# Absentee Ballot Mailed With $200K Stamp **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 13, 2006, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absentee-ballot-mailed-with-200k-stamp/380184 "2006-11-13T03:05:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absentee-ballot-mailed-with-200k-stamp/380184/1 "2006-11-13T03:05:31Z")
Rare Stamp May Be on Envelope in Florida Ballot Box > [@](#): > > An absentee ballot was mailed with what may have been a valuable, extremely rare stamp, but the envelope is now in a box that by law cannot be opened before September 2008. > While reviewing absentee ballots Tuesday night, Broward County Commissioner John Rodstrom noticed what looked like a small stamp collection on one envelope. There was no name on the envelope, so the vote contained inside did not count. > At least one of the stamps was from 1936, Rodstrom said later. But another really caught his eye: It had an upside-down World War I-era airplane – the hallmark of a stamp known among collectors as the Inverted Jenny… > Maynard Guss, president of the Sunrise Stamp Club, said an Inverted Jenny, if authentic, could be worth $200,000. But when the ballot was mailed, the stamp was canceled, reducing its value. Guss estimated that a canceled Jenny would sell for $20,000 to $100,000. What can you say, but :smack: :smack: :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absentee-ballot-mailed-with-200k-stamp/380184/2 "2006-11-13T03:32:28Z")
I understand we may never know who mailed it. A little mystery. In fact it suggests some sort of short story. Something by O. Henry. ---
**Author:** ![Thalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f475e1/32.png) [@Thalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thalion)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absentee-ballot-mailed-with-200k-stamp/380184/3 "2006-11-13T06:52:26Z")
Just a simple cross reference for “suicide” and “large stamp collection” should spot the right guy. Man, the serious stamp collectors all probably had strokes when they read that story! ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absentee-ballot-mailed-with-200k-stamp/380184/4 "2006-11-13T12:52:51Z")
I once received two old buffalo nickels in my change at a 7-11. Not in the same league as a stamp worth the price of a house, but it was nice find nevertheless. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absentee-ballot-mailed-with-200k-stamp/380184/5 "2006-11-13T13:11:20Z")
Yeah, I once got a 1907 V nickel at 7-11. In another thread, it was pointed out that old coins are so common at 7-11 because people use them to buy nicotine-fixers, er, smokes. I don’t know who’d be so anxious to vote that they would use that rare a stamp. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absentee-ballot-mailed-with-200k-stamp/380184/6 "2006-11-13T13:30:44Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] Yeah, I once got a 1907 V nickel at 7-11. In another thread, it was pointed out that old coins are so common at 7-11 because people use them to buy nicotine-fixers, er, smokes. [/QUOTE] I used to work at a littlc convenience store. Every now and then weird coins or bills like silver certificates would come through and later we’d hear about someone in the community whose house was robbed and their coin collection stolen. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absentee-ballot-mailed-with-200k-stamp/380184/7 "2006-11-13T14:00:23Z")
Wonder if it might be a fake… Hard to imagine a collector keeping such a tremendously valuable stamp, the equivalent of the fabled 1804 silver dollar, under wraps all these years, and not selling it. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absentee-ballot-mailed-with-200k-stamp/380184/8 "2006-11-13T14:57:26Z")
[QUOTE=Common Tater] Wonder if it might be a fake… Hard to imagine a collector keeping such a tremendously valuable stamp, the equivalent of the fabled 1804 silver dollar, under wraps all these years, and not selling it. [/QUOTE] I’m betting on fake. It was not a coincidence that it was mailed on a ballot with no name. I’m sure it was a joke but since it was locked up by law we may never know. If the article I read they may have to destroy the ballots after the waiting period. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absentee-ballot-mailed-with-200k-stamp/380184/9 "2006-11-13T15:08:39Z")
[QUOTE=Common Tater] Wonder if it might be a fake… Hard to imagine a collector keeping such a tremendously valuable stamp, the equivalent of the fabled 1804 silver dollar, under wraps all these years, and not selling it. [/QUOTE] If it’s not a fake, I’d bet that someone inherited a stamp collection and didn’t know anything about them, or just found the stamp in a collection of loose papers and didn’t realize its worth. I’d further suppose that if someone did inherit a stamp collection it wasn’t mounted or organized in the way of serious stamp collectors. I can’t imagine anyone but an utter idiot removing a stamp from a mounted collection to use as postage. But then again, one should never underestimate the stupidity of humans. ---
**Author:** ![vertizontal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ad7895/32.png) [@vertizontal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vertizontal)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absentee-ballot-mailed-with-200k-stamp/380184/10 "2006-11-13T15:25:17Z")
It could have been used by an angry spouse who knew exactly what he/she was doing. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absentee-ballot-mailed-with-200k-stamp/380184/11 "2006-11-13T16:41:01Z")
I’ve found 2 silver quarters (before 1965) in the last 3 years, so if you’re sharp-eyed you might spot one… I wonder how far (say) a typical 1966 quarter has traveled since it was minted. I’d guess close to a million miles… ---
**Author:** ![ReuvenB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@ReuvenB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReuvenB)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absentee-ballot-mailed-with-200k-stamp/380184/12 "2006-11-13T17:35:05Z")
Old stuff pops up all the time. For instance, I keep a 1928 Quarter ([looks just like this one](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8371133776&category=11966) ) in my wallet as my lucky coin. I was working in an office breaking rolls of quarters when it popped out onto my lap. With permission from the boss, I exchanged it for one of my own quarters, and there we are. ---
**Author:** ![homeskillet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7ba0ec/32.png) [@homeskillet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/homeskillet)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absentee-ballot-mailed-with-200k-stamp/380184/13 "2006-11-13T17:35:44Z")
Maybe they need to spend $30,000,000 in 30 days. ---
**Author:** ![Becky\_G\_Supervixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@Becky\_G\_Supervixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky_G_Supervixen)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absentee-ballot-mailed-with-200k-stamp/380184/14 "2006-11-13T18:03:34Z")
OK, I’ve spent too much money on a pair of shoes, but who’s going to want to buy a small square piece of paper (used!) for twenty grand? I wish I had that kind of money lying around the house. If anyone has that kind of money, I’ll bake you the best pecan pie in the country for only five hundred bucks, and deliver it! 😉 * * * The loving are the daring. Dare to love and be loved! :o ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absentee-ballot-mailed-with-200k-stamp/380184/15 "2006-11-13T18:45:59Z")
[QUOTE=vertizontal] It could have been used by an angry spouse who knew exactly what he/she was doing. [/QUOTE] I vote for this one! ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2006, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absentee-ballot-mailed-with-200k-stamp/380184/16 "2006-11-13T18:55:47Z")
[QUOTE=pimaspinner] I vote for this one! [/QUOTE] Lots of people use vintage stamps, that’s nothing new. Sometimes fairly valuable ones, even. But vintage stamps that happen to be the “holy grail” of stamp collecting just don’t quite pass the smell test. You can bet whoever owns or has posession will utilize all 9 points of the law and find out if it’s the real deal or not.