Stamps

Stamps of the United States
Whether they are issued by government postal systems or private, competitive carriers, stamps
are at the center of philately. They are the receipt for pre-payment of a specific level of service
afforded the customer. They reveal the mailing status and the country of origin of the cover on
which they are affixed. They symbolize the authority of the agency handling public
communication. And they serve as icons for the age.
When the United States formally initiated the use of pre-paid postage stamps in 1847, the small
engraving and printing firms of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, competed for the Post Office
Department contract to design and produce the few stamp issues required by the fledgling postal
system. Philadelphia, which had been the seat of the new government and the site of the
Constitutional Convention, was also home to the U.S. Mint. The craftsmen who created coinage
and bills were the same as those who produced stamps. And the imagery used on money—heads
of state and federal symbols—had a natural application to this new product. For almost fifty
years the Post Office Department would permanently assign an agent to Philadelphia to oversee
the secure storage, use, and destruction of the nation's postage printing plates and the shipment of
full sheets of stamps to I.S. Post Office Department headquarters in Washington, D.C., for
dispersal to postmasters.
U.S. postal rates were initially set at five and ten cents. Public usage was predictably low until
the 1850s, when two congressional acts not only dropped rates and increased mailing distances
but also mandated prepayment of postage on domestic letters. The future of postage stamps was
guaranteed. Special-use stamps would appear in the next decade to pay fees for the registration
of valuable letters and the taxation of documents and proprietary articles (to glean revenue to pay
for the Civil War). Thereafter, other types of stamps were issued for more types of postal
services and federal revenue gathering.
With the growth of the stamp industry, the early single-person printing firms became multiple-
partner/multiple-city firms. In the last quarter of the nineteenth century, these firms had merged
to become the viable, multi-tasking giant, American Bank Note Company (ABNCo). With an
accumulated library of stock frames and vignettes from earlier firms, ABNCo would adapt them
to the needs and purses of new international client—countries of South America and Hawaii. In
1894 the Bureau of Engraving & Printing (part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury) began a
long-standing, sole-source contract to produce stamps. Since the late 1960s, private firms have
assumed more and more of the work.
With the exception of the colorful and seemingly exotic Exposition issues of 1893, 1898, 1901,
1907, and 1913, U.S. stamp imagery stayed in the static realm of 'dead white male leaders' until
1924. These stamps were meant to generate public excitement. The modern era of 'speculative
stamps' (issued for the collectors' market) had begun in the United States and has never ended.
Picturesque stamps with an unending variety of subject matter; size, shape, and packaging;
multi-color inks culminating in new-age technologies like holograms are commonplace.
Engraving has all but disappeared in favor high-production / lower-cost printing methods like
lithography and photogravure.
Classic Period (1847-1893)
In 1847 President James Polk occupied the White House as the young nation's eleventh
president. Polk, born after the signing of the Constitution, and others born during that period
formed a new generation of Americans—a generation that had not fought for independence but
was born into it. In 1847 several men were born who proved crucial to American modernity.
Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931), Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) and Joseph Pulitzer
(1847-1911), all innovators in the realm of communication, have provided the base for
generations of inventive thought.
In July 1847 another event of lasting consequence occurred-the United States issued its first
adhesive postage stamps. The two stamps produced for the federal government inaugurated a
period in U.S. philately unlike any other—the Classic Period. For the next forty-seven years, five
private printing and engraving firms designed and produced all federal postage stamps and
experimented with every aspect of the stamp-making process. Their investigations produced
machine perforation and gumming processes, which replaced the cumbersome manual tasks of
cutting stamps from imperforate sheets and gluing. Each firm made its own contributions to the
gumming process. Another innovation, National Bank Note Company introduced grilling stamps
to prevent fraud. The grill was thought to deter people from removing the inked cancellation and
reusing the stamp. Beyond these improvements, many different paper types and printing
techniques contributed to making the stamps of the Classic Period extraordinarily dynamic and
fascinating.
These landmarks in philately coincided with other advances in communication. Christopher

Latham Sholes invented the modern typewriter in 1873. In 1879 Thomas Edison invented a
reliable, long-lasting source of light, and he would go on to invent the electric lighting system,
motion pictures, and the film projector. In 1876 Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.
Though less noticeable, the postage stamp achieved a similar impact on daily lives by changing
the process of communication. Just as these other devices revolutionized the ways in which
people communicate, so too did postage stamps. The stamps of the Classic Period brought
sweeping change and are fundamental to the history of American discourse.
Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson (1847-1851)
Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson (RWH&E), one of the most prominent printing and engraving
firms in nineteenth-century America, was the first to receive a government contract for designing
and printing U.S. postage stamps. Though the firm's production was small—only two stamp
Issues—its artistry set the standard for succeeding U.S. printing and engraving firms. The
RWH&E issues were generally superior to the first stamps produced by other countries.
Ralph Rawdon established an engraving and printing firm in 1816 at Albany, New York. His
younger brother, Freeman Rawdon, created his own independent firm sometime after 1825. Each
partnered with other engravers—Ralph with Vistus Balch of Williamstown, Massachusetts (ca.
1818-1822) and then with Asahel Clark to form Rawdon, Clark, & Co. At the same time,
Freeman partnered with Neziah Wright in 1828, establishing Rawdon, Wright, & Co. of New
York City. On March 1, 1832, their two firms merged to become Rawdon, Wright, Hatch, &
Company.
Tracy R. Edson joined the company as a business administrator at the time of this merger.
Though he may have had training in engraving, he ran the operations of the firm’s New Orleans
office until 1847. During the same period (1832-1846/47), he was largely responsible for
establishing RWH&Co offices in Boston, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati (their stake in the western
market, offering superior quality work at a relatively close distance).
Edson returned to the main office in New York City in 1847 to administer the entire firm, at
which point his name was added to the company’s title and Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson
won the United States government contract to print postage stamps (1847-1851). The
transformations in managing partners and offices that began on March 1, 1832, when Edson
joined, culminated in a final merger with seven other firms in 1858. The new, consolidated firm
was named American Bank Note Company. RWH&E had the largest share in the new company
(23.9 percent). Toppan, Carpenter & Co.—the second firm to receive the government contract
for postage stamps (1851-1861)—held a 22.4 percent share. Of the five private firms that printed
stamps for the United States during the Classic Period (1847-1893), RWH&E produced the
fewest, but its seemingly small contribution left lasting effects on the American mail system and
on philately.
1847-1851 Issues
Though Postmasters' Provisionals and Locals may have preceded them, the 1847 5-cent and 10-
cent stamps represent the beginning of U.S. philately to most collectors. Traditionally, the 1847
stamps occupied the first two spaces in albums, but due to their high catalog value, most young
collectors of U.S. stamps could not afford to buy them. Hence, these spaces were almost
certainly left empty. Such circumstances have created a certain mystique about the 1847 stamps,
which hold a special place in the minds of many collectors since they are the premiere issue and
represent a genesis of sorts.
On March 3, 1847, Congress fixed the future of the U.S. postage stamp by passing an Act to
establish Post Roads "and other purposes" [Congressional Record, March 3, 1847]. It appears
that stamps fell into the category of "other purposes." Effective July 1, 1847, the placement of an
adhesive stamp on a letter paid its necessary postage. With the authority vested in him by the
statute to prepare postage stamps, Postmaster General Cave Johnson retained Rawdon, Wright,
Hatch and Edson (RWH&E), a New York City banknote engraver and printer, to print the first
postage stamps. His choice was likely premised on the fact that RWH&E was the prominent firm
of the time, and the firm had engraved and printed the New York Postmasters' Provisional two
years prior. RWH&E became part of the American Bank Note Company in 1858.
Jacob Perkins, founder of the famous British printing firm of Perkins, Bacon and Company,
invented the process by which the stamps of 1847 (and nearly all early U.S. stamps) were
engraved and printed. First, a die was made by engraving, in reverse, a single image of the
design. This engraving was etched into soft steel and then hardened. An arc-shaped band of soft
steel called a 'transfer roll' was rocked repeatedly over the die, transferring the impression from
the hardened steel die into the soft steel of the transfer roll. The image on the transfer roll was
not in reverse. Next, a plate large enough to accommodate two side-by-side panes of one
hundred entries each (to be laid down with 10x10 entries) was held fast to a table. Although not
conclusive, evidence indicates the transfer roll was placed above the left side of the plate. The
impressions were then rocked in one position at a time, starting at the top of the column and
working downward, until all two hundred transfers were made. These images were in reverse,
and the plate produced the positive image postage stamps.
0001 5-cent Franklin
The 5-cent Franklin stamp exists in a vast number of shades. There are more than twenty-five
major shade classifications for the stamp, and there are almost a hundred more varieties listed
under those. Consequently, these shades are a truly fascinating part of 1847 collecting. Some
shades are very hard to find; others are quite common.
The plate was put to press five times, and the stamps from each printing are distinguishable by
the characteristics of their impressions. Brown inks, which contained oxides of various metals,
eroded the engraved plate's fine lines through the several thousand impressions. Repeated,
inconsistent wiping of the plate after each impression also eroded the engraving. After the third
printing, the plate was virtually useless. The plate was then acid-etched before the fourth
printing, cleaning the plate, deepening its lines, and thereby enhancing the impression. However,
in the process the lines of the engraved plate were widened twice as much as they were
deepened, the acid eating away at the left and right sides simultaneously. It also ate away at the
bottom. While this helped strengthen medium-to-deep lines, it gave them a soft or fuzzy
appearance. Many of the extremely fine lines completely disappeared from the stamps of the
fourth and fifth printing. A few positions on the plate might have been re-entered after the fourth
and/or fifth printing.
Plate varieties included six so-called double-transfers, a "T" Crack, the dot in "S," and a few
others. Cancellations are usually a red grid, town, or manuscript. Any other well-defined strikes
are sought after.
0002 10-cent Washington
Unlike the printings of the 5-cent 1847 stamp, the four printings of the 10-cent stamp are not
academically important. There is no dispute over whether the plate was re-worked, had re-
entries, or was cleaned. These actions, presumed to have been performed on the 5-cent plate,
changed certain details of the 5-cent stamp's appearance. Since these did not occur on the 10-cent
plate, the 10-cent deliveries are almost completely indistinguishable from one another. The range
between the first delivery and the fourth delivery is very narrow and barely perceptible. The
primary reason for this is the composition of the inks. The composition of the inks was likely
carbon-based pigments, similar to carbon black. Unlike the pigments of the 5-cent stamp, the 10-
cent inks were not abrasive. Another reason for lack of wear to the 10-cent plate is that only
1,050,000 stamps were printed. That is less than twenty-five percent of the 4,4000,000 stamps
for the 5-cent stamp. If the 5-cent plate had made only 1,050,000 stamps, production would have
stopped during the second delivery, leaving only excellent impressions known from the 5-cent
stamp as well.
