Mirror and upside down images

Click here for other design errors


Move the cursor over the small pictures for an enlarged view


Inverted and corrected ears.
After this stamp has been issued, it was discovered that the poor man had inverted ears. Fortunately for him, the stamp has been corrected.


AUSTRIA 1934



Wrong British flag.
The wrongly positioned narrow and wide white stripes on the Union Jack were corrected when this stamp was reissued.


JAMAICA 1921



Dangerous bus.
Look carefully at the yellow bus. It is obvious that the front side of the bus is left. Which means that the doors have been drawn on the left side of the bus. In that way, people have to enter and leave the bus in the middle of the road !


GERMANY 1965



Inverted year !
Postmark with inverted year 2000


ECUADOR 2000



Inverted cross
Inverted German cross on the tail of this plane


GERMANY 1944



Upside down
The strange position of this athlete became clear when it appeared that he had been depicted upside down.


DUBAI



Inverted letter
Inverted Z in SPITZBERG


MONACO 1949



Inverted letter
Four inverted N in one sentence


UNITED ARAB REPUBLIC 1960



Inverted name
Inverted name of the engraver on the left on this stamp.


FRANCE 1957



Inverted newspaper
Everywhere in the world, the title of a newpaper appears on the frontpage, .... except perhaps in Luxemburg


LUXEMBOURG 1935



Inverted… and corrected
Woman in synchron- swimming competition : upside down and ... corrected.


BULGARIA 1985



Inverted city name
Inverted left part with city name.


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA



Inverted figures
This letter was of course sent in 1950, not in 1590 !


ISRAEL



Reprint or fake ?
Reprint of a famous error : the inverted Jenny. Still two or three centuries to wait, and there will be no difference anymore with the really expensive ones.


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA



Make your own error
Stamp printed in two steps, only 400 copies exist with an inverted centre. It is very easy to make your own forgery : take two cheap normal stamps, carefully cut the blue centerpart of one of them, and glue it upside down on the other stamp !


CANADA 1959



Inverted Dendermonde
Only 1 sheet of 25 stamps was misprinted, with an inverted centerpart. One of the most expensive Belgian stamps. This one of course is unfortunately a forgery, made out of two cheap normal stamps.


BELGIUM 1920



Inverted year !
Inverted year in postmark


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1955



Inverted piano
Reversed grand piano - the large side has to be at the left side where the bass notes are.


FUJEIRA 1971



Reversed design
Not only the portrait of Queen Victoria has been reversed comparing to the original photograph, also the figure 1 in the right upper corner.


NEWFOUNDLAND



Inverted overprint
Inverted overprint : the old value of the stamp is still visible.


BELGIAN CONGO



Inverted overprint
Inverted overprint


BELGIAN CONGO



Upside down
The green earth lies on top, this plane is flying upside down… Not a common view for a stamp, as the only place where you can see such a view, is from another plane, also flying upside down !


CANADA 1981



Upside down
FDC with a small photograph of President Franklin Roosevelt. After it had been discovered that the photo was printed upside down, a corrected FDC was issued.


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1945



At least three errors
Right below : SIDNEY instead of SYDNEY - Above : VAN DIEMAN instead of VAN DIEMEN - Right below : the opera building and the bridge are reversed in the stamp


TONGA 1988



Inverted portrait
West and East Germany, both issued a stamp to commemorate Thomas MANN. As can be seen by the haircut, on one of those stamps however, the portrait was inverted.


GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC 1956



Inverted portrait - wrong birthyear
The sculptor J.F. BOSIA was pictured twice on stamps from Monaco : the same portrait was used, but was inverted on one of the stamps. And on one stamp, 1769 is wrongly shown as his year of birth : the sculptor was born in 1768 !


MONACO 1948-68



Inverted value
As the value in arabic scripture appeared to be inverted, a corrected stamp was issued.


