Nixon invert
| Nixon invert | |
|---|---|
A block of four plus selvage shows how the inverted portrait falls in between the stamps. | |
| Country of production | United States |
| Nature of rarity | Printer's waste |
| Face value | 32 cents |
| Estimated value | US $$8,000-$10,000 |
The "Nixon invert" is a reputed invert error of the Richard Nixon memorial postage stamp issued by the United States Postal Service in 1995.
Originally reported in January 1996, the invert drew considerable attention; however, in December of that year, Clarence Robert Robie, a printing plant employee, was arrested on charges of having stolen the misprinted stamps from the plant where he worked. This meant that, rather than being a legitimate error mistakenly sold by the Postal Service, the inverts were printer’s waste—material taken from a printing plant or wastepaper destruction facility and sold illegally. While errors sold by the Postal Service are highly prized, printer’s waste is not and, as was the case with the Nixon invert, may be confiscated by authorities.