Invert

An invert is a stamp on which one element of the design is printed upside down. It is one of the most dramatic and collectable kinds of error, because the mistake is obvious at a glance.

How Inverts Occur

Inverts are possible only when a stamp is printed in more than one operation. A typical bicoloured stamp of the late 19th or early 20th century was printed in two passes: first the frame, then the central picture (the vignette). If a sheet was fed into the press upside down for the second pass, the vignette ended up inverted relative to the frame.

Common types:

• Inverted centre — the central vignette is upside down.
• Inverted frame — the frame is upside down (functionally the same as an inverted centre, but catalogued according to which element was printed second).
• Inverted overprint or surcharge — the overprint applied upside down. These are the most common inverts.
• Inverted colour — one colour of a multicolour design inverted.

Famous Inverts

• Inverted Jenny (USA, 1918). The 24c airmail stamp showing a Curtiss JN-4 biplane flying upside down. A sheet of 100 was bought at a Washington, D.C. post office by collector William T. Robey. Individual copies have sold for well over a million US dollars.
• US 1869 Pictorial inverts. Three values of the 1869 issue exist with inverted centres, and they are classic rarities.
• 1901 Pan-American inverts (USA). Three values of the Pan-American Exposition issue exist with inverted centres.

Inverts Versus Tête-Bêche

An invert has part of one stamp upside down. A tête-bêche pair has one whole stamp upside down relative to its neighbour. Both involve inversion but arise from different causes.

Authenticating Inverts

Inverted overprints are easy to forge, and inverted centres have been faked by cutting and combining stamps. Any valuable invert should carry an expert certificate.