Coming up on October 30, 2025, in New York, Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions is set to put the Laurence (Larry) Peterson — a long-time U.S. stamp collector who built his holdings over many years — collection on the block, and the head-turner is a 1918 24-cent “Jenny Invert.”
Lot 2271 is the 1918 24-cent airmail error (Scott C3a) with the center printed upside down, position 1 from the discovery pane. It shows a wide left sheet margin and a natural straight edge at top; unused, no gum. Colors are rich on bright paper, fresh and fully intact, in the Fine to Very Fine range. It is one of eight straight-edge positions from the original pane — 1, 2, 10, 20, 30, 40, 70, 80 — first noted in 1918 by stamp dealer and researcher Eugene Klein. Estimate: $175,000–$225,000 (Catalog value: $500,000); current bid: $90,000 at press time.
Beyond that headliner, the sale carries depth across classic commemoratives, airmails and back-of-the-book, with graded stamp singles, attractive multiples and plate blocks that dealers and advanced collectors pursue. Kelleher is offering the material in a dedicated one-day U.S. session right after its October 28–29 sale of worldwide collections and stocks, giving bidders a tidy run-up for U.S. lots in the same week.
Why it matters: when a near-comprehensive private holding hits the market, it resets reference points across many Scott numbers at once. For stamp sellers, this sale should set current comps for graded pieces and better airmails; for collectors, it’s a chance to chase trophy items and close long-standing album gaps in a single catalog.