PAKISTAN



Inverted portrait
The haircut cleaarly shows that the portrait of Franz Josef II was inverted on one of those stamps.


LIECHTENSTEIN 1939



Inverted portraits
Both portraits were inverted on those stamps.


DENMARK 1924



Inverted 2
The 2 in local scripture was inverted on the 12-K stamp. Look at the 20-K stamp to see a correct 2


LAO 1958



Inverted portrait
Both stamps featuring Shakespeare used the same portrait, however inverted on one of the stamps.


UNITED KINGDOM 1964



Partly inverted
On a printing plate, the stamp has to be inverted. The engraver started correctly, but changed his mind in the middle of the word SVERIGE


SWEDEN 1991



Inverted jacket
Inverted portrait as for men the left part of a jacket always closes above the right part.


MONACO 1956



Wrong hand ?
Raise your right hand and swear …. And not your left hand ! Except in Argentina, where they do the opposite.


ARGENTINA 1946



Inverted abbey
Westminster abbey was shown inverted on a stamp issued by Ajman. An English stamp shows the correct representation.


AJMAN



Inverted moon
An inverted Islam-moon was immediately corrected.


PAKISTAN 1948



Inverted king
The haircut clearly shows that the Swedish King has been featured inverted on one of those stamps belonging to the same booklet.


SWEDEN 1972



Inverted portrait
The portrait of the President appeared to be inverted on a stamp. This was obviously corrected when the stamp was reissued some years later.


HONDURAS 1891



Inverted portrait
Inverted painting from Goya on a Spanish stamp. Loof at the Dubai stamp with the correct portrait … and the correct colours.


SPAIN 1958



Inverted portrait
Both stamps featuring the poet Robert BURNS used the same portrait, however inverted on one of the stamps.


UNITED KINGDOM 1966



Inverted flowers
Do the flowers of the marabunta-tree grow up or down ? They grow up, so a new corrected stamp was issued.


GUYANA 1971



Inverted message
On monuments, the vertical writing always goes from top to bottom !


ITALY 1933



Inverted stamp
Inverted stamp on this preprinted postcard issued by the Kingdom of Bayern.


GERMANY



Inverted painting
Pre-printed postcard with an inverted painting of VAN DIJCK. Compare with the real painting.


BELGIUM 1999



Inverted letter
The engraver forgot to invert the letter Z in his own name !


LUXEMBOURG 1956



Inverted centerpiece
When the second colour was printed, the paper was put upside down, resulting in an inverted centrepiece.


ARMENIA 1922



Upside-down picture
Cover picturing the famous Old Crooked Bridge in Hendrysburg, Ohio. The cover was reprinted when it was discovered that the picture had been printed upside down.


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1932



Upside down
Jupiter is represented upside down


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1975



Inverted flag
Airmailstamp with inverted French flag (red color at the left side instead of blue).


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1989



Two left shoes
The buckles of ski boots buckle outward on both feet. This means that the skier on this stamp has two left boots


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1998



Wrong flag
The 1st stamp of the 4th row of this sheet shows the flag of the State Tennessee, with inverted centerpiece.


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1976



Wrong location and … inverted
This stamp depicting a view of the Grand Canyon located in Arizona was first issued mentioning Colorado instead of Arizona. Only after the stamp had been corrected and issued, another error appeared : the complete scene was printed inverted.


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1999



Inverted colour
When one sheet was discoverd with an inverted yellow colour, the US post office decided to print the same number of wrong stamps to avoid speculation.


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1962



Inverted monogram
The monogram of Dürer in the lower right corner has been inverted.


ANTIGUA 1980



Inverted stars.
Inverted stars on the European flag. See the correct stars on the French stamp.


AUSTRIA 1969



Inversion or not ?
Seems an inverted Nazi-cross, but ...the blus swastika is a symbol a goor fortune in Finland, going back to 1918.


