century authors Kellen Diamanti and Deborah Fisher will be on hand to autograph the book and talk with museum visitors.

[The Museum opens its new exhibition, “Postmen of The Skies,” on May 1 also.]

Additionally, the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum has invited the authors to conduct the museum’s History After Hours presentation on the evening of May 2 [see below]. The discussion will focus on the impact of airmail on Washington, D.C. The authors will be on hand after the presentation to autograph books and talk with visitors.

The Stamp of the Century has been published by the American Philatelic Society in partnership with the NPM. The book will be available for purchase ($24.95, plus shipping) from Smithsonian bookstores and from the American Philatelic Society at www.stamps.org/publications.

About the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum
The National Postal Museum is devoted to presenting the colorful and engaging history of the nation’s mail service and showcasing one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of stamps and philatelic material in the world. It is located at 2 Massachusetts Ave. N.E., Washington, D.C., across from Union Station. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Dec. 25). For more information about the Smithsonian, call (202) 633-1000 or visit the museum website at www.postalmuseum.si.edu.

About the American Philatelic Society
With nearly 29,000 members in more than 110 countries, the APS is the largest, non-profit organization for stamp collectors in the world. Founded in 1886, the APS serves collectors, educators, postal historians, and the general public by providing a wide variety of programs and services.

Located at the American Philatelic Center in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, the Society is entirely supported by membership dues, gifts, and the sale of publications, souvenirs and services. For more information call (814) 933-3803 or visit the Society website at www.stamps.org.

Book Signing at the National Postal Museum May 2nd:
[press release]
Join Us for History After Hours

Join us for an evening talk with Kellen Diamanti and Deborah Fisher, authors of Stamp of the Century.

The Post Office Department inaugurated regularly scheduled airmail service on May 15, 1918 and issued a special 24 cent bi-color stamp to commemorate the occasion. Production technology at the time was prone to error for stamps with more than one color — a known fact by many stamp collectors. William T. Robey was one such collector who was hoping to encounter an erroneous stamp. Luck turned out to be with Mr. Robey that first day of issue, and he became the owner of the only misprinted sheet of 100 stamps, which would become one of the world’s most famous printing errors the “Inverted Jenny.”

Inspired by the upcoming 100th anniversary of Robey’s famous purchase, authors Kellen Diamanti and Deborah Fisher have conceived a work of creative non-fiction that places the stamps on the continuum of history. Following the stories of Inverted Jenny owners, the stamp can take the reader as far back as the presidency of George Washington. To update the Inverted Jenny story, Diamanti and Fisher have conducted dozens of contemporary interviews with collectors who own copies of the stamp today, dealers who have handled multiple sales, and experts who have spent a lifetime studying it.

A book signing with Ms. Diamanti and Ms. Fisher will follow the talk, and their publication Stamp of the Century will be available for purchase at the Museum Store.

The event is free, but registration is required. Click here to register through the National Postal Museum.