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Fake Errors

Indian Head Cent. Center inverted. (Scott No. 1734)

Normal Stamp

Fake

This was never a serious fake, as obvious to the naked eye. It falls in the category of novelty fake, i.e. a fake created to amuse rather than deceive and defraud. The faker cut the Indian cent out, inverted it and affixed the result to a cover.

Now for the rest of the story. The hoaxer attached the fake to a show cover, had it canceled at the cachet table, then recruited a youngster to take it inside to a dealer and say, "Gee, I bought this stamp at the post office booth and the penny's upside down."

The youngster followed instructions, presented it to the dealer, who nearly leapt across his booth table in his rush to get out to the USPS counter and snap up the remaining pane or panes of the invert. The hoaxer and his buddies were waiting not far from the USPS booth and watched with amusement as the breathless dealer arrived and asked to see the clerk's Indian cent sheets. The clerk, who was in on the gag, said, "If you're looking for the invert sheet, those guys got here first." He pointed to the hoaxer and his buddies, who by this time could barely keep from laughing.

The dealer, who knew the pranksters, stepped up and said, "Okay, how much?" He was serious about wanting to buy the balance of the invert pane. "Five hundred," the hoaxer answered. The dealer pulled out his money clip and started to peel off the C-notes. "Of course, that doesn't include the scissors," the hoaxer said. The dealer looked puzzled. "I mean if you want to cut the rest of the centers out and invert them, you'll have to use your own scissors." The dealer stopped peeling bills and brought the cover close to his eye for a second look. He scrutinized it for a moment, then glanced back the hoaxers and said, "You bastards! You really had me going." And they all shared a big laugh.