United States 24c Airmail 'Inverted Jenny'

United States · 1918 · 24c

This iconic airmail stamp features a blue vignette of a Curtiss JN-4 'Jenny' biplane, which was mistakenly printed upside-down within a carmine rose frame. It was issued to inaugurate the first regular airmail service in the United States. The error resulted from a single sheet of 100 stamps that was printed incorrectly and sold to a collector before the mistake could be rectified.

Issued on May 13, 1918, this stamp marks the beginning of regular airmail service between Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and New York City. The 'Inverted Jenny' is arguably the most famous and valuable stamp error in American philatelic history.