[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.

David Kols, the president of Regency-Superior Auctions, died Tuesday, March 13, 2018, after a long battle with colon cancer. He was 67.

His stamp auction firm was a major player in the market, with offices in both Saint Louis and Southern California. Kols said the company’s 125 or so auctions over nearly 25 years had sold almost $150 million worth of collectibles.

But Regency-Superior fell on hard times and closed last year. A major creditor seized Regency-Superior Auctions’ assets, including lots that had been consigned to it for sale. Many of the consignors still have not been paid or had their stamps and covers returned to them. Among the consignors was the American Philatelic Society.

Kols wrote in Linn’s Stamp News (May 22, 2017) the firm failed because “the stamp market is in the doldrums,” an assertion denied by APS executive director Scott English in an interview with The Virtual Stamp Club. http://virtualstampclub.com/radiostuff/170616.html

Before that, Regency-Superior had been the official auctioneer at APS StampShow. Kols was also a co-founder and strong supporter of Saint Louis Stamp Expo, a World Series of Philately show. He had been its executive director until last year.

You can find his obituary here.

[press release]

The National Postal Museum has accepted a donation of three volumes of postally used envelopes collected by the late Dr. George S. Brooks of Winchester, Kentucky. Dr. Brooks formed the collection in honor of his son LTJG George S. Brooks, Jr. USN, who was lost at sea aboard the submarine USS Pompano off the coast of Japan during World War II.

Pompano left Midway Island on patrol August 20, 1943 and never returned; its exact fate has never been conclusively determined. The elder Brooks channeled pride and grief for his son into collecting military mail that chronicled the hardships and sacrifices of wartime, especially the difficulties faced by military personnel and civilians in communicating from forward areas, secret locations and prisoner-of-war camps. Some of the last envelopes exchanged by Lieutenant Brooks and his parents – one marked simply “missing” – are an especially poignant part of the collection.

The donation was made by George S. Brooks II, accompanied by his wife, Kathy, and other members of his family. Mr. Brooks is the grandson of Dr. Brooks and the nephew of Lieutenant Brooks.

“Besides adding considerable depth to our military mail collections, the Brooks family’s gift will make it possible for the National Postal Museum to share their grandfather’s passion for collecting with others,” said Daniel Piazza, chief curator of philately.

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 Avenue 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, please call (202) 633-1000 or visit the museum website at www.postalmuseum.si.edu.

The October 27th Virtual Stamp Club radio feature was about one of the few African-American stamp dealers, Kevin Custis, whose day job was being a physician.

Was. He was one of four doctors arrested and indicted in early December on charges of defrauding Medicaid, Medicare and other public health programs of millions of dollars. In all, 20 people were accused of taking part in the scheme, including the Surgeon of the New York Police Department. That’s Custis’ mugshot on the right.

You can read more about the arrests on WABC-TV’s website. There was also a less-than-flattering article on Custis in The Daily Beast in January 2016.

Custis had booths at shows under the trade name “Stampmen.” He specialized in foreign stamps. I last saw him at the Clifton, NJ, show in October. He is listed as a member of the American Stamp Dealers Association on its website, but is not listed as a dealer-member of the American Philatelic Society.

There is now an addendum at the bottom of the radio feature’s script page about the arrest.

Jay Bigalke, editor of American Philatelist, the official journal of the American Philatelic Society, is leaving to return to his former employer and become Editor-in-Chief at Linn’s Stamp News.

He is shown in the center of the photo on the right, buying stamps August 11 at Americover 2017 in Independence, Ohio.

Bigalke has been telecommuting to the APS, coming to headquarters in Bellefonte, Pa., one week a month while living in central Ohio with his wife and two sons.

Bigalke became AP editor in late 2014 at the age of 32. He had been senior editor for digital media at Linn’s, which is also headquartered in central Ohio, in Sidney.

He is an active first day cover collector who has attended many first day ceremonies. On the left, he is shown servicing first day covers for the Circus Posters souvenir sheet at Baraboo, Wisconsin, in late 2014.

“Under Jay’s leadership, the APS raised the standard of The American Philatelist from good to great,” APS executive director Scott English told The Virtual Stamp Club in e-mail. “Even though he is leaving our team, Jay is an APS member and collector to the core. We look forward to working with him in his new role.”

Well-known philatelic writer and editor Wayne Youngblood — and one of the most-popular people in U.S. stamp collecting — is the new editor of two top publications: American Stamp Dealer & Collector and Collectors Club Philatelist. The latter is published by the Collectors Club in New York City.

The former is a glossy magazine which, despite its title, is aimed at a more casual audience and possible news stand sales.

“I am thrilled for the opportunity and extremely indebted to current editors Randy Neil (who founded ASD&C) and Gene Fricks,” the current editor of the Collectors Club Philatelist, Youngblood posted on Facebook.

Said the American Stamp Dealers Association, publisher of ASD&C, in a press release, “Wayne’s reputation and accomplishments in the hobby make him the perfect choice to take the magazine into the future.

“Wayne, one of the most recognized names in the U.S. philatelic community, is a lifelong stamp collector who began before the age of 8 and never stopped. He has been an APS member for more than 40 years, serving nearly a decade on its board of directors. He also serves as an expertizer for American Philatelic Expertizing (for more than 25 years), and is the longest-term instructor at the APS Summer Seminar on Philately, where he has been lead instructor of the Stamp Technology course for more than 25 years.”

