Stamps: The Engravers’ Grave Acts

The first discovery was of a Star of David etched into the beard of Bernard Revel, a Jewish educator portrayed on a 1986 $1 commemorative stamp. Last week the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing acknowledged a second instance of tiny graffiti: an engraver had hidden a signature on a 1986 issue honoring the hobby of stamp collecting. Still another name was discovered on a 1985 stamp saluting World War I veterans.

The U.S. forbids engravers to sign their work, but since the unauthorized markings are printed on all the stamps in question, the discoveries are not expected to enhance their value.