Position 59 - 2001-05-19 Transaction Summary



Purchase Date:
2001-05-19
How Purchased:
Auction
Where Purchased:
Siegel Auction Galleries
Auction No.:
837-2001 Rarities of the World
Lot No.:
356
Sound/Fault:
Sound
Catalogue Value:
$ 170,000
Realized:
$ 185,000
Seller:
Buyer:
Anonymous

Description

24c Carmine Rose & Blue, Center Inverted (C3a). Position 59, perfectly centered, fresh and bright colors, full original gum, small h.r. at top

EXTREMELY FINE GEM. THIS IS ONE OF THE FINEST EXAMPLES OF THE FAMOUS INVERTED JENNY IN TERMS OF CENTERING AND OVERALL CONDITION.

According to Jenny by George Amick (Amos Press, 1986), the original sheet of 100 inverted "Jenny" stamps was purchased by William T. Robey on May 14, 1918, one day after the stamp was placed on sale. Robey bought the sheet at the New York Avenue Post Office window in Washington, D.C. Soon after, the sheet was sold to Col. Edward H. R. Green through Eugene Klein, a Philadelphia stamp dealer. Green paid $20,000 for the sheet, then instructed Klein to divide it into singles and blocks, and to sell all but a few key position blocks.

It is well-known among stamp specialists and professionals that examples of this stamp come in different grades of freshness and condition. Many of the original 100 stamps were mistreated by collectors during the years, despite the stamps' rarity and value. Colonel Green himself allowed moisture to affect some of the stamps he retained. Other examples have become slightly toned from improper storage and climatic conditions. Hinging has caused thins and creases in numerous stamps, and at least seven have been "lost" to philately--or nearly so as in the case of the copy swept up in a vacuum cleaner. This example is remarkable for its pristine state of preservation.

This stamp comes from the position just to the right of the Zoellner copy. Both stamps have similar centering and are in similar condition, being among the finest copies on the discovery sheet.

With 1969 P.F. certificate
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