EQUATORIAL GUINEA 1977



Inverted N
TUNA cancellation with an inverted N


BRITISH SALOMON ISLANDS 1970



Inverted picture
As can be deducted from her haircut, Queen Giovanna has been pictured correctly … and inverted.


BULGARIA 1930



Inverted map
Correct and mirrored map of the Dominican Island


DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 1900



Inverted coat
Women coats are always buttoned right over left. Or is the women wearing the coat of het husband ?


GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC 1964



Mirror image
Mirror image on the stamp, comparing to the original photo.


GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC 1965



Inverted portrait
Stamps made after the same painting, one is correct, the other one was inverted.


ECUADOR 1949



Wrong shoulder
Soldiers always carry their rifle on the right shoulder


FRANCE 1964



Inverted image.
Inverted image of the townhouse of Thorn.


GERMANY 1940



Mirror portrait.
The design of this stamp was based on an existing protrait of Immanuel Kant, but has wrongly been mirrored.


GERMANY 1974



Upside down.
This map was pictured upside down, with the nord at the bottom of the design.


GERMANY 1969



Missing color.
Wrong colors in this rainbow- correct on the other stamp.


ISRAEL



Unexpected inversion.
The correct name of this crab is Chionoecetes OPILIO. The second part of the name has been inverted to OILIQO on the same stamp issued in a booklet.


GREENLAND 1993



Reversed characters.
Two Chinese characters were printed in reverse order. The aerogramme was recalled and replaced by a correct one.


HONG KONG 1997



Inverted portrait
This portrait of Beethoven, from a drawinf of Klöber from 1818, is inverted


HUNGARY 1960



Mirrored and corrected.
Correct and mirrored Bodhisattva statue


INDIA 1949



Left or right ?
Look at the soldiers in the background : one is carrying his gun on the left shoulder, the other one on the right shoulder.


ITALY 1943



Inverted feet.
Diver with inverted feet.


JAPAN 1985



Mirrored symbol.
Mirrored representation of the communist hammer en sickle symbol.


LUXEMBOURG 1945



Mirror image
The famous round stone on this stamp is a mirror image, making it impossible to read.


MEXICO 1989



Useless rifle.
The trigger of one of the rifles was designed in an inverted position.


GERMANY 1987



Inverted postmark.
Inverted postmark, soon corrected.


NIUAFO´OU 1993



Inverted shield.
Series of 12 stamps, 8 with an horizontal design, 4 with a vertical design. The Rumenian coat-of-arms is shown correctly on het vertical design, but the small central shield is inverted on the horizontal design.


ROMANIA 1927



Strange mirror
The image in the mirror looks to the wrong direction


GERMANY 1963



Inverted
Inverted center piece


SOMALIA 1903



Reversed map.
The map in the circle is reversed. Wheb the stamp itself is reversed, the map appears correctly.


HUNGARY



Inverted portrait
One of those two stamps has tot be a mirror representation of a portrait of Pope Pius XII


VATICAN 1940



Inversion
Inverted head


SPAIN 1930



Inverted towers
The towers of this catheral are shown inverted


SWITZERLAND 1960



Wrong side
Tower at the wrong side of the church.


SWITZERLAND 1960



Wrong and inverted.
This is not the first landing on the moon on July 21st 1969, but an inverted picture of James Irving, taken during the Apollo 15 mission in 1971


SAN MARINO 1993



Inverted A
Inverted A in postmark


KENYA 2003



Inverted portrait
Inverted reproduction comparing with the original portrait in the museum of Versailles


FRANCE 1949



Inverted monument
On the stamp the big statue is placed close to the left pillar. A photograph of the monument shows that the statue stands near the right pillar.


FRANCE 1936



Inverted painting
Inverted picture of the painting 'Le cachet de cire' by J.B. Chardin.


FRANCE 1946



Inverted logotype
The logotype on the plane tail is reversed.


PAPUA NEW GUINEA 1970



Upside down
The Citroën sign on the front of the car is upside down.