Elliott Perry plated all two hundred positions of the 10-cent stamp. He found that, because of the
black ink's non-abrasive nature and its sharp contrast on the paper, the nuances of each
impression rendered them virtually indistinguishable. There are four double transfers and many
well-known varieties from this plate.
The 1847 issue was demonetized on July 1, 1851, replaced by new stamps and new postal rates.
The contract to print the new issue was not awarded to Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson, which
retained ownership of the 1847 printing plates and dies. From that point onward, all printing
contracts provided for government possession of all the plates and dies. The lack of government
control over the printing media, it is believed, caused the 1847 issue to be demonetized.
Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co. (1851-1861)
Charles Toppan opened his own engraving business in Philadelphia in 1829. He was thirty-three
years old. Other engraving firms-Draper, Underwood, Bald, Spencer & Hufty, for instance-were
already well-established in the city. But it would be Charles Toppan & Co., after multiple
partnerships and transformations, which would engrave and print some of the most notable
stamps in U.S. philately.
John Draper of Draper, Underwood, Bald, Spencer & Hufty left his own firm in 1837 to join
Toppan and James Longacre in a new business venture. Longacre left Draper, Toppan & Co. in
1840. Four years later he became chief engraver of the United States Mint, a position he held
until his death in 1869. There he designed and engraved both the Indian Head penny and the first
20-dollar Double Eagle.
Samuel Carpenter had joined Draper, Toppan & Co. by 1843 and became a principle partner
when the Draper-Toppan partnership dissolved. The company then took the name Toppan,
Carpenter & Co. Designer and engraver John W. Casilear joined as a principle partner in 1850, at
which point the final iteration of the company name was complete- Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear
& Co. In 1851, with these three principle partners and two junior partners, Henry E. Saulnier and
William C. Smillie, the company submitted its bid for the new United States postage stamp
contract.
Concurrent with the contract competition, Congress passed the Act of March 3, 1851, titled "An
Act to reduce and modify the Rates of Postage in the United States." To encourage public use of
the federal postal system, it established new, usually reduced, rates for more types of usages than
any previous legislation and increased the postal distances per rate by up to ten times-for
example, from three hundred to 3,000 miles. These included a one-cent rate for printed matter; a
new three-cent rate to replace the earlier five- and ten-cent rates for letters; and ten-, twelve-, and
thirty-cent rates and above for more complex usages. The act drove the need for new stamps of
varying denominations.
Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co. was awarded a six-year contract (1851-1857), which was
later extended to 1861. In the mid-1850s, Casilear left the company to become a professional
artist. His works are held in important U.S. museums. When Casilear left and the company name
reverted to Toppan, Carpenter & Co., the remaining partners merged with several other firms
(including Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson) to form the American Bank Note Company.
Toppan, Carpenter & Co. had a 22.4 percent share in this new company. Stamps printed after the
1858 merger would still carry the Toppan, Carpenter & Co. name.
1851-1861 Issues
The 1851 Report of the Postmaster General appeared in a full-page spread in the New York
Times. In it Postmaster General Nathan Hall noted a drop in revenue in the last part of the fiscal
year. The reason: the rate changes prescribed by the Act of March 3, 1850, were about to go into
effect and the public had delayed its correspondence until it could take advantage of the cheaper
rates. And why not? The new rates offered mail delivery to locations ten times the earlier
distance for 40 percent less.
With the 1851-1861 Issue, three cents paid for the delivery of a half-ounce letter to a location
3,000 miles away. But the 1850 Act also prescribed penalties for letters sent without prepayment:
two cents for letters going less than 3,000 miles and four cents for those going over 3,000 miles.
The Act of 1847 had authorized the rates by which the 1847 issues operated. Five cents paid for
the delivery of a half-ounce letter up to 300 miles; ten cents paid for a half-ounce letter to be
carried over 300 miles. There was no penalty in sending a letter without a stamp because the
recipient merely paid the postage.
The stamps of the 1851-1861 Issue are fascinating for a variety of reasons. This Issue introduced
perforations, but the 1-cent through 12-cent denominations were released in both imperforate and
perforated form, a unique distinction during the Classic Period. The 24-cent through 90-cent
denominations were only issued perforated.
More types and varieties of stamps were released with the 1851-1861 Issue than with any other
Issue of the Classic Period. The types are attributed to the innovative printing techniques that
Toppan, Carpenter & Co. devised to print the intricate designs. The varieties are attributed to the
many small differences in the designs that can only be recognized by the expert’s eye and to the
major and minor color differences. All in all, the stamps of the 1851-1861 Issue were the
benchmark for all stamps that followed.
0009 1-cent Franklin Imperforate
On July 1, 1851, new and lower postage rates went into effect. America’s first 1-cent stamp was
issued on that date to pre-pay certain categories of mail, including circulars, which today might
be called 'junk mail'.
The 1-cent stamp was printed in blue, and features a central portrait of
our first postmaster general, Benjamin Franklin, in profile facing right. Toppan, Carpenter,
Casilear & Co. designed and printed the stamp, which was issued by the Post Office Department
over the next ten years.
The 1-cent stamp was engraved, and it was printed from steel plates of two hundred stamps.
Twelve plates were made to print 1-cent stamps during this ten-year period. The stamps were
issued without perforations until 1857, when perforations were introduced.
The printers encountered significant technical difficulties making the plates, causing
incompleteness of the stamp design, primarily at top and bottom. Stamp collectors assign
different 'types' (and therefore catalog numbers) to the 1-cent stamp, which depend largely on the
completeness of the ornate edges.
Type I stamps have the full design. Very few of these were printed, and they range from scarce
to very rare. The other types have varying degrees of incomplete edges. Besides Type I, the
recognized types and sub-types are Type Ia, Type Ib, Type Ic, Type II, Type III, Type IIIa, Type
IV, Type V, and Type Va. By far the most common is Type V.
0011 3-cent Washington Imperforate
On March 3, 1851, Congress passed a postal reform act that reduced the five-cent letter rate to
three cents for pre-paid letters (the general practice at that time was to send mail 'collect'). At that
time, only the 5-cent and 10-cent denominations were available at the time, so a 3-cent stamp
was required to accommodate the rate reduction. Since it paid the basic letter rate, the 3-cent
stamp is the most common stamp found in the 1851-1857 Issue.
Issued on July 1, 1851, the 3-cent stamp features a central portrait of George Washington in
profile, facing left. It was engraved and printed from steel plates of two hundred stamps. For the
next decade, Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co., a private engraving company located in
Philadelphia, printed the stamp in varying shades of orange and red. Minor design changes
appeared over those years.
Between July 1, 1851, and December 31, 1855, prepayment of postage could be made either in
cash or with stamps. On January 1, 1856, the Post Office Department eliminated the ‘cash
option’, thus mandating use of stamps. The option to send letters ‘collect’ (at the 5-cent rate) had
been abolished on April 1, 1855. These changes precipitated increased use of the 3-cent stamp.
There are three basic types of the 3-cent stamp, determined by the outer frame line surrounding
the rectangular stamp design. These are called Type I, Type II, and Type IIa. Type I was used
until perforations were introduced in 1857, and Types II and IIa were created to accommodate
the perforations.
0012 5-cent Jefferson Imperforate
The first U.S. stamp not depicting Benjamin Franklin or George Washington, this breakaway 5-
cent stamp of the 1851-1861 Issue depicts Thomas Jefferson, the nation's third president.
Designed and engraved by Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co., Gilbert Stuart's portrait of
Jefferson inspired the issue. The last imperforate stamp released by Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear
& Co., it was in use from spring 1856 to summer 1857. When issued in 1856, the stamp served
almost no purpose for domestic mail except payment of multiple-weight rates or, in a few cases,
the registered mail fee. It was used primarily on mail to foreign destinations, especially France,
since it fulfilled the several different rates.
While Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co. printed the imperforate 5-cent Jefferson in only one
color (red brown), the perforated issues the firm produced by mid-1857 were printed in at least
six major colors. These color varieties of the perforate 5-cent 1856-1861 Issue expose a level of
sophistication and degree of difficulty unique to Toppan, Carpenter issues. It is also important to
note that the perforated issues were printed with two types of frames. The first, as in the
imperforate stamp, has full projections at the top and bottom; the second, which only appears on
perforated stamps, has those projections cut away. These later perforated issues fulfilled the
same rates.
Approximately 150,000 imperforate stamps and 2,310,000 perforated stamps of the 5-cent
Jefferson were printed by Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co.
On the first day of July 1851, the stamps of the 1847 Issue were demonetized. They could not,
therefore, be used to pre-pay postage. As a result, three new stamps came into use—a 1-cent, 3-
cent, and 12-cent denomination. There were no 10-cent stamps available (or perhaps needed) to
pre-pay postage in the United States. That changed in April 1855. A fee hike in the ‘over 3,000
mile rate’ increased the cost from six cents to ten cents. There was then an immediate need for a
10-cent stamp. [Bear in mind that the 5-cent Jefferson was not issued until spring 1856;
otherwise, it would have required three 3-cent stamps and one 1-cent to pay the rate.]
It may have been the short notice, but Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co. reused the vignette of
the 12-cent George Washington (1851 Issue) for this new 10-cent stamp. Henry Earle engraved
the frame and lettering. He had worked with Charles Toppan since 1840. Earle engraved all the
lettering for the 1851-1861 Issue, and then he left the company.
The stamps of the 10-cent 1855 issue are of four types, which are differentiated by certain lines
and recuts on the sides of the stamps. All four types appeared on each sheet of two hundred
stamps: twenty stamps were Type I; ninety-three, Type II; seventy-nine, Type III; and eight
stamps, Type IV. These same proportions were repeated when the sheets were perforated in
1857.
In 1859 an entirely new plate was created. Its stamps would be known as Type V and would only
be released in a perforated format. The design on this plate was slightly cut away at the sides so
that it was more uniform and would fit onto the sheet. These cuts, though slight, were greater
than those performed on most of the previous four types. The stamp typically paid the half-
ounce, over-3,000-mile rate, but it was also used, in combination with other denominations, to
pay a plethora of rates to foreign destinations. Approximately 5,025,000 imperforate stamps and
16-18 million perforate stamps of the 10-cent issue were printed by Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear
& Co.
The 12-cent Washington of the 1851-1861 Issue was released in mid-1851. The Washington
portrait was derived from the Gilbert Stuart painting. At the time of its printing, the 12-cent
stamp was the highest U.S. denomination ever issued. It did not fulfill a single-weight rate.
Rather, it paid the over-3,000-mile, double-weight rate or the quadruple-weight rate for a letter
sent under 3,000 miles. The stamp was often used to pay the twenty-four-cent, single-weight rate
to England.
