Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-17
VALUABLE STAMPS
INVERTED PAN-AMERICANS
BRING BIG MONEY.
How They Happened to Be So Printed
Very Few Of Them in
Existence.

mercial value of from one hundred to three
| hundred dollars per bit.
| These bits of paper were Pan-American
| postage stamps, of the four cent denomi-
nation, with the central picture represent
! ing an automobile, with the Capitol in the
back ground, upside down. Upon the face
of each stamp was printed, by means of a
rubber stamp, in very small letters, the
word specimen" This rendered the stamp
unavailable for postage.
Not for quarter of a century, If ever be-
fore, has the stamp collecting guild-or phi
lateliStS, they are technically known
been so agitated and torn up over any
thing in the stamp line the series of
Pan-Americans, with the line of errors and
inverts following in it's wake.
The Pan-American stamps aroused eX-
traordinary interest from the very start.
This was the first distinctive tWo-colored
set of stamps ever printed by the govern
ment. The exquisite design and high char
acter of the engraving, together with the
rich combinations of colorings, at once at
tracted vast army of recruits to the
main army of stamp fiends,' and many a
staid business man found himself drawn
by the subtle power of philately.
The First Discovery.
Not long after the placing on sale of the
series, just year ago, a Brooklyn man,
in purchasing quarters worth of stamps,
discovered that the Empire State Express
was wheels up upon the dozen stamps
in his possession. Being utterly without a
spark of sentiment he used four of the
stamps, gave away a couple and within a
few hours found himself besieged by stamp
dealers who wanted the remaining six
stamps. They were finally sold at a profit
of $1,000 per cent.
Then followed a scramble for 'inverts'' in
which apparently half the country en-
gagged. The news was speedily wired to all
parts of the country and every postmaster
carefully went over his stock to see if per-
chance he could discover any inverted
trains. However. so far as known, not an
other sheet of the two-cent invertS was
ever found, although parties did secure the
balance Of the sheet sold at the Brooklyn
office. The two-cent 'invert" is now valued
at $50 with practically none on the market
at that figure.
In the course of a few weeks a wood and
coal dealer in Syracuse, New York, discov-
cred, after he had mailed a hundred circu-
lars, that the steamboat upon the one-cent
stamp was inverted. This was the first dis
covery. Since that time several sheets have
try. There are likely five hundred copies
Of the one-cent invert in existence and the
stamp sells al $25 per copy.
Naturally it was expected that errors
having been made in the one and two-cent
values, that the four, five eight and ten
cents would also eventually appear with
pictures upside down. The expected did
not happen, however. The printing of the
Pan-Americans ceased about the first of
August and up to that time no values ex-
cept the one and two cent had been seen
with inverted center The Pan-American
ceased to be on sale October 80, and the re-
mainders were burned up. 1t was supposed
by collectors that the Pan-American was
closed incident.
The matter was reopened in a peculiar
manner. The young son of an official in the
Post Office Department was exhibiting his
collection OF postage stamps to a collector,
when the latter noticed among the labels,
a copy of the four-cent Pan-American with
the picture inverted. Philatelists assert
that only real stamp collector can begin
to realize the jolt that this vision gave the
guest of the boy. 1nterrogated to how
he came into possession of the stamp the
boy replied that it had been given to him
by his father.
OF course. after that there was no peace
of mind for the philatelist until he had I'M
raveled the mystery of the four-cent in
vert. Inquiry at the department disclosed
the startling fact that the stamp was genu-
ine-that a whole sheet had been printed
and sent to the department. The story of
the find, as related by a post office official,
is as follows:
The discovery Of the two-cent Pan-Ameri-
can, with inverted center, was great dis
appointment to the officials of the bureau Of
engraving and printing, where all stamps
are printed. 1t has been earnestly hoped
tIldt lHe entire TeQulSltlOn De nleO
without an error of this sort getting out.
How It Occurred.
The stamps were printed in sheets of 200,
the center being printed first. The sheets
were dampened, pressed and then printed
with the border in colored ink If by
chance a sheet should be laid upon the pile,
after the first printing, In black, otherwise
than exactly as 1t came from the pile, when
the second printing was made, vignette or
picture would of course be upside down
Where stamps are being printed by the hum
dreds of millions, errors of this sort are
inevitable. After the actual printing has
been completed the sheets pass through
several hands before being placed in the
vaults for shipment, and each individual
had been cautioned to be on the lookout
for .'inverts." When the two-cent value
was discovered inverted, the order went
out to redouble vigilance and it is believed
that after this order not sheet of inverts
escaped from the bureau, although many
sheets were discovered and destroyed
1t appears that just prior to the last
printngs a sheet of the four-cent stamps
with inverted picture was found by an in
spectOr just as it was about to be shipped
The sheet had escaped the eagle eyes of the
various examiners and was about to go out
to a postmaster. The director of the bu-
reau was advised of the find, and after he
had permitted the various officials to exam
inc the sheet, he telephoned the Post Office
Department Of the discovery. The post Of
flee officials requested that the sheet be
sent to the department. The request was
complied with and clerk was ordered to
stamp each stamp with the word .specf-
men" as mentioned at the outset In some
way four. it is said. of the stamps were
not so stamped Specimen
The four-cent inverts were placed one
each In an envelope and presented to off,
Gals, senators and representatives in Com
gress. Ultimately they came into possession
OF dealers of stamps and collectors. by whom
they are greatly priced. It is said a way
has been found to remove the specimen"
by means of chemicals SO that a number
Of the stamps without this word across the
face are said to be in existence. copy Of
the stamp without the specimen" sold a
few days ago at auction for over $780, and
copies with the specimen" are offered at
500. AS only 200 are in existence collect
ors say the stamp is very valuable and
much sought after. 1t is claimed by other
collectors that the stamp, never having
been issued to any postmaster, is not real
ly postage stamp in the philatelic sense
and has no philatelic value. Since the facts
became known to stamp collectors the de-
partment has been swamped with requests