MONGOLIA 1989



Upside down
Fish was featured upside down


AJMAN 1972



Inverted
Inverted painting, compare with original


LIBERIA 1969



Mirror image
The Lira de Braccio has been reversed on this stamp, making it impossible to play


MALDIVES 1985



Inverted logo
Inverted logo of the Australian Broadcasting Company ABC


AUSTRALIA 1982



Inverted and corrected
As can be seen on the flag, a first stamp featuring President S. Niazov was inverted. A corrected stamp was immediately issued.


TURKMENISTAN 1992



Inverted overprint
Inverted overprint CONGO.


BELGIAN CONGO 1960



Inverted cancellation
This preprinted postcard was passed upside down through the cancellation machine : a used postcard with a mint stamp.


BELGIUM 2000



Turned centerpiece
Is this horizontal bar fixed in the wall ? No, the picture of this stamp was just turned by 90 degrees.


RWANDA 1980



Two errors
Two errors : plane is not an ME-109F but a Fiat-G50, name of the pilot is OIVA, not DIVA.


EQUATORIAL GUINEA 1977



Inversion
The engraver Cz. Slania has signed all the stamps of this booklet ending with S C. On one of the stamps, however, the C is reversed.


SWEDEN 1968



Reversed protrait
Queen Victoria ordered to be only pictured from the left side. For the composition of this stamp, an existing portrait had to be reversed.


BECHUANALAND 1960



Inverted center
Inverted center - a corrected stamp was issued.


IRAN 2008



Wrong side
The street signs were first designed at the wrong side of te road, the stamp was corrected.


NIGERIA 1973



Just in time
The announcement leaflet showed a stamp with this statue facing right. The Post Office was forced to correct the stamp design before it was put on the market.


BELGIUM 1989



Wrong flags
The Belgian and French flags are inverted, and the central image is missing on the Portuguese flag.


PORTUGAL 1989



Wrong side
The projectionist stands at the left side of the film projector, instead of the normal right side.


CHINA 1987



Wrong side.
The piano lid opens right on the stamp, on all pianos they open left.


CUBA 1974



Inverted
Inverted portrait, compare with picture.


DAHOMEY 1974



Inversion
Inverted statue of Liberty,


GAMBIA 1986



Inverted
Inverted representation of this accordion


FRANCE 1990



Inverted picture
It is strange that two left-handed people are shown on the same stamp. The most probable explanation : the original picture was inverted when the stamp was designed.


FRANCE 1948



Inverted picture ?
Why represent a lefthanded handball player ? Probably because the original picture was inverted on the stamp ?


FRANCE 1970



Three errors
The moon map is showed upside down, UHR after the landing time is not necessary as there is already an H after 22, an the landing happened two days before full moon, not after full moon as depicted.


GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC 1959



Inverted sign
The seeman is signalling a letter that cannot be found in the flagbooks. In mirror however, it suddently stands for a I or 9.


GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC 1962



Inverted ?
Lefthanded or inverted image ?


GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC 1953



Inverted
Inverted portrait of J.S. BACH


GERMANY 1935



Mirror image
The design of this stamp was based on an existing portrait of Jacob Fugger, but has wrongly been mirrored.


GERMANY 1959



Inversion
Inverted portrait of J.S. Bach, comparing to the original painting of Hausmann.


GERMANY 1961



Inverted
The anti-pollution logo is shown inverted. The olive branch which reaches the center of the stamp is shown right instead of left.


GERMANY 1973



Mirror newspaper
Title of the newspaper at the wrong side.


POLAND 1970



Inverted
Inverted portrait of the sculptor Jean Baptiste CARPEAUX.


FRANCE 1975



Inverted statue
At the left, the statue of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius at the Capitlole in Rome is shown inversed.


FRANCE 1963



Inversion
The view on the maximum card shows that the stamp represents an inverted view of the city St Tropez.