There are many known bisects of this stamp that paid the six-cent single-weight rate. This usage
was banned by the Post Office Department. If apprehended for an illegal use, the letter was
considered unpaid, leaving a ten-cent unpaid fee for the recipient to cover.
All imperforate stamps dating from 1857 were printed from plate 1. From late 1859 to early
1860, another plate (plate 3) was used. At some point a plate 2 is assumed to have been created
that had additional space between stamp designs for perforations, but there are no known stamps
from this plate. The perforated plate 3 stamps can be distinguished from plate 1 stamps by the
broken lines in the design's outer frame lines. Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co. printed
approximately 2,500,000 imperforate stamps and 5,800,000 perforated stamps of the 12-cent
issue.
0018 1-cent Franklin Perforated
0025 3-cent Washington Perforated
0030 5-cent Jefferson Perforated
The 24-cent gray lilac Washington was the first stamp issued without an imperforate release; all
the stamps of this issue were perforated. In 1857, in conjunction with the renewal of their
contract, Toppan, Carpenter & Co. designed and produced a plate for this 24-cent denomination.
This was the fourth stamp produced by Toppan, Carpenter that depicted the first president, and
as with the 10-cent and 12-cent denominations, the Gilbert Stuart portrait inspired the 24-cent
design. Though Toppan, Carpenter & Co. created the plate in 1857, its stamps were not released
to the public until mid-1860. As a single stamp, the 24-cent Washington paid the half-ounce
weight rate to England. It was also used in combination with other denominations to pay more
expensive multiple weight or foreign destination rates. Toppan, Carpenter & Co. printed
approximately 736,000 stamps of the 24-cent issue.
This 30-cent stamp was the third to depict Benjamin Franklin and the second stamp of 1851-
1861 to be issued without an imperforate release; all of the 30-cent stamps were perforated. In
terms of color, it was the brightest of all the previously issued stamps. It served many different
purposes. Though most frequently thought of as a single stamp usage on cover to France and
Germany, it was also combined with lower denominations to pay more expensive multiple-
weight or foreign destination rates. Toppan, Carpenter & Co. printed approximately 357,000
stamps of the 30-cent issue.
American artists Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828) and John Trumbull (1756-1843) studied for a time in
London under Benjamin West (1738-1820). Trumbull, who had served under George
Washington during the American siege of Boston in 1776, resigned his commission in 1777.
Determined to develop his artistic abilities, he set-out for London in 1780 with an introductory
letter for West from Benjamin Franklin. Under West's tutelage, Trumbull shared a studio with
Gilbert Stuart. Their portraits have since inspired countless stamp designs for a country then
barely four years old.
The last and highest denominated stamp of the 1851-1861 Issue—the 90-cent Washington—
drew its inspiration from a Trumbull painting of a young George Washington in military dress.
Because there were fewer postal rates for it to fulfill during its limited time of use, the 90-cent
Washington is one of the few stamps of the Classic Period that is more collectible in genuine
used condition. There are only six 90-cent Washington covers known. Toppan, Carpenter & Co.
printed approximately 29,000 stamps of the 90-cent issue.
National Bank Note Company (1861-1872)
Some people saw the formation of the American Bank Note Company in 1858 as a threat. A firm
formed by the merger of seven companies suggested monopoly. The National Bank Note
Company was created in an act of opposition to the growing monopoly in the engraving and
printing industry. Principal members of Danforth, Perkins & Co., which held a 21.8 percent
share of the newly formed ABNCo, left when DP&Co and the six other firms comprising
ABNCo had a disagreement about the terms of the merger. These four employees from Danforth,
Perkins & Co., two employees from its earlier firm (Danforth, Wright & Co.), and three bankers
organized their new firm (NBNCo) in 1859 before actively pursuing business in the old offices
of Danforth, Wright & Company. The equipment and other effects that had transferred to
ABNCo with the merger had been replaced.
The new company was created with $60,000 of equity in 1,200 shares worth fifty dollars each.
The nine founders held 980 shares of the company; seven NBNCo engravers and friends of the
principal stockholders held the remaining 220 shares. While the new National Bank Note
Company strove to attain status, its team of engravers was already renowned in the industry:
Cyrus Durand (geometric lathe designs on banknotes); Joseph I. Pease (premiere portrait
engraver); James Smillie (picture engraver); Joseph Ourdan (portrait engraver); William E.
Marshall (portrait engraver); William D. Nichols and George W. Thurber (lettering and intricate
designs).
With this foundation of marketable artistic talent, the banking partners solicited business from
banks wanting engraved banknotes. National Bank Note received its first order by early 1860.
Then in mid-1861 it won the contract to print all U.S. postage stamps, which it held it through
1872. NBNCo also printed many special-use stamps and postage currency for the United States.
The company experienced fierce competition from American Bank Note Company during this
time and finally capitulated to a consolidation with Continental and American Bank Note
Companies in 1879. National Bank Note was drawn into the monopoly that it had struggled to
defeat. Two decades of fierce competition between the three companies then ended.
1861 Issues
In March 1861 Abraham Lincoln took office as the sixteenth president of the United States. One
month later Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter, thus beginning the American Civil War. No
series of stamps issued during the Classic Period has such an important connection to American
history as the 1861 National Bank Note Company Issue.
When he assumed his position as Lincoln's postmaster general, Montgomery Blair faced a
federal postal system disabled by seceding states and the disloyalty of many of their postmasters.
Unable to collect debts owed by individual post offices, the Post Office Department could not
ascertain the amount of business they were handling. Blair's solution- cut them off entirely. The
Department labeled each postmaster who had sided with the disloyal states as an "embezzler or
defaulter."
Blair also decided to issue a totally new series of postage stamps in an attempt "to prevent the
fraudulent use of the large quantity of stamps remaining unaccounted for in the hands of
postmasters in the disloyal states. . . ." According to the Annual Report of the Postmaster
General, as of October 1, 1861, disloyal postmasters controlled postage and stamped envelopes
worth $270,000.
For a little over a decade, the Philadelphia printing firm of Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co.
had been under contract to print U.S. postage stamps. With the contract ending June 10, 1861,
and Civil War escalating, the Post Office Department signed a contract with the National Bank
Note Company of New York City. Loyal postmasters in seceded states returned stamps printed
by Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co. to the Department. The new National Bank Note stamps
were in use across the Union by mid-August 1861. They had the same denominations and
honored the same persons as the previous issue, but all of the designs had changed. Despite
Blair's report stating, "It was deemed advisable to change the design and the color of those
manufactured under the new contract," many of the denomination colors carried over from the
1851-1861 Issue.
1862-1866 Issues
The stamps of the 1862-1866 Issues do not have a uniform plan of design, color, or
denomination. They were released to remedy the confusion associated with the color of the 5-
and 24-cent stamps of the 1861 Issues and to accommodate the new two-cent and fifteen-cent
postal rates.
The 1861 Issue stamps had been released in mid-to-late 1861 to quickly replace the Toppan,
Carpenter & Co. issues, which were soon to be demonetized. The Civil War fully underway,
millions of the 1861 stamps were in Confederate hands. The 5- and 24-cent stamps of 1862 were
released with different designs and sizes in an effort to make them visually different from their
earlier counterparts.
Within these 1862-1866 Issues two new U.S. presidents—Andrew Jackson and Abraham
Lincoln—were added to the roster of those portrayed on postage stamps.
Grill Issues (1867-1868)
Following the Civil War, the federal government feared revenue losses because some people
were cleaning and re-using postage stamps. It commissioned numerous experiments aimed at
making it difficult to do this. Experiments involved cancellation devices that abraded or cut the
stamp surface, inks and papers that would dissolve during cleaning, and even one misguided trial
involving gunpowder.
Charles F. Steel, a supervisor with the National Bank Note Company, is credited with inventing a
process that embossed a waffle-line pattern into the stamp. The procedure broke the paper fibers,
allowing ink to penetrate the paper. This made cleaning more difficult. The Post Office
Department issued the first such stamps using the process in 1867. The all-over pattern made the
paper very fragile, making separation at the perforations difficult. The government amended its
contract with the National Bank Note Company, specifying that these 'grills' be applied to
postage stamps prior to delivery in 1868.
The National Bank Note Company experimented with a number of grill sizes and styles: an
overly large grill weakened the stamp; a small grill did not produce the desired effect. In 1916,
William L. Stevenson classified the different grill sizes using the letters A to J, with one style —
the Z grill — differing in the horizontal orientation of the small ridges at the top of each peak.
Some grilled stamps are quite common, but not all grill patterns were used on each denomination
of a stamp. In some cases, very few copies remain of certain stamp/grill combinations. This has
produced some of philately's greatest rarities — the 1-cent and 15-cent stamps of the 1861 Issue
with the Z grill (there are only two copies each known at this time) and the 3-cent denomination
with the B grill (only four copies known, all originally affixed to the same envelope).
In 1875, the grilling of stamps ended. Today, experts agree that the government's perception of
the reuse problem was greatly exaggerated and that the costs involved in preventing reuse greatly
exceeded the revenue protected.
Continental Bank Note Company (1873-1878)

Intense competition for contracts to engrave and print U.S. Treasury bank notes raged among
engraving firms prior to 1876. The struggle ended that year, when the government assumed
responsibility for printing all currency. Though competition for contracts to print currency waned
at that point, firms still competed for contracts to print stamps.
Founded in early 1863, the Continental Bank Note Company (CBNCo) promised greater
efficiency and profitability than its competitors. It melded business savvy, independent and
highly skilled engraving, and well-connected entrepreneurs to secure important contracts, among
them the U.S. Treasury Department's sole currency contract. CBNCo triumphed where the
National Bank Note, American Bank Note, and Butler & Carpenter failed, an incredible
accomplishment for a newly-formed company. That it occupied space owned by a senior
assistant to the Department of the Treasury might have come into play.
Continental Bank Note Company's greatest accomplishment, however, was securing the sole
contract to print U.S. postage stamps. On May 1, 1873, the firm became National Bank Note
Company's successor. NBNCo had held the contract since 1851. In 1877 CBNCo secured
another four-year contract to print U.S. stamps. The following year Continental merged with the
American Bank Note Company, and the contract transferred to this new name.
American Bank Note Company (1879-1893)
Jocelyn, Draper, Welsh & Co., with offices in New York City and Philadelphia, actually used the
American Bank Note moniker in 1854. Four years later, Nathaniel Jocelyn, the firm's principal
partner, negotiated a merger with Moseley I. Danforth and Tracy Edson (of the firms Danforth,
Perkins & Co. and Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson) that included four other printing and
engraving firms. The result of that merger was American Bank Note Company, officially formed
on April 29, 1858. Earlier contracts held by the individual partner firms became null and void by
May of that year, and American Bank Note Company administered all current contracts and
projects. Partner firms continued engraving and printing much of the work in their old office
spaces, but by the onset of the Civil War, however, the engraving and printing had been
consolidated into single American Bank Note Company plants in each city in which the firms
operated.
