Grand Opening: William H. Gross Stamp Gallery

On Sunday, September 22, 2013, the William H. Gross Stamp Gallery at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum will open to the public. Join us for family activities, tours, and programs throughout the day. Events include a special installation ceremony for the Medal of Honor at 11:00 a.m., and the first day of issue ceremony for the Inverted Jenny stamp souvenir sheet at 1:00 p.m.

Source: www.postalmuseum.si.edu/StampGallery/Sunday.html

Medal of Honor Ceremony. The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum will be accepting and enshrining a Medal of Honor into its collection as part of the September 22 grand-opening ceremony of the William H. Gross Stamp Gallery. The medal will be installed into the museum’s new National Stamp Salon.

Recognized for his heroic acts of bravery and valor in action during the Vietnam War, First Sgt. David McNerney (June 2, 1931-October 10, 2010), an avid stamp collector, was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Lyndon B. Johnson September 19, 1968.

First Day of Issue Ceremony. Nearly a century after it was first issued, America’s most famous stamp — the misprinted 24-cent Inverted Jenny — will be reprinted as a $2 stamp as part of the Stamp Collecting: Inverted Jenny souvenir stamp sheet. The sheet of stamps will be issued Sept. 22 to coincide with the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum opening of the William H. Gross Stamp Gallery — the world’s largest stamp gallery. This souvenir sheet features a new version of the most famous error in the history of U.S. stamps: the Inverted Jenny, a 1918 misprint that mistakenly showed a biplane flying upside down. Reprinted with a $2 denomination to make them easily distinguishable from the 24-cent originals, the Inverted Jennys on this sheet commemorate the many ways a single stamp can turn a moment in history upside down. The original engraved dies to produce the 1918 Inverted Jenny are being used in the design to produce the new stamps.