FRANCE 2007



Upside down
Float of the fishing line is pictured upside down.


FRANCE 1999



Inversion
This painting from Rubens is showed reversed on the stamp.


LIECHTENSTEIN 1949



Inverted
Inverted representation on the stamp of the original picture.


FRANCE 1937



Upside down
The message on the banner 'ADVANCE AUSTRALIA' is written upside down.


NEW SOUTH WALES 1890



Inversion
The statue has been inverted on the stamp.


BELGIUM 1914



Missing shadow
With this low sun in the back, a shadow in front of the legs would have been appropriate.


NYASALAND 1934



Inversion
Inverted representation of the original painting. Correct on a stamp from Peru.


SPAIN 1966



Many problems
Due to a paper shortage, old military maps were use to print stamps on their backside. But a lot of things went wrong : the stamps were printed on the already printed side of a military map, with an inverted black centerpiece.


UCRAINA 1920



Inversion
Entrance of the Versailles castel inverted on the stamp.


SAINT TOME AND PRINCIPE 1991



Inversion
View of Munchen on the stamp is inverted.


LIBERIA 1972



Inversion
The 'Little Navigator' has been reversed from the original statue in the New Bedford Museum, and is therefore, performing an impossible function, holding the octant in his left hand.


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1986



Upside down
Postcard cancelled at the post museum of Washington, with an upside down obliteration.


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1998



Inversion
Inverted portrait of Robert Burns.


RUSSIA 1956



Lefthanded
Lefthanded player, correct on stamp from UCRAINA of 1918.


ETHIOPIA 1899



Inversion
Inverted year in postmark.


UNITED KINGDOM 1951



Upside down
Inverted year and date in the postmark.


SWEDEN 1893



Inversion
The word SWEDEN comes out from the Morse key in reverse order.


SWEDEN 1979



Inverted overprint
Private issue celebrating the end of World War II. Inverted overprint and corrected stamps.


BELGIUM 1950



Inverted overprint
Stamp with inverted and correct 'Red Cross' overprint.


GREECE 1937



Inversion
Inversion : the featured high jumper Patrick Sjöberg normally starts running from the right, and thus ought to jump to the left.


SWEDEN 1986



Inverted and not
Airmal letter with inverted cancellation. On the backside however, the concellation is correct.


CANADA 1929



Second overprint
U.S. Postal card with a second inverted 1 CENT overprint in the left low corner.


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA



Inverted center
Inverted center, after the prionting of the black colour, a sheet was inverted.


LIBERIA



Inversion
Compare the haircut on the stamp with that on the picture : it is obvious that on the stamp, the scientist A. Calmette was represented inverted.


FRANCE 1948



Inverted letter
The R of République is inverted.


FRANCE 1900



Upside down
Inverted overprint


YUGOSLAVIA 1941



Upside down
Inverted overprint


LIBERIA 1921



Wrong side
Preprinted envelope with upside down stamp at the wrong side of the envelope.


INDIA



Inverted
Inverted overprints.


RUSSIA 1919



Inversion
Inverted overprint.


NEW CALEDONIA 1883



Inversion
Inverted representation on the stamp, comparing to the original portrait.


SPAIN 1955



Inverted letter
Inverted E in overprint - Wrong and correct stamp.


GREECE 1936



Overprint
Inverted overprint.


BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA 1918



Overprint
Stamp with inverted overprint.


COSTA RICA 1911



Wrong hand
Statue of Liberty with the flame in the wrong hand.


GRENADA 1986



Inverted overprint
Stamp of the Österreiches Feldpost with inverted and correct overprint.


POLAND 1918



Inverted colours
The colours of this rainbow were inverted.


GERMANY 1974



Inversion
Inverted Swiss flag


LIBERIA 1956



Inversion
Inverted representation on the stamp, comparing to the original painting of Jeroen Krabbé.


NETHERLANDS 2000



Upside down
The year 1986 was put inverted in the postmark. Compare with a coorect postmark.


