Archive 004 — Inverted Jenny

Inverted Jenny

The mistake that became an American philatelic icon.

In May 1918, the United States introduced a 24-cent airmail stamp depicting the Curtiss JN-4-H “Jenny” aircraft. Because the stamp required two separate colors and printing passes, an extraordinary mistake occurred: the blue airplane appeared upside down inside its red frame.

Several erroneous sheets were detected and destroyed. But one sheet of 100 stamps escaped inspection.

On 14 May 1918, collector William T. Robey purchased that sheet at the New York Avenue post office in Washington, D.C., paying its face value of just $24. He soon sold it to stamp dealer Eugene Klein for $15,000, and the sheet was eventually divided into blocks and individual stamps. postalmuseum.si.edu

Today, those 100 stamps form the legendary Inverted Jenny — one of the most celebrated printing errors in philatelic history. No second sheet of the inverted error has ever been discovered. postalmuseum.si.edu

With Archive 004, this famous accident of postal history takes on a new form. Reimagined as a 100-piece miniature puzzle, the Inverted Jenny becomes an object to assemble, contemplate and collect.

Finished with a delicate soft-touch surface for a refined, tactile feel.

100 pieces · 10 × 14 cm · Collectible mini puzzle · STAMP → OBJECT™