Conviction
Robie had first contacted dealer Williams Langs in March 1995, then in a May meeting revealed the existence of the inverts, representing them as coming from a "woman in Virginia". The deal struck in June was actually a trade (Robie being a collector himself), whereby Langs received 120 inverts in exchange for $60,000 worth of rare US stamps. The 40 remaining stamps had been purchased by dealer Gary Posner with a combination of cash and stamps, who testified that Robie had told him that "a lady had purchased it in Virginia at a post office". Shortly thereafter Posner sold his 40 to Langs, who in November showed a single and block of four to Christie's.
Robie was convicted on both charges, May 22, 1997, after a trial lasting three days.
Subsequently, the United States Postal Service recovered many of the inverts. Some may remain in private hands, but as they continue to be considered stolen property, the current owners cannot openly display or sell them to anyone else.
Read more about this topic: Nixon Invert
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