As part of the merger agreement, Toppan, Carpenter & Co., one of the seven partner firms, could
bid independently on the upcoming 1861 Post Office Department contract, which it had held
prior to the merger. It did bid, but National Bank Note Company won the contract. Meanwhile,
ABNCo’s New Orleans office bid for the contract to print Confederate States of America
postage. Again it lost. It was, however, offered a contract to produce bonds for the CSA. When
President Lincoln prohibited all commerce with the South shortly thereafter, ABNCo complied
and closed its New Orleans office.
In 1879 rival companies National Bank Note and Continental Bank Note merged with American
Bank Note Company, adopting its name and transferring their contracts, among them the federal
stamp contract, to ABNCo. During this period, the last series of stamps and the first
commemoratives of the United States—the 1893 Columbian Exposition Issue—were released.
The company experienced several other transformations before filing for bankruptcy in 1899.
During its lifetime, ABNCo, a legendary American institution of skilled craftsmen, engraved and
printed postage stamps for many countries, stock certificates for thousands of businesses, and
countless other official documents for dozens of governments and agencies.
The 1-cent Franklin probably served more uses than any stamp of the 1861 Issue. First, it prepaid
the drop letter rate for local delivery in large eastern cities if the letter had been hand-delivered to
the post office building. Second, it prepaid the delivery of any printed circular or newspaper
weighing less than three ounces. Every additional ounce required another 1-cent Franklin. Third,
it prepaid the fee for carrier service that delivered mail originating in another town to a local
addressee or delivered mail originating at a local address to the post office for deposit in the
mails. Fourth, one cent was the postal rate for books weighing less than four pounds. An
additional one-cent-per-ounce was charged for distances up to fifteen hundred miles. A book sent
over fifteen hundred miles was charged a two-cents-per-ounce fee. Finally, the 1-cent Franklin
paid for some third-class mail or, in combination with other higher denominations, greater
weight and foreign destination rates. National Bank Note Company printed approximately
138,000,000 stamps of the 1-cent issue.
0064 2-cent Jackson
In the midst of the Civil War, the U.S. Congress passed the Act of March 3, 1863, to revise
postal rates for domestic mail. When the new rates went into effect on July 1, 1863, distance no
longer affected rates. While the carrier fee in many large cities was abolished (paving the way
for eventual free mail delivery across the United States), the fee for city letter delivery became
two cents, and the registry fee increased from five to twenty cents.
The increased drop fee prompted the Post Office Department to issue a two-cent stamp, the first
issued by the United States. No precedent existed regarding the design subject. A portrait of
Andrew Jackson, one of the most revered U.S. presidents at the time, was chosen for the two-
cent stamp. Although a Southerner, Jackson was considered a strong supporter of the ideals of a
union of the states. He became the third president to appear on a U.S. postage stamp.
When the drop rate was returned to one cent in 1865, the 2-cent Jackson continued to be printed
with 1861 Issue stamps through 1868. Although it had lost its use for single-weight rates, it could
be used in combination with other stamps to pay several different, smaller rates or greater-weight
domestic rates. National Bank Note Company printed approximately 256,566,000 stamps of the
2-cent Jackson (also known as ‘Black Jack’).
First issued in 1861 and widely used by Union soldiers during the Civil War, the 3-cent
Washington is probably the most familiar regular issue of the Classic Period. It appeared
frequently on patriotic cachet covers that depicted inspiring images of Union strength and
victory, scenes that rang true later in the war but not in the months following August 1861. Early
in the war a string of major Confederate victories—Kessler's Cross Lanes, the Battle of the
Hemp Bales, and Ball's Bluff—cast Union victory into doubt.
Though one of the 1861 Issue’s most common and widely used stamps, the subtleties of the 3-
cent Washington's color shades are the most difficult of any stamp in the issue. The stamp’s
shades range from rose, the most common, to the rare pigeon blood pink. This is due to a
variance in pigment ingredients and/or quantities used when mixing the ink over many press runs
during the four-years of issuance. According to specialist Richard M. Morris, issuance dates for
the major shades ranged from its original release in August 1861 to 1865.
The 3-cent Washington’s primary use was to pre-pay the half-ounce first-class rate, but when
used in combination with other denominations, greater weight and foreign destination rates were
fulfilled. The National Bank Note Company printed approximately 1,782,000,000 stamps of the
3-cent issue, including all its shades.
0067 5-cent Jefferson
United States stamps issued during the Classic Period followed familiar patterns such as the
repetitive pairing of stamp subject with stamp denomination. Until 1861 only the five-cent stamp
deviated from this informal model. That is, in 1847 the 5-cent issue honored Benjamin Franklin,
but subsequent 5-cent issues depicted Thomas Jefferson.
The marriage of color to denomination is another example of this pattern. But again, exceptions
occurred. While the earlier 5-cent stamp of the 1851-1861 Issue contained examples printed in
the darker colors such as red brown and brown, the 5-cent Jefferson of the 1861 Issue was
printed in buff, a notable color difference. Most usage occurred in the second half of 1861
through the end of 1862, and the shades range from buff (the most common) to brown yellow
and olive yellow.
The 5-cent stamp typically paid the single-weight rate to France when used with a 10-cent stamp
or two more 5-cent stamps. Otherwise, in combination with other denominations, it paid the
larger weight and foreign destination rates. National Bank Note Company printed approximately
175,000 stamps of this stamp, including all its shades.
All 5-cent Jefferson issues produced by National Bank Note Company while under federal
contract have the same design but were printed in different ink colors. In fact, the 5-cent
Jefferson is the only stamp to go through so many official color changes. The 1861 issue had
been released in a buff color, a radical change from the darker hues (red brown, brown, etc.) of
the 1851-1861 Issue. In 1862, when NBNCo printed its 5-cent Jefferson stamp in a red brown
ink, it reverted to the color type of the Toppan, Carpenter issues. By 1863 the stamp had gone
through yet another color change, back to brown.
The 5-cent Jefferson typically paid the single-weight rate to France in combination with a 10-
cent or two more 5-cent stamps. It could also have been used in combination with other
denominations to fulfill larger weight and foreign destination rates. National Bank Note
Company printed approximately 1,000,000 red brown stamps and 6,500,000 brown stamps for
the 1862 and 1863 issues of the 5-cent Jefferson.
Late in her husband's second term as president, Martha Washington commissioned the well-
known portrait artist Gilbert Stuart to paint both her portrait and the president's. She intended
them to adorn the walls of their Virginia estate, Mount Vernon.
Stuart was notorious for the length of time it took him to complete a commissioned work, and so
neither the president nor his wife ever saw the completed portraits. George Washington died at
the age 67 in 1799, and Martha Washington died in 1802. Stuart's delay was probably
intentional. The two portraits remained unfinished and tacked to a door in Stuart's Boston studio
until his death in 1828. He apparently had used this original work, which had been drawn from
life, as the model for most of the portraits of George Washington that he painted during his
illustrious career.
The 10-cent Washington of the 1861 Issue was engraved from Stuart's unfinished portrait of the
first American president. The 10-cent stamp typically paid the single-weight, cross-border rate to
Canada or the transcontinental rate to and from California. The 10-cent stamp could have been
used, in combination with other denominations, to fulfill larger weight and foreign destination
rates. Approximately 27,300,000 stamps of the 10-cent Washington were printed by National
Bank Note Company.
When the National Bank Note Company was founded in 1859, William Marshall was one of the
first portrait engravers hired. By early 1860, Marshall was tasked with engraving a vignette for
the upcoming 1861 Issue and sent to Boston to use Gilbert Stuart’s portrait painting of George
Washington as his model for the new engraving.
This painting was one of two unfinished portraits of the Washingtons that Martha Washington
had commissioned in 1796. She had intended them for the family home, Mount Vernon, but
Stuart failed to deliver them. They had hung in the Boston Athenaeum from 1828 until 1874 in
an exposition honoring the late artist. And when the Boston Museum of Fine Arts was built, the
unfinished Stuart portraits were exhibited there on long-term loan. After a century of housing
and exhibiting the portraits, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the National Portrait Gallery in
Washington, D.C., were given the option to buy the two paintings. The two institutions now co-
own the portraits.
The single 12-cent stamp typically paid the single-weight rate to England after the January 1,
1868, reduction. Before that date the rate would have required two 12-cent stamps. It was also
used in combination with other denominations to fulfill larger weight and foreign destination
rates. Approximately 7,314,000 stamps of the 12-cent Washington were printed by National
Bank Note Company.
0077 15-cent Lincoln
In 1866 the Post Office Department issued what is considered the nation's first commemorative
stamp, the 15-cent Lincoln. It was the first stamp of that denomination issued by the United
States, and Lincoln was the first person pictured on a postage stamp who would have seen the
1847 Issues. John Wilkes Booth had assassinated Lincoln on April 14, 1865.
The 15-cent denomination paid the single-weight rate to France or, in combination with other
denominations, greater weight and foreign destination rates. After January 1, 1869, it could have
paid the registered mail fee. Approximately 2,139,300 stamps of the 13-cent issue were printed
by National Bank Note Company.
The 24-cent Washington 1861 issue, which had some of the most intricate frame engravings of
any U.S. stamp to that date, is known for its many different color shades. None was the result of
a separate printing or different plate, a circumstance that only exacerbates the conundrum of their
occurrence. The most common shades are red lilac and brown lilac. Steel blue, violet, and pale
gray violet shades are far rarer. Engravers for this stamp were William Marshall (who also
engraved the portrait for the 10- and 12-cent 1861 issues), William D. Nichols, and Cyrus
Durand (the frame engravers).
Engraver Cyrus Durand and his younger brother, Asher Durand, enjoyed notable careers. Cyrus
invented a machine that could create intricate lathe work for banknotes, which was later used in
stamp engraving. Asher engraved the Washington portrait for the Rawdon, Wright, Hatch &
Edson 1847 Issue. Both brothers actually engraved portraits of George Washington for postage
stamps, and they were the only engravers of his portrait living during Washington's lifetime.
Born in 1788, Cyrus was twelve-years-old when Washington died (1799); Asher was age three.
Cyrus was also the only stamp engraver alive concurrent with Benjamin Franklin, who died in
1790.
The 24-cent Washington typically paid the single-weight letter rate to England until January 1,
1868, when the rate was reduced to twelve cents. Otherwise, the 24-cent stamp was used in
combination with other denominations to fulfill greater weight and foreign destination rates.
National Bank Note Company printed over 500,000 24-cent Washington stamps. This count
includes all shades.
The 24-cent Washington of the 1862 Issue reused the printing plate of the previous year and
incorporated a slightly different palate of color shades. Lilac, grayish lilac, and gray were the
most common colors employed; blackish violet was the rarest.