IRELAND 1986



Inversion
Inverted portrait of President Truman.


BRAZIL 1947



On her side
The earth is shown inverted with a vertical equator.


ALGERIA 2008



Upside down overprint
A change from 2F40 to 2F50 by an overprint seemed not successful, due to an inversion of this overprint.


BELGIAN CONGO



Inverted overprint
The overprint had to hide the old facial value ... but was printed inverted on the stamp.


BELGIAN CONGO 1967



Inverted date
Inverted date in the cancellation of this letter sent from the Stamp exhibition of 1986 in Stockholm : it should be 86 instead of 98.


SWEDEN 1986



Inverted
Inverted name


SOMALIA 1892



Inverted overprint
Fiscal stamp with inverted overprint.


GUATEMALA 1890



Inversion
Inverted part of the flag.


LESOTHO 1987



Inverted
Inverted portrait of Cervantes.


ARGENTINA 1947



Inversion
The message 'Radio Vivo' is inverted on the banner.


SPAIN 1931



Inversion
Inverted statue : Olive branch in left instead of right hand.


GREECE 1997



Inverted and corrected
Stamp was printed inverted on a sheet. Was corrected afterwards.


SAINT VINCENT 1987



Inversion
The portrait of Benjamin Franklin was inverted on this stamp.


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1947



Inversion
As can be seen at his haircut, this is an inverted representation of Prince Charles. And Princes Diana was pourly pictured.


BENIN



Inverted Jenny
Reprint by the US Post Office of the famous Inverted Jenny stamp. 95 years ago just one sheet of this stamp was sold before a customer identified the error.


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 2013



Inverted portrait
Inverted portrait. Was corrected on other stamps that were issued afterwards.


HONDURAS 1891



Wrong music
The music shown on the piano is a pure invented, and certainly not composed by Beethoven.


GABON 1977



Inversion
Inverted view, the steering bar is at the wrong side of this locomotive.


POLAND 1976



Inverted
Inverted 12 in postmark


IRAN 1973



Inverted and wrong
Inverted FA-key and the two first sharps are FA and DO, not LA and MI


GERMANY 2003



Inverted portrait
Inverted portrait of G. STOKES, mathematician and physicist.


LIECHTENSTEIN 2014



Mirror image
As this conductor was right handed, this is a mirrored portrait


MALDIVES 1992



Mirror image
Mirrored featuring of this church


FRANCE 1995



Mirror letter
Inverted Z in colonization


NEWFOUNDLAND 1910



Wrong hand
The stick to push the hoop is held in the wrong hand


ICELAND 1989



Reversed
Compare the stamp to the painting, the error is obvious !


FUJEIRA



Inverted map
The Norway map in the background is inverted


ANGOLA 2019



Inverted
Inverted figure - the covered eye is at the other side


LIBERIA 2008



Upside down
The stars on the American flag are iupside down


TURKEY 1939



Inversion
Inverted statue: the torch is held in the right hand


PENRHYN 2003



Error in name and inverted
Wrong: Henry - Correct: Henri. On one of the stamps he is featured inverted!


NICARAGUA 1985



Inversion
Inverted on stamp - see original picture


ITALY 1963



Wrong side
Thumb at the wrond side of the hand


SPAIN 2020



Inversion
A new stamp was issued to correct an inverted view of the harbor


BARBADOS 2000



inversion
Inverted picture


GERMANY 1961



Inversion
Inverted letters on the motorcycle


MEXICO 1940



Inverted image
The text on the outfit is inverted. Once inverted the real text SUOMI becomes visible


LAO 1988



Inversion
The position of the stamps on the letter shows that the picture was inverted - see the inverted picture


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1885



Mirror image
Mirrored featuring of this player. Look at the inverted image


GUINEA BISSAU 1984



Inversion
The portrait of Kennedy is mirrored on one of those stamps


PARAGUAY 1970