U.S. & Worldwide
June 15-16, 2011

ImagesDescriptionCurrent Bid
Lot #80
United States 1979 "CIA" Invert
1979 $1 Rush Lamp and Candle Holder, intaglio brown color inverted, n.h., fresh and v.f. This popular error was discovered by a CIA employee who teamed up with some colleagues to purchase the entire pane from a post office at McLean, Va. Saving a copy each, the group later sold the balance of the sheet to a stamp dealer. News of the error reached CIA officials who sought to claim ownership and the US Postal authorities, who tried to recover the stamps. Official queries, threats, and even job loses followed the group until the sale of the pane was ruled legal, since it was purchased at a post office. Only 95 of the original 100 errors have been accounted for, with the others presumably used on mail,
**
Catalog #1610c
Catalog Value $18,000
Price Realized
$16,000.00

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