Rare stamp 'used on US post vote' (BBC) {Broward Co, FL}

[eppur_se_muova]

A rare stamp worth as much as $200,000 (£155,473) may be on an envelope sealed in a ballot box after the US mid-term elections, poll officials say.

Officials in Broward County, Florida, say they saw a famous "Inverted Jenny" stamp while reviewing postal ballots.

About 700 of the stamps were mistakenly printed in 1918 with an upside down illustration. Just 100 went on sale.

But it will be 22 months before laws will permit the box with the envelope to be reopened and the stamp checked.

The original stamps bear a picture of a Curtiss JN-4 plane, known as a Jenny, which was used for training pilots in World War I and later became an airmail plane.


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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6143218.stm

What a bizarre twist ... is this a red herring? Or a way of ensuring the ballot box will be closely guarded until the day it is opened?

[3waygeek]

1. Well, that's one way to make sure

your vote gets counted :evilgrin:

[SouthernBelle82]

2. That's what I was thinking

No way this was done by some accident a very rare stamp like this. One question: why is the plane upside down? :shrug:

[Rosco T.]

4. they printed the stamps with multiple plates back then...

one for each color...

the red plate (the frame and background) of the stamp was loaded and registered properly
the blue plate (the plane) was registered incorrectly (upsidedown)

[eppur_se_muova]

5. I have a soft drink can that happened to ... can I get $200K for it on eBay ? :^D

[renate]

3. This was on Countdown the other night

I felt SO SAD for whoever sent their ballot in with that stamp. Apparently it's untraceable at this point because the envelope didn't have a return address.

I hope the county (assuming they get to keep it) uses the money for food programs or child welfare or something instead of just building a road or, heaven forbid, buying more e-voting machines!

[leftchick]

6. yeah right

but a nice thought. :(

[ProdigalJunkMail]

7. when and if it is there...

it won't be worth a whole lot with a huge postmark across it...and I doubt the gov't would know what to do with it. Someone will open the box and shred the contents...or lose them...

sP

[Art_from_Ark]

9. Even if it is postmarked, it will still be worth a fortune

if it is a genuine invert. Tens of thousands of dollars, at the right auction.

[Phrogman]

8. The stamp is a replica, available on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/INVERTED-JENNY-1918-24-AIRMAIL-REPLICA-C3a_W0QQitemZ5658476054QQihZ007QQcategoryZ681QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

Sorry.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

10. seems to agree with your assertion

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/16005671.html

I doubt anyone would mail that stamp...unless his name was Brewster...

sP