Sale 972 — The Laila Collection of United States Stamps
Sale Date — Monday-Tuesday, 27-28 April, 2009
Category — Air Post, including the Inverted Jenny
24c Carmine Rose & Blue, Center Inverted (C3a). Position 64, lightly hinged with a small narrow remnant, deep rich colors, one unpunched perf disk at leftVERY FINE. A BRIGHT AND FRESH WELL-CENTERED EXAMPLE OF THE FAMOUS INVERTED JENNY.
According to Jenny! by George Amick (Amos Press, 1986), William T. Robey purchased the original sheet of 100 inverted "Jenny" stamps on May 14, 1918, one day after the stamp was placed on sale, 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.
Stamp specialists and professionals know that examples of this stamp come in different grades of freshness and condition. Many of the original 100 stamps were mistreated by collectors over 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 stamp is in an extraordinary state of freshness, with excellent color, bright paper and clean fresh gum with only a small hinged area.
Ex Haydon and Col. Aisenstadt. With 2000 P.F. certificate
24c Carmine Rose & Blue, 1918 Air Post, Grounded Plane (C3 var). Lightly hinged, wheels of plane well into "CE" of "Cents"A FINE STAMP WITH EXCEPTIONALLY STRONG DOWNWARD SHIFT OF VIGNETTE.
With 2005 P.F. certificate
6c-24c 1918-23 Air Post (C1, C3, C5-C6). Mint N.H., rich colors on bright paper, Very Fine and choice
10c Lindbergh, Booklet Pane (C10a). Complete booklet of two panes, light bend near staple holes, Very Fine
65c-$2.60 Graf Zeppelin (C13-C15). Mint N.H., bright colors, Very Fine set, last with 1999 P.S.E. certificate for block
6c Dark Blue & Carmine, Vertical Pair, Imperforate Horizontally (C23a). Mint N.H. with top right corner margin, bright colors, Very Fine and choice, with Kessler backstamps and 2002 P.F. certificate