The issue's portrait engraver was William Marshall, the same artist who produced the 10- and
12-cent Washington 1861 Issues. William D. Nichols and Cyrus Durand (who is credited with
inventing a machine to produce intricate lathe work on banknotes and later on stamps) engraved
the frame. Durand’s younger brother Asher is believed to have engraved the Washington portrait
for the Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson 10-cent 1847 Issue. The Durand brothers were the only
contemporaries of Washington to engrave his portrait for postage stamps. Cyrus Durand, who
engraved the frame for the 24-cent Washington 1862 Issue, was twelve years old when
Washington died; Asher, who was only three years old at Washington's death, likely had no
memory of the first president. Cyrus was also the only stamp engraver to be a contemporary of
Benjamin Franklin.
A single 24-cent Washington was most often used to pay the single-weight rate to England until
January 1, 1868, when the rate was reduced to twelve cents. Otherwise, used in combination with
other denominations, it fulfilled larger weight and foreign destination rates. The second printing
of the 24-cent stamp was considerably larger than the 1861 Washington. Including all shades, a
total of over 9,600,000 stamps of the 1862 24-cent issue were printed by National Bank Note
Company.
In late summer 1861 Benjamin Franklin was chosen once again as the subject for an American
stamp. The 30-cent Franklin was distinguished by its bright orange color from the other seven
stamps of the 1861 Issue. Joseph I. Pease, while working for Toppan, Carpenter & Co., had
engraved most of the 1851-1861 Issue stamps, and he was now assigned to engrave the two
Franklin portraits for the 1- and 30-cent stamps for National Bank Note Company. He would also
work for the American Bank Note Company and would engrave all the Franklin portraits for its
stamps. In fact, Pease engraved more portraits of Franklin for postage stamps than any other
engraver during the Classic Period.
A single 30-cent Franklin could have paid the double-weight rate to France or Nova Scotia, but it
typically paid, in combination with other denominations, the larger weight and foreign
destination rates. A total of over 3,300,000 stamps of the thirty-cent issue were printed by
National Bank Note Company.
The 1861 Issue 90-cent Washington has many similarities to its 1851-1861 Issue counterpart.
Though printed by two different companies, Joseph I. Pease engraved both stamps, using John
Trumbull’s portrait of Washington as inspiration. The 1861 stamp was supposed to be issued
with a change in design and color to differentiate it from the previous issue, but the color
remained blue. The major difference between the two issues was the amount of time they were in
use. The first 90-cent Washington was in use less than a year, explaining why used examples are
considerably scarcer than mint copies. The 1861 Issue 90-cent Washington was in use over seven
years, and consequently the 90-cent Washington of the 1861 Issue had a printing more than ten
times greater than its earlier counterpart. That ten-to-one ratio also holds true for use on cover
(61:6).
Throughout the 1860s there was not one single-weight rate that the 90-cent stamp could pay. The
90-cent Washington of the 1861 Issue instead fulfilled the double-weight rate to India, Australia,
Brazil, Hong Kong, and several other countries and, in combination with other denominations,
larger weight and foreign destination rates. A total of over 380,000 stamps of the 90-cent
Washington were printed by National Bank Note Company. In 1869 the 90-cent Washington was
replaced by the 90-cent Lincoln.
Pictorial Issues (1869-1870)
In 1868 the National Bank Note Company was the only firm under contract to the federal
government to print United States stamps. When the Post Office Department opened bids for
printing the 1869 issue, National Bank Note Company and Butler & Carpenter, another
Philadelphia-based firm, vied for the contract, which Postmaster General Alexander Randall
awarded to National Bank Note Company. The other firm complained that its bid had been lower
and deserved the contract, so Congress appointed a commission to investigate its claims.
However, the commission found that National Bank Note Company employed more advanced
printing techniques than the competition, and it upheld the postmaster's decision.
The contract was signed towards the end of 1868, and the new stamps were scheduled for
distribution by February 1869. Despite impending administration changes—Ulysses S. Grant had
won the November presidential election, and John Creswell would replace Randall as Grant's
postmaster general—the new administration honored the existing contract.
The 1869 National Bank Note Pictorial Issue was the first set of United States stamps printed in
two colors. The set featured ten different denominations, ranging from 1-cent to 90-cent. The 15-
cent through 90-cent denominations were bi-color stamps. The nearly square stamps went into
circulation around March 1869 and remained in use for a little less than a year. The public
disliked the stamps for reasons including design, shape, and the ineffectiveness of the gum in
affixing stamp to envelope. Because the 1869 Pictorial Issue was the first and last issue to
employ multiple colors until 1918, it is considered one of the highlights of the entire Classic
Period of United States philately.
The Italian sculptor Giuseppe Ceracchi (1751-1801) came to Philadelphia in 1791, hoping to
create a major piece of art for the new country. He succeeded in sculpting busts of many
statesmen attending the Constitutional Convention, including George Washington, Thomas
Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin. The buff-colored 1-cent 1869 Issue design was
inspired by Ceracchi's modeling of Franklin. This design for the 1-cent denomination is
consistent with all earlier U.S. stamp issue designs (1847-1869) featuring Franklin. In 1869 a
single 1-cent stamp on a cover would have been used for drop letters in places without carrier
delivery. The National Bank Note Company printed a total of 16,605,150 of these 1-cent stamps.
0113 2-cent Post Rider & Horse
In 1837 a totally new design was created for the official seal of the United States Post Office
Department (USPOD). It incorporated the now-familiar icon of the post rider and his mailbags
on a speeding horse, an image which may have originated on a printed circular that Postmaster
General Benjamin Franklin sent to post offices around the country.
The new Department seal inspired the design for the 1869 2-cent stamp. It was the first U.S.
stamp to bear an image other than a prominent American. Christian Rost, who had joined the
National Bank Note Company in 1868, engraved the post rider vignette. In 1869 a single 2-cent
stamp on a cover would have been used for drop letters where no carrier delivery was available
and for unsealed circulars. The National Bank Note Company printed a total of 57,387,500 of the
2-cent stamps.
0114 3-cent Locomotive
The National Bank Note Company, like all other private engraving and printing firms that
created U.S. stamps between 1847 and 1893, also printed bank notes for U.S. banks. One of
these was the Northwestern Bank of Warren, Pennsylvania. Northwestern's one-dollar note
featured a right-facing, wood-burning train in its center foreground. NBNCo reused the design
for the 3-cent locomotive stamp. Christian Rost, who engraved the 2-cent post rider, also
engraved the 3-cent locomotive.
The use of a single 3-cent stamp on covers most often paid the half-ounce first-class domestic
postage rate. Approximately 473,629,810 of these 3-cent stamps were printed by the National
Bank Note Company and delivered to the Post Office Department. The 3-cent stamp was by far
was the most dominant in terms of number printed, nearing eighty-two percent of the 1869 Issue.
At the time of issue, the stamp was one of the most popular available.
Before the 1869 Issue went into circulation, a total of twenty different, major stamp designs had
been created by the three federally contracted printing firms—Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson
(two designs); Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co. (eight designs); and National Bank Note
Company (eight designs). Eleven of these designs depicted George Washington as commander
of the Continental Army (Revolutionary War), presiding officer of the Constitutional
Convention, and the first president of the United States. From 1847 to 1869, every stamp series
carried the image of Washington on at least one stamp.
The image of George Washington for the 6-cent stamp 1869 Issue was inspired by a Gilbert
Stuart painting, very similar to the 10-cent 1847 Issue. Use of the stamp on cover paid the
double-weight, first-class domestic postage rate. A total of 4,882,750 stamps were printed by the
National Bank Note Company for the 6-cent issue.
0116 10-cent Shield & Eagle
In 1868 the Post Office Department solicited bids for the 1869 stamp series. When the National
Bank Note Company submitted its bid, its preliminary designs included a 10-cent stamp
depicting Abraham Lincoln. Though the National Bank Note Company won the contract, the
Lincoln image was rejected for the 10-cent stamp. Rather, it was reserved for the 90-cent issue.
The American bald eagle, wings spread and perched atop a shield, became the design for the
yellow 10-cent stamp. It was the first stamp to have an animal as its central image. The stamp
paid a single-weight rate to many foreign countries, including Mexico, Germany, Brazil, and
Cuba. The National Bank Note Company printed 3,299,700 stamps for the ten-cent issue.
0117 12-cent S.S. Adriatic
The New York & Liverpool United States' Mail Steamship Company was founded in 1848. The
Collins Line, as it was known, traveled between New York and Liverpool in a little more than
thirteen and half days on the line’s first voyage in 1850. Unfortunately, over time the company
had many problems with delays due in part to ship disrepair and a rare collision. Its last
commissioned ship, the Adriatic, was delivered late, further complicating the company’s
finances. The 351-foot-long, 4,145-ton S.S. Adriatic made one voyage for the company and was
then sold in a bankruptcy sale to the Royal Atlantic Steam Navigation Company. In 1868 the
ship was sold to Bates & Co. of Liverpool, which converted it into a sailing ship. A modern
marvel at the time of its completion, the ill-fated Adriatic ended its service beaching
ignominiously on the west coast of Africa in 1885.
The 12-cent stamp’s ornate frame shares a similar design to the frames of the 2- and 3-cent 1869
stamps, all engraved by George W. Thurber. The stamp typically paid the double-weight rate for
letters going to Great Britain. National Bank Note Company issued a total 3,012,950 stamps of
this 12-cent issue.
0119 15-cent Landing of Columbus
Inspired by John Vanderlyn's painting of the same name, the 15-cent Landing of Columbus was
printed in two types: the first simply had a single thin line framing the vignette; the second had a
larger grouping of frame lines with a diamond above the vignette in the frame.
Printing technology in 1869 was not perfect. The vignette was printed before the frame.
Maintaining registry proved difficult, and the vignette was often misaligned with the frame. In
his famous book on nineteenth century United States stamps, Lester Brookman, indicates that the
extra frame lines in Type II helped to make this misalignment less obvious. With a brown frame
and blue center vignette, the 15-cent Landing of Columbus was the first bi-color stamp issued by
the United States. Type II was one of the first stamps to have an inverted image. Though it is
described as having an inverted vignette, it is the frame that is inverted because it was printed
last.
The 15-cent stamp typically paid certain rates to countries such as France, Germany, and Italy or
the domestic registered fee for mail. National Bank Note Company printed approximately
200,000 Type I and 1,238,940 Type II stamps.
Vanderlyn's painted was installed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in the same year that the first U.S.
adhesive postage stamps were issued-1847.
