U.S. and Worldwide Stamps & Postal History
January 8-9, 2019

We are pleased to kick off the New Year with our January 8-9 sale, with 1,678 lots, including additional offerings of the Heinz Gappe (H.G.I. Company) inventory of Flight and Zeppelin covers of the world, as well as properties of numerous other vendors and estates sold by their order. Heinz was well known to Aero philatelists, having been active in this field since the 1960s and amassing a wonderful holding of this ever-popular and exciting area. There are selections of attractive United States, rarities from Albania, Austria, France, Germany and Colonies, Italy and Colonies, Russia, Saar, Scandinavian countries and Switzerland. Great Britain and British Commonwealth are well represented, featuring a strong selection of Batum, booklet from India with set of Gandhi stamps overprinted specimen and lots more. As always, our sale includes selections of better South America, with Colombia Air Post, Asia and rest of the world. We conclude with 100+ large lots and collections, which range from single country collections to multi-carton worldwide groups of stamps and covers, mostly offered intact. This entire sale is online at www.cherrystoneauctions.com. Please check with us often, as additional scans are continuously uploaded. A limited number of printed catalogues are available on request.

ImagesDescriptionCurrent Bid
Lot #148
United States 1979 "CIA" Invert
1979 $1.00 Rush Lamp & Candle Holder, intaglio brown color inverted, n.h., v.f. The CIA invert is one of the best known inverted color errors in United States philately. These stamps were discovered by an on-duty CIA employee who teamed up with some colleagues to purchase the pane from a post office. Saving a copy each, the group later sold the bulk of the sheet to a prominent stamp dealer. News of the error reached CIA officials who sought to claim ownership, and US Postal authorities tried to recover the stamps. Official queries, threats, and even job losses followed the group until the sale of the pane was ruled legal. Only about 80-85 copies are accounted for,
**
Catalog #1610c
Catalog Value $17,500
Price Realized
$14,000.00

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