CIA invert in Oct. 13 Sterling Kingbrook sale

By Linn's Staff

A single example of the 1979 United States $1 Candleholder definitive stamp with the intaglio brown color inverted will be offered Oct. 13 in the Sterling Kingbrook Auctions sale of U.S. and worldwide stamps and postal history.

The firm is located at 455 E. Grand River, Suite 103, Brighton, Mich.

The error stamp (Scott 1610c) is known to collectors as the CIA invert because of its discovery by CIA employees who purchased the stamps for business use at a McLean, Va., post office substation.

A nearly complete pane of 95 error stamps was originally purchased. The remaining five stamps from the pane of 100 were never accounted for.

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The example in the auction is described as being in fine-very fine condition and never hinged.

The error is listed in the 2018 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers with a value of $17,500. The example in the Sterling Kingbrook auction is offered with a minimum bid of $14,000.

More information about the auction is available at its website.