0120 24-cent Signing of The Declaration of Independence

Connecticut-born artist John Trumbull (1756-1843) completed a sketch for his painting
“Declaration of Independence” while in Paris in 1785. He hoped to paint from life all the
portraits that would appear in the work. For six years (1789-1794) he lived and worked in New
York City, then the federal government's seat, to paint the portraits for this master work and
otherwise to meet his financial obligations. During the rebuilding of the Capitol following the
British destruction of Washington, D.C., during the War of 1812, Congress solicited major works
of art for the new rotunda. It commissioned several large works from Trumbull, among them
“Declaration of Independence.” The final painting was 12 feet tall by 18 feet wide and included
portraits of forty-seven men—forty-two of whom had signed the Constitution plus five other
patriots.
The stamp has a distinct green frame and a violet-colored engraved vignette (1/300th the size of
the original work) of Trumbull’s painting. This stamp, with its bi-color characteristics, has
inverted frames. The stamp typically paid the postage for large-weight letters sent domestically
or for expensive, foreign-destination rates. The National Bank Note Company printed 235,350
stamps of this 24-cent issue.
0121 30-cent Shield, Eagle & Flag
British-born engraver Douglas S. Ronaldson (1805-1902) moved from the American Bank Note
Company to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing around the time the Bureau had been assigned
the task of creating and printing all United States stamps— that is, around 1894. He worked for
the Bureau until his death at age 77. As an engraver for the National Bank Note Company,
Ronaldson worked extensively on the 1869 Issue. He engraved six of the eleven Issue stamps.
Note the clear similarity between the 10- and 30-cent stamps. Ronaldson was sole engraver for
the entire 10-cent issue and responsible for the flags and lettering on the 30-cent issue.
This 30-cent stamp was the highest denomination bi-color stamp of the 1869 Issue to have one
element inverted in printing. The appearance of the invert is far more striking when the flags are
upside down. Similar to the 24-cent stamp, it typically paid the postage for large-weight letters
sent domestically or for expensive, foreign-destination rates. The National Bank Note Company
printed 244,110 stamps of the 30-cent issue.
0122 90-cent Lincoln
Pres. Abraham Lincoln was first depicted on the 15-cent 1866 Issue - the first time a person
appeared on a stamp within a year of their death. The 1869 Lincoln Issue was based on a
photograph by Matthew Brady; and, as the highest value (90 cents) of the set, was the least used
and had the fewest printings. Interestingly, the 90-cent Lincoln was the only bi-color of the Issue
with no known inverts. It would be the only bi-color portrait stamp printed by the United States
until the 1918 Third Bureau Issue image of Benjamin Franklin. The next president to be
portrayed on a bi-color stamp would be Woodrow Wilson in the 1938 Presidential Series.
Because of these factors, the 90-cent Lincoln is highly desirable to collectors. Identical to its two
preceding lower values, the 90-cent stamp most often paid the postage for large-weight letters
sent domestically or expensive foreign destination rates. A total of only 47,460 stamps were
printed by the National Bank Note Company.
Large Bank Note Issues (1870-1871)
The public heartily disliked the 1869 Pictorial Issue, and this accounts for its short lifespan.
Difficulties, mentioned earlier, included the stamps' size and the poor quality of the gum. The
conflict between the Butler & Carpenter firm of Philadelphia and the National Bank Note
Company over the contract award had not been resolved when Postmaster General John Creswell
assumed his position in 1869. This offered him an opportunity to change the order for the 1869
Issue, but he let the order stand, not anticipating the problems the Pictorial Issue would face
when released in the spring of 1869. The shift back to the tall-portrait format of the 1861
National issues was Creswell's directive. In his annual report, he noted, “The adhesive stamps
adopted by my predecessor in 1869, having failed to give satisfaction to the public . . . .”
National Bank Note Company was the only company to employ grills on many of its stamp
issues. Beginning with the 1870-1871 Issue, due to difficulty with the grilling machines and
realization that the grills were ineffective in fulfilling their original purpose, stamps were printed
both with grills and without. Grilling stamps was completely eliminated from U.S. stamps with
the 1870-1871 Issue.
The 1870-1871 Issue was the first series to include stamps of non-presidents other than Benjamin
Franklin.
Large Bank Note Issues (1873)
Continental Bank Note Company (CBNCo) won the federal contract from the Post Office
Department for stamp production, ousting National Bank Note Company (NBNCo). Starting
May 1, 1873, NBNCo plates for the 1870-1871 Issue were transferred to CBNCo, and the
company decided to reuse them. However, CBNCo made the decision to distinguish its issues
from those of NBNCo by engraving small, secret marks on these original printing plates for the
1- to 15-cent stamps. The plates for the 24-, 30-, and 90-cent stamps were not altered. CBNCo
decided to only use ink color and minor paper varieties as distinguishing features for these
denominations.
Continental Bank Note printed these stamp designs for six years, twice the length of time that
National Bank Note had used them. And, not surprisingly, in the 1873 Issue alone, CBNCo more
than doubled the number of stamps that NBNCo had printed. Continental Bank Note produced
almost 3.6 billion stamps.
Large Bank Notes Issues (1875)
Because Continental Bank Note Company reused the National Bank Note printing plates, the
principal engravers of the 1875 Issue had been earlier NBNCo employees, with one exception.
Charles Skinner joined Continental Bank Note Company around 1866, relatively early in the
company’s short history. He engraved CBNCo’s only original design, the 5-cent Taylor of 1875.
As the 5-cent Taylor was being issued, CBNCo also released a revised version of its 2-cent
Jackson in a vermilion color. During its five-year contract, Continental Bank Note issued thirteen
regular issues. Twelve of these were National Bank Note Company designs.
Large Bank Note Issues (1879-1881)
In 1878 Continental Bank Note Company (CBNCo) negotiated with American Bank Note
(ABNCo) to consolidate their businesses. The merger went into effect in 1879, and American
Bank Note assumed control of the federal contract for postage stamps that Continental Bank
Note had brought to the marriage.
The Large Bank Note Issues (1879-1881) represented ABNCo’s effort to fulfill the stamp
contract with minimal expense and time. Just as CBNCo had used the National Bank Note 1870-
1871 Issue plates, ABNCo produced stamps using the printing plates for CBNCo’s most recent
issue. The one distinguishing difference between the American Bank Note Company stamps and
those of the previous two companies was the soft porous paper used by ABNCo. The
denominations of the CBNCo issues were continued by ABNCo with the exception of the 12-
and 24-cent stamps. American Bank Note did not produce an original stamp design for a postage
stamp until the 5-cent Garfield in 1882.
Re-Engraved Bank Note Issues (1881-1882)
Between early 1881 and 1882, the American Bank Note Company (ABNCo) made
improvements to the plates of four US stamp denominations (1-cent, 3-cent, 6-cent, and 10-cent)
in order to enhance the stamps' quality. These plates came from Continental Bank Note
Company following its merger with ABNCo in 1879.
Though known as the "Re-Engraved Issues," some of the changes were slight, including light
retouching in some areas of the designs. Other designs were completely re-engraved. ABNCo
made a major change in three of the stamps produced from these re-engraved plates by changing
their color. It printed the 1-cent Franklin in gray blue, the 3-cent Washington in blue green, and
the 6-cent Lincoln in rose.
The American Bank Note Company produced over 3.8 billion Re-Engraved Issue stamps. This
amounted to one billion more stamps than all the previous eleven stamps printed by ABNCo
combined.
Between 1847 and 1870, three different companies engraved and printed United States stamps.
The image on the first stamp in every series printed by all three companies was of Benjamin
Franklin. There are several possible reasons for this, one being the tradition of the first stamp of
each series depicting Franklin, and another being that Franklin was the first postmaster general
of the United States.
National Bank Note would print four different 1-cent Franklin designs. Interestingly, all four
portraits, engraved over a ten year period at the appropriate times to coordinate with each issue,
were engraved by the same person, Joseph Pease. Pease engraved not only all the Franklin
portraits for National, he is also credited with engraving the portraits for all the stamps Toppan,
Carpenter & Company printed for the United States from 1851-1861.
The 1-cent Franklin stamp had two variations, one with a grill, the other without. This is true of
all the stamps of this issue. The stamp could have been used for some third-class mail, drop
letters, or in combination with other denominations to fulfill larger rates. National Bank Note
Company printed a total of approximately 143,000,000 1-cent stamps of both variations.
The Continental Bank Note Company reused all the National Bank Note Company’s 1870-1871
Issue printing plates. To distinguish its printings from these plates, CBNCo engraved a small
mark (termed a ‘secret mark’ in philately) on the plates for most denominations.
The 1-cent Franklin has its secret mark at the bottom of the stamp. It is the small horizontal dash
in the largest of the ‘pearls’ immediately to the left of the numeral ‘1’. CBNCo most likely
engraved this mark with a small amount of acid applied to the plate on each stamp.
Beginning on May 1, 1873, the Post Office Department set a new one-cent rate for postcards,
which the 1-cent Franklin filled. The stamp could also have been used for some third-class mail,
drop letters, or in combination with other denominations, to fulfill higher rates. CBNCo printed
approximately 780,000,000 stamps for the 1-cent Franklin issue over a period of six years.
National Bank Note Company had only printed it for three years but produced double the
number of 1-cent stamps.
The printing plate of the 1-cent Franklin was originally produced by the National Bank Note
Company in 1869. When it was reused by American Bank Note Company a decade later, it
carried Continental Bank Note Company’s identification marks or ‘secret marks’ that had
distinguished its 1873 printings. On the 1-cent Franklin, the mark is the small horizontal dash in
the largest of the pearls immediately to the left of the ‘1’ at the bottom of the stamp. CBNCo
most likely etched this mark on each stamp design in the plate using a small amount of acid.
Continental Bank Note Company, along with other printing and engraving firms, had been
consolidated into the American Bank Note Company in 1879. When ABNCo took over the
contract to print U.S. stamps and acquired all printing plates held by CBNCo, it differentiated its
printing of the 1-cent Franklin of the 1879 Issue by using soft, porous paper. CBNCo had used
white wove paper.
The mail rate for a postcard was one cent in 1879. The 1-cent Franklin (as a single use) could
have paid the card rate or, in combination with other denominations, higher rates. Approximately
590 million stamps of the 1-cent Franklin were printed by American Bank Note Company.
The traditional pairing of Benjamin Franklin with the 1-cent denomination continued with the
1881-1882 Re-Engraved Bank Note Issue. By re-engraving the printing plate, American Bank
Note Company distinguished this issue from earlier printings. The primary differences can be
found in the curls and balls in the top left and right of the frame. ABNCo engravers shaded these
elements to a point of near invisibility. Some other areas of the frame were also slightly shaded,
giving the stamp a darker impression than the previous issues. A new gray blue color printed on
soft porous paper also distinguished this stamp from the earlier ultramarine shades. This soft
porous paper had been used for the previous American Bank Note Issue.
The single 1-cent stamp could have paid the one-cent card rate that had been current since 1879.
Used in combination with other denominations, the 1-cent Franklin also paid higher rates.
