U.S. & Worldwide Stamps & Postal History
July 7-8, 2020
Our July 7-8, 2020 auction will be held on CherrystoneLIVE. The sale contains 940 lots of Rare Stamps and Postal History of the World, with extensive United States, European countries, including Austria, France and Colonies, German Area, Hungary, Italy and Colonies, Switzerland and other areas. Great Britain and British Commonwealth feature many high values and sets covering all reigns. This sale concludes with a good selection of large lots and collections, which range from single country albums to specialized collections and multi-carton worldwide stocks and cover lots. Please note our usual catalogues have not been printed for this sale, due to the current unreliability of the postal service (we hope to resume printing catalogues for the future auctions)
| Images | Description | Current Bid |
 | Lot #8239 United States Modern Issues 1979 $1.00 Rush Lamp & Candle Holder, intaglio brown color inverted, n.h., v.f. The so-called 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 $12,000.00 |
