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ArchiveJuly 24, 2026Sleuth
Case File · Cipher · No. 028

Daily Casefile · Cipher

The Perforated Secret

6 min

During the Saturday afternoon trading session at the Kelloway Philatelic Fair, veteran dealer Oswald Fenn stepped away from his table to examine a lot in the auction tent, and returned to find his locked cabinet of pre-war rarities left wide open and his prize Inverted Jenny block missing. Tucked beneath the cabinet's velvet tray lining was a small rectangle of graph paper — the kind serious collectors use to plan album layouts — bearing a line of capital letters in neat, deliberate hand.

The scene

Kelloway Philatelic Fair, Exhibition Hall B — the dealers' display tables near the rarities cabinet

Possible authors

  • Oswald FennSenior Rare Stamps Dealer
  • Vera ScoltPhilatelic Archivist and Authenticator
  • Dermot IngsStamp Auction House Representative
  • Sylvie MardJunior Collector and Fair Volunteer

Play today’s Cipher.

This case first aired on July 24, 2026. A fresh cipher runs every morning — same rules, five minutes, one solution.