Approximately 3,372,279,000 stamps of the 1-cent re-engraved issue were printed by American
Bank Note Company.
0135 2-cent Jackson
Hiram Powers (1805-1873) began learning the art of sculpture in 1826. By the time of his death
in 1873, he was considered one of the greatest American-born neoclassical sculptors. In 1834,
President Andrew Jackson sat many times for Power as he created a bust of the president.
Powers completed the bust in January 1835. Thirty-five years later, it inspired the image of the 2-
cent Jackson stamp from the National Bank Note Company 1870-1871 Issue.
Hiram Powers left the United States in 1837, the same year Jackson left the White House.
Powers settled in Florence, Italy, where he spent the rest of his life. The stamp was issued a few
years before Powers’ death, and it is assumed that he had the honor of owning one of the stamps
which bore his famous impression of Jackson.
The 2-cent Jackson stamp has two variations, one with a grill, the other without. The stamp could
have been used for to pay the two-cent local mail rate, or in combination with other
denominations to fulfill larger rates. A total of approximately 252,000,000 2-cent stamps of both
variations were printing by National Bank Note Company.
The 2-cent issue printed by the Continental Bank Note Company and that printed by the National
Bank Note can easily be distinguished by color alone. No magnifying glass is necessary. The
earlier NBNCo stamp is red brown in color; the CBNCo stamp is brown. That is very fortunate
(stamp collectors rejoice!) because CBNCo’s secret mark—a small, diagonal line—on this 2-cent
stamp is difficult to spot and has often not even transferred to the print. That mark can be found
extending from the rim of the border line above the “U.S.” (at the top left of the stamp design) to
the tip of the curled ornament.
The stamp paid multiple domestic rates or, in combination with other denominations, greater
foreign destination rates. Continental Bank Note Company printed approximately 112,500,000
stamps of this 2-cent issue.
In 1875 the Continental Bank Note Company issued the 2-cent Jackson, employing the same
design as the 1873 stamp but using a different color—a rich vermilion. The color change was
prompted by the earlier confusion of the 2-cent and 10-cent issues having the same color. The
vermilion was presumably chosen because the previous stamp with a vermilion color was the 7-
cent Stanton of the National Bank Note Company.
The stamp would have paid multiple domestic rates or, in combination with other denominations,
higher foreign destination rates. The Continental Bank Note Company printed approximately
279,000,000 stamps of this 2-cent issue.
The 2-cent Jackson stamp of the American Bank Note Company 1879 Issue was printed from the
original National Bank Note Company (NBNCo) plate that had been modified with secret marks
by Continental Bank Note (CBNCo). That distinguishing mark is, at best, difficult to spot, and in
some printings it has not transferred to the paper. On the 2-cent stamp design, the secret mark is
a small diagonal line in the top left of the stamp that extends from the rim of the border line
above the ‘U.S.’ to the tip of the curled ornament.
Louis Delnoce of NBNCo engraved the design from the Hiram Powers bust of Andrew Jackson.
NBNCo had printed the stamp in a red brown ink, and CBNCo and ABNCo printed it in
vermilion. The 1875 and 1879 versions of the stamp are distinguishable only by the soft porous
paper used by American Bank Note.
The stamp could have paid the multiple domestic rates or, in combination with other
denominations, higher foreign destination rates. American Bank Note Company printed
approximately 440 million of the 2-cent Jackson issue.
At the Revolutionary War's conclusion, George Washington returned to his civilian life at Mount
Vernon. Without question, he reined as the nation's most prominent citizen. In 1784 Virginia's
state legislature commissioned a life-size sculpture, which would be placed in the Capitol.
Thomas Jefferson, then residing in Paris, assumed the task of identifying a skilled sculptor. He
chose Jean-Antoine Houdon. Houdon was already known to Benjamin Franklin, whom Houdon
had sculpted in 1778. A year later, in 1785, Houdon visited Mount Vernon to discuss the
sculpture with Washington. The sculpture was installed in Capitol rotunda on May 14th, 1796.
Houdon's famous sculpture inspired the 3-cent Washington stamp’s engraved image. The 3-cent
Washington has two variations, one with a grill, the other without. This is true of all the stamps
of this issue. The stamp could have been used to pay the two-cent local mail rate; it could also
have been used in combination with other denominations to fulfill larger rates. The National
Bank Note Company printed approximately 252,000,000 3-cent stamps of both variations.
During the period in which the Continental Bank Note Company printed U.S. stamps, the first-
class domestic rate for a half-ounce letter was three cents. Because of that rate, Continental’s 3-
cent stamp was used more than all of its other stamp issues. The 3-cent Washington comprised
over two-thirds (2,610,000,000) of Continental Bank Note Company’s approximate total output
of 3,909,662,000 stamps (including all issues and denominations).
The secret mark on this stamp is the heavy shading along the lower white borderline of the larger
ribbon that appears below the ‘R’ in the word "THREE." On the earlier National Bank Note 3-
cent stamp, that ribbon has a simple, crisp white outline.
The 3-cent Washington of the 1881-1882 Issue was released in summer 1881 after American
Bank Note had re-engraved the printing plate. The changes that this created were minor but
defining. The oval frameline around Washington’s portrait received a narrower, outer line of
shading than was present on previous issues. A horizontal dash was added under the frameline
below the "T" of "CENTS," and American Bank Note printed the stamp with a blue green ink on
soft porous paper, not the green of the 1879 Issue. The paper was identical to that used for the
previous ABNCo Issue.
Because it cost three cents to mail a half-ounce first-class letter at the time, the 3-cent
Washington typically paid the first-class domestic mail rate. American Bank Note Company
printed approximately 1,482,380,900 stamps of this issue.
0185 5-cent Taylor
The Paris Postal Conference (1863) discussed and promoted the idea of what became the
Universal Postal Union. President Abraham Lincoln's postmaster general, Montgomery Blair,
had called the conference in 1862 to resolve issues associated with international mail exchange.
Founded in Berne, Switzerland, in 1874 as the General Postal Union, its name changed in 1878
to the Universal Postal Union. The Union immediately addressed two concerns: a uniform postal
rate for half-ounce letters and transit fees due to countries that forward letters on to countries of
destination.
The only original design created by the Continental Bank Note Company, the 5-cent Taylor
stamp paid the Universal Postal Union international rate. Continental Bank Note Company
printed approximately 38,000,000 of these 5-cent stamps.
When American Bank Note Company (ABNCo) received the federal contract to print postage
stamps in 1879, Continental Bank Note (CBNCo) relinquished all designs and property to
ABNCo. Most of the printing plates had originated with the National Bank Note Company.
CBNCo had only created one original stamp design—the 5-cent Zachary Taylor. Because the
stamp and its plate were original to CBNCo, the company’s secret, distinguishing mark that was
always engraved on the National Bank Note plates was not necessary.
The only difference between the original CBNCo stamp and the new ABNCo issue was the
paper. CBNCo used a yellowish wove paper for its 1875 Issue, and ABNCo printed its 1879
issue on a soft porous paper.
The U.P.U. international rate had been in effect for four years when ABNCo released its 5-cent
Taylor stamp, which was typically used for this purpose. Approximately forty-two million of the
5-cent Taylor were printed by American Bank Note Company.
0137 6-cent Lincoln
In the 1860 presidential election, a candidate needed only 152 of the 303 Electoral College votes
to win the presidency. In that election, with its eighty percent turnout, Abraham Lincoln received
180 electoral and 1,865,908 popular votes. After Lincoln’s victory, a group of prominent
Republicans from Ohio commissioned Thomas Dow Jones to create a sculpture of the new
president, which would hold a prominent place in the Ohio Capitol building. Before leaving
Illinois—from the end of December 1860 into January 1861— Lincoln sat for one hour every
day so Jones could make the necessary observations and measurements to produce the work.
Jones's statue was the first portrayal in any art form of Abraham Lincoln with a beard. The image
on the 6-cent stamp of the 1870-1871 National Bank Note Company Issue was engraved from
Jones’s sculpture. The stamp was the third to bear an image of Lincoln since his death in 1865. It
took almost eighty years before a stamp portrayed Lincoln without a beard. That stamp, the 1-
cent stamp of the Lincoln Sesquicentennial Issue, was issued on Lincoln's 150th birthday,
February 12, 1959.
The first-class domestic rate for a half-ounce letter was three cents in 1870. The 6-cent stamp of
this issue was the easiest way to pay the double-weight rate. The stamp was also used to pay the
half-ounce rates to many countries, including Great Britain and Canada, or in combination with
other denominations to fulfill higher rates.
The 6-cent Lincoln stamp has two variations, one with a grill, the other without. This is true of
all the stamps in the issue. A total of approximately 28,000,000 6-cent stamps of both variations
were printing by National Bank Note Company.
The 6-cent Abraham Lincoln of the 1873 Issue looks identical to its National Bank Note
Company counterpart except for two major distinguishing features. Continental Bank Note
Company’s stamp has a dull pink ink color and a secret mark; the NBNCo ink color is carmine.
The secret mark can be seen at the stamp's bottom left. Below the word ‘six’ there are two
ribbons whose ends curve toward the bottom of the ‘x’. At the point where they curve, there are
four vertical lines that are heavily shaded.
Until the five-cent U.P.U. rate was established in 1875, the 6-cent Lincoln would have paid the
half-ounce rates to many countries, including Great Britain and Canada, or in combination with
other denominations, higher postal rates. Its most popular domestic use paid the double-weight
first-class rate. Continental Bank Note Company printed approximately 47,000,000 of its 6-cent
stamp.
The Thomas Jones (1811-1881) sculpture of Abraham Lincoln was the model for the 6-cent
stamp of American Bank Note Company's 1879 issue. Jones measured Lincoln for the sculpture
before Lincoln's inauguration on March 4, 1861. Within less than fifteen years of his
assassination, three 6-cent stamps had born Lincoln's image.
The 1879 issue of the stamp differed from earlier issues in both color and the type of paper used.
It was a shade of pink and was printed on soft porous paper. The printing plate still included
Continental Bank Note’s secret mark at the bottom left of each stamp. See the four vertical lines
that are heavily shaded where the ribbon ends curve to head towards the bottom of the ‘x’ in
‘six’.
The 6-cent Lincoln paid the double-weight, first-class rate for letters mailed domestically, which
was its most popular use as a single stamp. In combination with other denominations, it also paid
higher weight and foreign destination rates. American Bank Note Company printed
approximately 23,650,000 of the 6-cent Lincoln stamp.
The 6-cent rose Lincoln of the American Bank Note Company 1881-1882 Re-Engraved Issue is
distinct in color from all earlier printings. The National Bank Note issue was printed in carmine;
the Continental Bank Note issue was printed in dull pink; and the ABNCo 1879 issue was
printed in pink. Special printings in 1875 and 1880 were printed in dull rose.
