1979 $1 Americana Series,Rush Lamp Invert,Acquired from the very CIA Agent who purchased the original error sheet
# 1610c-Dscvr - 1979 $1 Americana Series - Rush Lamp Invert - Acquired from the very CIA Agent who purchased the original error sheet
$27,995.00
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1610c-Dscvr - 1979 $1 Americana Series - Rush Lamp Invert - Acquired from the very CIA Agent who purchased the original error sheet
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Own the historic CIA Invert Stamp “Discovery Copy”!
Only one person can possess it… will it be you?
This is your chance to be one of the lucky few who can own a famous CIA Invert error stamp. The one offered here was owned by Stephen Lambert, the CIA employee who originally discovered the major stamp error on March 27, 1986.
One of the Most Fascinating Stamp Stories of the Century
The CIA Candleholder Caper
After discovering the error sheet of 96 $1 stamps when buying postage for his employer, Lambert decided to keep the stamps for himself and replace his employer’s stamps with regular examples. Lambert later shared the sheet with eight of his co-workers, who each saved one stamp for themselves. They sold the rest to a stamp dealer and split the money.
Later in 1986, Mystic Stamp Company president Don Sundman filed a Freedom of Information request to find out the full story behind the $1 candleholder invert. (He revealed it to the world in 1987.) That was when the actions of Lambert and his colleagues were discovered and the CIA ordered them to turn over the error stamps they still owned. Some complied, others claimed to have lost them, and Lambert refused to give his up, resulting in his firing from the CIA.
When Don Sundman broke the story in Linn’s Stamp News, it rocked the philatelic world. It was the first major inverted stamp error in 68 years. The details were cloaked in secrecy, hidden in a maze of deception that took over a year to unravel. In fact, it’s only thanks to Mystic Stamp Company President Don Sundman filing a Freedom of Information Act request with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing that the story is known today at all!
On March 12, 2006, just two weeks shy of the 20th anniversary of his original purchase, Lambert decided to sell his error stamp to Mystic. That very stamp – hidden away by Lambert for nearly two decades – is available to you today. Imagine the fun you’ll having showing this legendary stamp to friends and family and telling its fascinating story. You’ll be part of a real philatelic detective story. One that made front-page headlines across the country – the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. TV news crews and Time magazine jumped on the story.
This major error stamp will be the centerpiece of your collection!
Only one collector can own the stamp Lambert refused to turn over to the CIA. Only one collector can preserve it for future generations, along with the fascinating backstory of the error and CIA involvement. Now’s your chance to be that lucky collector… take advantage of interest-free time payments to make the famous CIA Candleholder Invert discovery stamp yours today. History was made when the Candleholder Invert error was printed and put on sale to the public. It’s your turn to become part of that history!
How the CIA Invert was mistakenly created...
The candleholder stamp was printed on two separate printing presses in different buildings. Sheets came off the first press with the image of the printed flame face down, gum side up. The mill that manufactured the paper normally delivered it in rectangular sheets with a triangle cut off the bottom left corner. This allowed an inverted sheet to stick out and easily be caught by quality control… But after six years of printing the candleholder design, the corner cuts were discontinued. A batch of paper was delivered to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing without the corner cut and the sheet inadvertently reversed. The rest is philatelic history at its best.
Own the historic CIA Invert Stamp “Discovery Copy”!
Only one person can possess it… will it be you?
This is your chance to be one of the lucky few who can own a famous CIA Invert error stamp. The one offered here was owned by Stephen Lambert, the CIA employee who originally discovered the major stamp error on March 27, 1986.
One of the Most Fascinating Stamp Stories of the Century
The CIA Candleholder Caper
After discovering the error sheet of 96 $1 stamps when buying postage for his employer, Lambert decided to keep the stamps for himself and replace his employer’s stamps with regular examples. Lambert later shared the sheet with eight of his co-workers, who each saved one stamp for themselves. They sold the rest to a stamp dealer and split the money.
Later in 1986, Mystic Stamp Company president Don Sundman filed a Freedom of Information request to find out the full story behind the $1 candleholder invert. (He revealed it to the world in 1987.) That was when the actions of Lambert and his colleagues were discovered and the CIA ordered them to turn over the error stamps they still owned. Some complied, others claimed to have lost them, and Lambert refused to give his up, resulting in his firing from the CIA.
When Don Sundman broke the story in Linn’s Stamp News, it rocked the philatelic world. It was the first major inverted stamp error in 68 years. The details were cloaked in secrecy, hidden in a maze of deception that took over a year to unravel. In fact, it’s only thanks to Mystic Stamp Company President Don Sundman filing a Freedom of Information Act request with the Bureau of Engraving and Printing that the story is known today at all!
On March 12, 2006, just two weeks shy of the 20th anniversary of his original purchase, Lambert decided to sell his error stamp to Mystic. That very stamp – hidden away by Lambert for nearly two decades – is available to you today. Imagine the fun you’ll having showing this legendary stamp to friends and family and telling its fascinating story. You’ll be part of a real philatelic detective story. One that made front-page headlines across the country – the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. TV news crews and Time magazine jumped on the story.
This major error stamp will be the centerpiece of your collection!
Only one collector can own the stamp Lambert refused to turn over to the CIA. Only one collector can preserve it for future generations, along with the fascinating backstory of the error and CIA involvement. Now’s your chance to be that lucky collector… take advantage of interest-free time payments to make the famous CIA Candleholder Invert discovery stamp yours today. History was made when the Candleholder Invert error was printed and put on sale to the public. It’s your turn to become part of that history!
How the CIA Invert was mistakenly created...
The candleholder stamp was printed on two separate printing presses in different buildings. Sheets came off the first press with the image of the printed flame face down, gum side up. The mill that manufactured the paper normally delivered it in rectangular sheets with a triangle cut off the bottom left corner. This allowed an inverted sheet to stick out and easily be caught by quality control… But after six years of printing the candleholder design, the corner cuts were discontinued. A batch of paper was delivered to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing without the corner cut and the sheet inadvertently reversed. The rest is philatelic history at its best.