[3] 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.

The stamps were designed by Daniel Schwarz and printed in combination offset-intaglio process by the Banknote Corporation of America.

[citation needed] The stamp first came to public attention from an announcement from Christie's auction house in New York City.

[9] Two days previously, dealer Dana Okey of San Diego had purchased 141 of the inverts from Christie's, and by April was selling them for $12,500, characterizing the response as "awesome."

[10] Clarence Robert Robie, a former cutting machine operator at BCA's Suffern plant, was arrested on December 12, 1996, and charged with theft of property made under contract for the United States (the initial removal of the 160 stamps from the Suffern plant) and transporting stolen property in interstate commerce (Robie had transported the stamps from New York to New Jersey in order to sell them to two separate dealers).

They met again in June, and Langs received 120 inverts from Robie in exchange for $60,000 worth of rare US stamps.

[1] In November, Langs sold 141 of the Nixon inverts to a single dealer for $800,000 through an auction sale at Christie's.