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The Cold Case.
The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries.
The Inverted Jenny airplane is probably the most famous error stamp in history.
“It’s certainly beautiful, and it’s valuable, and it’s got a great story.” RUNS :05
...says Don Sundman of Mystic Stamp Company — one of the biggest in the U-S-A. He’s owned
a few of them himself.
There were one hundred of these stamps with the airplane in the center printed upside-down.
Each is unique and, almost a hundred years later, collectors know where nearly every one
of them is today.
Nearly.
A block of four was stolen 60 years ago while on display at a stamp collecting show…
despite the presence of armed guards.
The block was broken up, and two of the stamps were eventually recovered.
The other two? Not a trace.
The woman who owned the block — Ethel McCoy — gave ownership of them to the American
Philatelic Research Library before she died. If the missing two ARE ever found, they’ll
belong to the Library.
Now, Sundman is offering a 50-thousand dollar reward for them.
“I really just did it to get publicity for the hobby and help the APS.” RUNS :04
So far, there have been some responses to the offer, but—
“None of the stamps have come forward. They haven’t had the real stamp.” RUNS :03
LdeV: “I hate to bring this up, but stamps are kind of fragile. Do you think they’re
still out there some place?” RUNS :05
“I do think they’re in a collection someplace and I think it’s possible that whoever
owns them does not realize they were stolen.” RUNS :07
If YOU think you know where these two missing Jenny Inverts are, contact the American
Philatelic Society in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, or at stamps-dot-org.
I'm Lloyd de Vries of The Virtual Stamp Club. For more on stamps and stamp collecting,
visit virtual-stamp-club-dot-com.
[A much shorter version was distributed by CBS News. Click here to hear that version.]
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