A rare stamp called the “Inverted Jenny” was returned to its owner after it was stolen 61 years ago. The foundation contacted the FBI, which investigated. U.S. Attorney Bharara, whose office recently returned a Stradivarius – the “Inverted Jenny” of violins – spoke about arguing with his father about the money he spent on his own childhood stamp collection. It will be handed over to the Bellefonte, Pennsylvania-based American Philatelic Research Library during the World Stamp Show in Manhattan on Thursday.
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Library administrator Scott English said how the stolen stamp found its way to Ireland remained a mystery. The Jenny returned today began its long journey home after a man named Keelin O’Neill brought it to the auction house Spink USA, which in turn sent it to the Philatelic Foundation in NY for authentication.
The U.S. Postal Service had issued a stamp with an image of the Curtiss Jenny JN-4HM biplane – which was tailored for transporting mail – to celebrate the service’s first airmail flight May 15, 1918.
The FBI Art Crime team recovered two stolen of McCoy’s Inverted Jennies in the 1970s and 1980s.
Mr O’Neill said he had had “no idea” about the stamp’s history and importance.
It was one of four Jennys taken from an American Philatelic Research Library exhibit at a September 1955 stamp convention in Norfolk, Virginia.
It was swiped from a display case at a convention in 1955.
This past April, he approached auction house Spink USA for an appraisal.
The sheet was later broken up and individual stamps sold to collectors.
Roaring applause followed for the tiny, unobtrusive stamp sitting under a clear, plastic cover, it’s value unknown.
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“If I had been told something of mine worth hundreds of thousands of dollars had been given to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, I would be pretty upset but he was sort of nonplussed”, Eveleth said. In actuality, Eveleth said, O’Neill got to NY and made a decision to take a detour, traveling to Florida for spring break.
