United Nations Memorial

This memorial stamp honored United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld. When a yellow background layer appeared inverted on some sheets, collectors rushed to find the error. Postmaster General J. Edward Day responded by ordering millions more inverted stamps, declaring that the department would not create an artificial rarity. The decision disappointed speculators but delighted ordinary collectors. The stamp recalls neighborhood post offices, newspaper headlines, and children checking panes under fluorescent lights for a famous mistake. Its real story is not scarcity but access: a rare-looking stamp deliberately made available to anyone with four cents and a little curiosity.