Youngblood was elected at the American Philatelic Society Board for the first time as a Director-at-Large in 1997 at the age of 35.

His philatelic writing career began as a staff editor for Linn’s Stamp News, then as Editor of the co-owned Scott Stamp Monthly. He later moved to the rival Stamp Collector newspaper, and became publisher of owner Krause Publications other hobby/collectible publications, ranging from comics and toys to records and movies.

Youngblood is the author of 10 books (including eight on history and historical photography) and has had thousands of articles published throughout the philatelic world.

He currently edits the American Topical Association’s Topical Time journal and Duck Tracks for the National Duck Stamp Collectors Society. He continues to write regularly for several publications (including American Philatelist, Linn’s and The international Philatelic Exporter) and is in-demand as a philatelic speaker.

In addition to belonging to numerous philatelic organizations, Youngblood serves on the board of directors of the Arizona Philatelic Rangers and has been inducted into the APS Writers Unit #30 Hall of Fame and the Wisconsin Federation of Stamp Clubs Hall of Fame. Although his primary expertise lies in stamps, Wayne, who is now an independent author, editor, and dealer, also has a strong interest and knowledge base in historical documents, autographs and vintage photographs. He has served at numerous appraisal fairs specializing in these areas for about 20 years.

Among his collecting interests are errors, freaks and oddities; fakes and forgeries; and the secret drop boxes of the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos.

The world’s oldest stamp dealership, Stanley Gibbons, has put itself up for sale, according to a report by the BBC.

Although founded in London in 1856, Gibbons for many years has been headquartered on the Isle of Jersey, considered a tax haven. Gibbons, however, does maintain a retail store in London.

Stanley Gibbons also sells coins and antiques, but is most identified with rare stamps. For many years, the firm has had few if any philatelists among its management. It has attempted to make inroads in the online stamp collecting market, and for a very brief time, owned The Virtual Stamp Club.

Gibbons said it had received an offer by an investor, which the investor denied.

The Inverted Jenny stamp stolen in 1955 and returned to its owner during World Stamp Show-New York 2016 a year ago sold May 11 for $295,000 — $250,000 plus an 18% buyer’s premium.

Position 76 was part of the “McCoy Block” of four stamps stolen during the American Philatelic Society convention exhibition in Richmond in 1955. Two of the stamps were recovered in the early 1980s. One is still missing.

The block of four was owned by Ethel Stewart McCoy and on loan to the APS when it was stolen. Shortly before her death in 1980, she donated ownership rights to the stamps to the American Philatelic Research Library, which shares facilities with the APS.

The boards of the two organizations decided last fall to sell the stamp recovered in 2016. The auction was conducted by the Robert A. Siegel firm. Bids were received by telephone, Internet and live bidding. The winning bid came in over the phone.

Bidding started opened at $120,000 and closed about 90 seconds later.

The 2018 Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue values an undamaged, very fine copy of the stamp, C3A, at $450,000. This one, however, was repeforated on two sides (top and left), in an attempted to hide its identity. The presale estimate for Position 76 was $150,000-$200,000, well below the final price. No doubt its notoriety added to the value.

The Siegel firm produced a 48-page catalogue for this one item’s sale, which can be downloaded here or ordered as a printed book. Written by auctioneer Scott Trepel and Ken Lawrence, provides a history of the original 1918 discovery of the 100 error stamps, the 1955 theft of the McCoy block, and the return of three of the four stamps.

The APRL still owns Position 65, and has been displaying it at shows for years since its recovery in 1982.

[press release]
The Philatelic Foundation Authenticates Another Long Lost Jenny Invert

A representative of an auction firm recently brought a Jenny Invert to the Philatelic Foundation’s New York offices for authentication on behalf of a consignor. The Philatelic Foundation is widely regarded in the hobby of stamp collecting for its expertise in authenticating this iconic United States air mail rarity. Over the last 70 years, the PF has issued Certificates of Authenticity for 85 of the 100 stamps from the original error sheet of the “upside down airplane stamp,” including all six of the existing blocks of four.

The stamp was hand-delivered to The Foundation by Leslie S. Hindman, the owner and principal of Chicago’s Leslie Hindman Auctioneers. Ms. Hindman recounted that the Jenny Invert had been stored for many years in a safe deposit box together with a number of other rare U.S. and foreign stamps and that the family of the original owner had decided to sell the stamps at auction.

The Foundation’s staff immediately began the expertization process led by Curator Lewis Kaufman and Executive Director Larry Lyons. Based on its extensive electronic and photographic records of this rarity, the PF was able to certify that the Jenny Invert was genuine and came from position 79 in the sheet of 100, one of only two positions which have not been seen in the market place since the stamp was issued almost 100 years ago.

In April 2016, The Philatelic Foundation authenticated another long lost Jenny Invert, which it determined to have once been part of the Ethel McCoy block of four that was stolen in 1955. That stamp was turned over to federal authorities and, following negotiations with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York, the American Philatelic Society was recognized at its lawful owner and was given possession of the stamp at NY2016.