By Henry
Srebrnik, [Summerside, PEI] Journal Pioneer
When I was much younger, stamp collecting was a popular hobby among
teenagers, including myself.
So it was a
given that I’d visit the Smithsonian Institution’s National Postal Museum when I was in
Washington DC earlier this year.
Located on
Massachusetts Avenue NE, across from Union Station, it’s an often-overlooked
treasure, being somewhat out of the way.
On a very
hot day, such as the one when I visited late last June, it can be a somewhat
strenuous uphill walk from the National Mall.
Since its
opening in 1993 in the historic City Post Office Building, it celebrates
America’s postal history from colonial times to the present, as well as that of
countries around the world.
Six
galleries explore topics ranging from the post office system in colonial and
early America to the Pony Express to modes of mail transportation and artistic
mailboxes.
The museum
contains a vast collection of stamps, historic artifacts and interactive
exhibits.
Visitors
will discover the art of stamp making and design, and will marvel at the
National Philatelic Collection, which features more than 5.9 million items.
At
interactive displays flanking a large globe, visitors explore examples of how
stamps reflect their countries of origin and connect people, places, and
cultures worldwide.
One display
showcases some of the most scarce and famous stamps from 24 countries on six
continents. Nearby, 50 pullout frames present almost 800 stamps, one from every
country that has ever produced stamps, including many countries that no longer
exist.
Canada and
the United States jointly issued a stamp to honor the 1959 opening of the St.
Lawrence Seaway. During the printing of the Canadian stamp, a few sheets were
fed into the press upside down—inverting the image. The inverted stamp here is
one of only 24 that were actually used.
Among the American stamps displayed is the
“inverted Jenny,” the 24-cent 1918 United States airmail stamp with the
airplane erroneously depicted upside down. It is the most valuable U.S. stamp.
The biplane
featured in the design is the famous Curtis JN-4-H “Jenny,” modified by
replacing the front cockpit with a mail compartment.
The error
occurred at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing during the week of May 6- 13,
1918: one sheet of one hundred stamps with an inverted image of a blue airplane
escaped detection.
Because the
bicolor stamp was printed from two printing plates (one for the carmine-colored
stamp frame, one for the blue vignette), the error resulted from the misfeeding
of sheets or the misorientation of one of the plates.
Only one
sheet of one hundred inverted center stamps was sold, and no other examples
have ever been discovered.
In May 2016,
a particularly well-centered Jenny was sold at an auction in New York for $1.35
million.
The
“inverted Jenny” is the most requested postage stamp for viewing by visitors at
the museum.
Also on view
when I was there, behind unbreakable glass in a climate-controlled display
case, was the world’s rarest and most valuable postage stamp, the 1856 British Guiana One-Cent Magenta. That alone was worth the visit.
In January
1856, the colony of British Guiana in South America issued a small number of
one- and four-cent stamps for provisional use while the postmaster waited on a
shipment of postage from England.
Multiple
copies of the four-cent stamp have survived, but the one-cent stamp is the only
one of its kind in the world.
It features
a sailing ship along with the colony’s motto, “We give and expect in return,”
in Latin.
In June 2014
it sold for $9.5 million, the most ever paid for a stamp at auction.
On loan from
owner Stuart Weitzman until this coming December 2, it has spent most of its
162 years behind bank vault bars, appearing only on rare occasions. The
National Postal Museum’s display has been the One-Cent Magenta’s longest and
most publicly accessible exhibition ever.
There’s
plenty to see in Washington, of course, but if you’re interested in philately,
this is a must-see place to visit.
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