Inverted jenny rare

The Inverted Jenny is one of the rarest and most valuable US stamps, famous for the printing error that inverted the biplane.

About this subject

The Inverted Jenny stamp, also known as the "Jenny Invert", was issued in 1918 by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as part of the commemorative series for the airmail service. The central image depicts a Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" biplane, but on one sheet of 100 stamps the airplane was printed upside down due to a paper feeding error in the press. This mistake made the stamp extremely rare, as only one sheet was discovered before official distribution.

The sheet was purchased by philatelist William T. Robey in Washington, D.C., on May 14, 1918, for just 24 dollars (the face value). The discovery quickly spread, and the stamp became a legend in philately. Today, each individual Inverted Jenny stamp is valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on condition. At auctions, examples have sold for over 1.5 million dollars.

The rarity of the stamp is due not only to the error but also to the historical context. In 1918, airmail was a novelty, and the 24-cent stamp was the rate for the first flight between Washington, Philadelphia, and New York. The inverted image was a printing accident that was never corrected, as the defective sheet escaped quality control. The Inverted Jenny is considered the "queen of errors" in American philately.

Interestingly, in 2013, the USPS issued a replica of the Inverted Jenny for the centennial of airmail, but with the image correctly oriented and a single inverted stamp within the sheet. This reissue sparked a new wave of interest in the original stamp, which remains one of the most coveted items by collectors worldwide.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Inverted Jennies exist in the world?

Only one sheet of 100 stamps was discovered, but over the years some stamps have been lost or damaged. It is believed that about 90 copies remain in good condition.

Why is the stamp called the Inverted Jenny?

The name comes from the nickname of the Curtiss JN-4 biplane, called Jenny, and the fact that the image of the plane was printed inverted (upside down).

What is the current value of an Inverted Jenny?

The value varies by condition and certification. In recent auctions, a well-preserved example can fetch between $500,000 and $1.5 million.