APS ----Article About Stolen Jenny Is Full Of Stupidy.

Just read a Linn's article.. Mystic is offering a $50,000 reward per stamp for return to them (total $100,000).. Any one think one (or both ) will show up or maybe they are lost forever???...

No terms and conditions in the new article, so you can expect a F.B.I. SWAT TEAM to stop by your house for supper, a few hours after you call MYSTIC. Do you readers really think anybody but a five year old would think this offer is valid .

Received an e-mail from Mystic the other day indicating they have issued a reward of $100,000 for either of the two missing stamps from the stolen block. Appears to be nothing more than a publicity stunt since anyone who would be dumb enough to go for the money would have, in the words of Ricky Ricardo, a great deal of "splainin'" to do. Although the individual probably would not face charges of theft or abetting theft, it is plausible that authorities could consider charges for dealing in stolen merchandise or some similar offense.

I think the assumption behind the reward is that the principals to the theft have either passed on or have passed on the material. After a generation people happen upon old stolen merchandise through a variety of means, and proving that they had a principal involvement is next to impossible, especially when they really were not involved (but maybe grandpa was). The hope is that anyone who chances upon one of the missing stamps can gain something by letting go of what is still regarded as stolen merchandise, and that it should not be discarded or destroyed. Of course, it doesn't hurt that publicly appearing to take a noble position with such an offer helps keep up appearances of integrity that are useful in a hobby in which trust is a key component.

Yes of course be very afraid if you have the stamps - the FBI sends out SWAT teams for all white collar crimes, particularly 100 year old thefts

If you ask me -----and you didn't .........The Mystic offer just muddles the waters and raises the stakes to make any attempt to bring out those stamps ............ My guess is Somebody many years ago purchase those stamps for a few thousand dollars and have enjoy them but soon they want to get rid of them . They don't want their good name and family name on the front page of the local paper and they rather destroy them than spend a few nights at the county jail ,while the lawyers play Ping-Pong in a court room . Who ever has them wants their money back or even better a few extra dollars .If the APS thinks they are going to get a few hundred thousand dollars for free and not share it by selling them at public auction ,they got a slim chance before they are destroyed or find their way overseas into a country that don't honor letters from the U.S.Justice Department . There has been some bad prescedence set in recovering and rewarding those who return or discovered stolen philatelic material ,just read Ken L. article about the APS running to the F.B.I. and what did the old couple get for the ICE HOUSE cover -----NOTHING !

I don't think we know that the APS would run to the FBI. The Ice House Cover was located in Chicago when Charles Berg called the police. The cover was originally stolen in Indianapolis, Indiana. I'm not a lawyer, but isn't the FBI responsible when dealing with interstate crime?

It MIGHT NOT be the APS's position to push these matters higher up the legal food chain. Government agencies have the discretion to involve themselves in any matter within their scope. For some odd reason, the FBI didn't have any interest in my stolen kegerator that was transported over state lines by my ex-girlfriend. However, my friends and I were deeply saddened.

As for the old couple not receiving any reward, the way that they changed their story multiple times makes them appear to know that it was stolen goods. Yes, the statute of limitations had passed so they couldn't be charged with any crime. However, stolen goods always belong to the rightful owner. It's possible for a court to uphold the non-payment of an reward in many circumstances. "No questions asked" in a public statement isn't a legally binding agreement. If the old couple brought suit to receive payment, then they could have their "good name and family name" drug through the mud as you pointed out. They may have been legally obligated to receive a reward, but may have chosen not fight to for it because of this very reason.

The APS has a vested interest that items like these get back to their rightful owners. Regardless of their intentions, what happens to those involved is legally outside of the APS's hands. The inverted Jennys legally belong to the APS. Why wouldn't they try "to get a few hundred thousand dollars for free" when the opposite would give them nothing. At the very least, renewing a reward brings publicity. I think that it's better to try to get them back even when doing so might put them further from reach.

The precedence "set" in the case of the Ice House Cover doesn't seem bad to me considering the facts of it that I do know. Unfortunately very few people get whole story. These aren't simple affairs that majority of people can make an accurate judgment of.

From many perspectives, it would be better for FBI to not involve themselves in these matters. However the interest of the rightful owner and preventing further thefts is what is most important in the eyes of the law. That is if it's worth the time and money. R.I.P. my faithful dispenser of frosty goodness.

It would be nice to get a perspective from a lawyer, but none seem to be stamp collectors here. Maybe they don't find it stressful enough?

Another question for legal counsel: Is there a statute of limitations on such a non-violent crime as theft of a stamp or stamps? It seems to me that would be more to the point of whether prosecution applies to the situation at hand, especially since the stamps have probably been passed along to another generation of a family (or families) by now.

There are several legal questions that I can think of:

1. As wt1 queried: is there a statute of limitation on such a non-violent crime? As far as I know there is. However, the original perpetrator is most likely dead.

2. Is it illegal to keep possession of stolen goods if you are aware of them being stolen? I'm pretty sure that this is true and could be very difficult to prove.

3. Is it illegal if you don't promptly try to return or notify authorities that you have goods that you just became aware of being stolen? I would think that this would be true and that it could be very difficult to prove.

4. What does "without question" mean? Does it have to be written as a legal document or is verbal good enough? Does it have any bearing on if law enforcement authorities may or may not further inquire into the crime or question the culpability of the person(s) returning the stolen property?

5. Does the national attention of the original theft or the high monetary value invoke any special laws?

6. What would be the best way for someone to claim the reward and also minimize the possibility of adverse legal action and/or bad publicity?

I just posted these questions on a legal forum. I'll post the replies here if I get any.

There are certainly collectors who are lawyers, they apparently don't post here however.

I see MYSTIC just sold their block of the Inverted Jenny for something north of 4.8 million .Looks like it is going overseas and not aviable for viewing at stamp shows . Maybe the two missing inverted Jennies have already gone overseas ?

Just got my APS journal today ,and there was a letter to the editor in this months journal about the missing Jennies .
This writer places those two stolen stamps in the Chicago land area .There is a few problems with his story .First the holder of the stamps had died in 1963 but he claims to of seen the stamps thirty or forty years ago ? .I would guess that they where sold before 1963 to someone around Chicago .But the thirty or forty years ago would put those stamps into the 1970 's .That would confirm my claim that those stamps sold at COMPEX around 1973 ,which I posted about on another chat board about 12 years ago but nobody believed me . Kind of confirms my posting 12 years ago in a way .
My guess is Colson of Boston did find a buyer who later sold them after 10 years for cash at COMPEX.