As part of the re-engraving, the frame of this stamp was reworked by ABNCo engraver George
Seymour, who erased some frame border lines and darkened several other areas on the frame.
Seymour would make many substantial contributions to the engraving of the Columbian Issue a
decade later.
The 6-cent Lincoln was printed on the same soft porous paper that had been used for the
previous ABNCo Issue. The most popular single usage for this stamp was to pay the double-
weight, first-class rate for domestic mail, but it was also used in combination with other
denominations to fulfill larger weight and foreign destination rates. Approximately 11,360,800
stamps of this issue were printed by American Bank Note Company.
0138 7-cent Stanton
With the exception of Benjamin Franklin, only those who had served as president had been
honored on United States stamps prior to the 1870-1871 Issue. In order of ascending
denominations, the first non-president to be honored was Edwin M. Stanton (1814-1869).
Stanton served as Abraham Lincoln's attorney general and then as Secretary of War, a position
he held into the Johnson administration. On December 20, 1869, President Grant appointed him
to the United States Supreme Court. Unlike nominees today, Stanton was confirmed the day he
was nominated.
The 7-cent stamp honoring Stanton was the only stamp issued in 1871. Circumstances made it
very useful as the stamp used to pay a full rate. In 1870, while the stamp was being designed, it
was intended as the seven-cent direct mail rate to several European countries. In early 1871 the
European-destination direct mail rate was reduced to six cents, making the Stanton 7-cent stamp
effectively useless. Fortuitously, when the rate for mail sent through England into Prussian
closed mails was set at seven cents, down from ten cents, the Stanton stamp became functional.
Between 1872 and 1875, the 7-cent Stanton stamp paid an increasing number of single rates. The
rate to Denmark was made seven cents in 1872, and in 1873 the rate to Hungary and
Luxembourg was the made the same. With the adoption of the Universal Postal Union standard
international single-weight rate of five cents in 1875, the Stanton stamp was no longer available.
The 7-cent Stanton had two variations, as did all the 1870-1871 Issues. One had a grill; the other
did not. National Bank Note Company printed approximately 2,945,000 7-cent stamps of both
variations.
The orange vermilion ink and the Continental Bank Note Company secret mark differentiate this
7-cent Stanton stamp from the National Bank Note version of the same that was also printed in
vermilion. The secret mark is easily found near stamp's small, almost complete circle in the
bottom right corner. Where the ends of the lines come close to closing the circle, the secret mark
is the two semi-circles around the bends of those lines.
The 7-cent Stanton was not available after 1875 because the Universal Postal Union standard
international single-weight five-cent rate had been adopted. From 1871 through 1875, however,
the stamp paid for an increasing number of single rates—for example, the 1871-1872 rate to
England and Denmark and the 1873 rate to Hungary and Luxembourg. Continental Bank Note
Company printed approximately 2,500,000 stamps of this 7-cent issue.
Hiram Powers was contracted in 1859 to create two life-size marble statues to be placed in the
United States Capitol. The first was of Benjamin Franklin. It was installed at the base of the east
staircase in the Senate wing. The second, installed in 1863, was of Thomas Jefferson. It was
placed at the foot of the east staircase in the House wing. Just as with his sculpture of Andrew
Jackson, completed thirty years earlier, Powers's neoclassical style shaped his life-size portrayal
of Jefferson.
The 10-cent stamp of the 1870-1871 National Issue was the third stamp issued by the United
States to depict Jefferson. The stamp was primarily used in combination with other
denominations to fulfill expensive rates. The 10-cent Jefferson stamp, as with all the stamps of
this issue, had two variations, one with a grill, the other without. National Bank Note Company
printed approximately 11,000,000 10-cent stamps of both variations.
In summer 1873 the Continental Bank Note Company produced two stamps for the same
series—two depictions of Thomas Jefferson, one in old age and one in his prime—that were
printed in identical brown ink. The 2-cent stamp was released in dark brown in the special 1875
printing, but in subsequent regular issues, it was printed in vermilion. The color for the 10-cent
Jefferson always remained brown.
Though the various 10-cent Jefferson issues can be difficult to differentiate from each other,
Continental Bank Note Company added a secret mark to the design of its stamp frames,
specifically in the area of the white frameline outlining ‘U.S. POSTAGE’. This secret mark—a
small bottom semi-circle—is in the curling scroll at the right of the frame line. The paper chosen
by CBNCo was a white wove paper, which also distinguished its 10-cent Jefferson from the later
American Bank Note issue.
Over its years of use, the 10-cent stamp paid various postal rates—from 1873 onward it paid the
ten-cent registered mail fee and the Universal Postal Union single-weight five-cent rate to any
country. CBNCo printed approximately 30,000,000 stamps of the 1873 10-cent issue.
American Bank Note Company printed two versions of the 10-cent Jefferson stamp, one with
and one without the Continental Bank Note ‘secret mark’. Perhaps some of the 10-cent Jefferson
printing plates, transferred by Continental Bank Note when it consolidated with ABNCo in 1879,
had the design re-entered using the National Bank Note transfer rolls (this could have caused
stamps with and without secret marks to appear on the same plate and proof), or perhaps the
secret mark wore-off, the printing plates having received extensive use into 1880. This second
theory seems likely since there are very strong secret marks on some issues and much lighter and
less distinct marks on others.
CBNCo’s secret mark, a small bottom semi-circle, appears at the top of the stamp where the
words “U.S. POSTAGE” are outlined by a white frameline. The secret mark has been inserted in
the scroll to the right of the frameline.
The American Bank Note stamps are differentiated from the earlier issues by their soft, porous
paper.
The 10-cent Jefferson could have paid the registered mail fee or, more frequently, the U.P.U.
international double-weight rate. Approximately 16 million stamps without the CBNCo secret
mark and approximately 22 million stamps of the 10-cent Jefferson with the secret mark were
printed by American Bank Note Company.
The 10-cent Jefferson was the highest denomination selected for re-engraving by the American
Bank Note Company. Several lines in the stamp's frame were strengthened, and one was
removed by ABNCo engraver Edward Bourke. As a result, the re-engraved 10-cent Jefferson had
a slightly brighter and deeper color than its predecessors. Like the other stamps of the ABNCo
Issue, the 10-cent Jefferson was printed on soft porous paper. Bourke’s previous work included
the frame engraving of many National Bank Note 1870 Issue stamps.
The stamp could have paid the ten cent registered mail fee or, more typically, the Universal
Postal Union international double-weight rate. Approximately 146,500,000 stamps of this issue
were printed by American Bank Note Company.
0140 12-cent Clay
In the years leading up to his death in 1877, Joel Tanner Hart (1810-1877) was considered by
many the greatest living American sculptor. His sculpture of Henry Clay (1777-1852),
commissioned in 1846 and finally installed in 1859, is considered one of his finest works.
Henry Clay, born at the onset of the American Revolution, was a major player on the national
political stage for forty years. During his long career he served in the House of Representatives
and the United States Senate, and he served as secretary of state under John Quincy Adams.
Hart’s famous sculpture inspired the engraving for the 12-cent stamp of Henry Clay for the
1870-1871 National Bank Note Issue. The stamp was used primarily in combination with other
denominations to fulfill expensive rates. The 12-cent Clay stamp, as with all the stamps of this
issue, had two variations, one with a grill and the other without.
0141 15-cent Webster
The 1870-1871 Issue employed neoclassical portraits of famous Americans as its main design
element. National Bank Note selected for its 15-cent stamp design what was considered by all
the most realistic neoclassical depiction of Daniel Webster—the marble bust by sculptor Shobal
Vail Clevenger. In his short life, Clevenger, who died at age thirty, sculpted from life two
presidents and several famous senators, including Henry Clay and Edward Everett.
The stamp could have paid the fifteen-cent registered mail fee or the single-weight fee to South
Africa or, in combination with other denominations, more expensive rates. This stamp, as with
all the stamps of this issue, has two variations—one with a grill, the other without.
Approximately 5,580,000 stamps of both variations of the 15-cent Webster were printed by
The 15-cent Webster was the last stamp of the Continental Bank Note 1873 Issue with a
discernible 'secret' mark. The secret is the small amount of plate wear at bottom and center,
between the ‘1’ and the ‘N’ of ‘FIFTEEN’ and also replicated symmetrically between the ‘5’ and
the ‘C’. The National Bank Note 15-cent Webster has more clear and distinct lines in this area
and has a darker and clearer orange color ink overall. The CBNCo printing employs a lighter
yellowish-orange color. As with the 12-cent stamps, the NBNCo and CBNCo printings of this
15-cent issue are more easily discerned by directly comparing the two stamps.
Like other stamps of this series, the 15-cent Webster had more uses after the adoption of
Universal Postal Union rates. Before 1875, the stamp could pay the five-times domestic rate or,
in combination with other stamps, the large foreign destination rates. After the U.P.U. rate was
put into effect, the stamp conveniently paid both the registered fee and the U.P.U. five-cent rate
for a single letter. Continental Bank Note Company printed approximately 2,050,000 stamps of
the 15-cent Webster issue.
American Bank Note Company (ABNCo) reused the National Bank Note (NBNCo) design of
Daniel Webster in its 1879 Issue. Webster had proposed the legislation to produce pre-paid
adhesive postage stamps. The stamp's image was inspired by a sculpture by Shobal Vail
Clevenger (1812-1843), which was completed around 1838.
ABNCo printed a 15-cent Webster that was closer to the original NBNCo issue because the
secret distinguishing marks that Continental Bank Note had cut into the plate had been
diminished by cleaning or by the introduction of a new, soft porous paper. That paper provides
one means of identifying the ABNCo issue; the ink color on the stamp offers another avenue in
that the ABNCo stamp is a different shade, a red orange. Continental Bank Note’s was yellow
orange and NBNCo’s used shades of orange.
The 15-cent Webster conveniently paid the registered fee and the U.P.U. five-cent rate in one
stamp. American Bank Note printed approximately 14,750,000 stamps of the 15-cent issue.
0142 24-cent Scott
Gen. Winfield Scott served under every American president from Thomas Jefferson to Abraham
Lincoln. He became an officer before the outbreak of the War of 1812 and was the commander
of the U.S. Army from 1841 to 1861 – a period that included the Mexican-American War and the
outbreak of civil war. By the end of his career, Scott held the rank of brevet lieutenant general (a
rank so high that it had not been attained since George Washington). Though he was not the
commander of the army during most of the U.S. Civil War, the generals Grant and Lee served
under him before its outbreak. When Scott retired, he had served longer on active military duty
than any other man in U.S. history. That record still held stands.
John Coffee’s sculpture of Scott was the basis for the 24-cent stamp engraving. The stamp was
mostly used in combination with other denominations on cover to fulfill expensive postal rates.
As with all stamps of the 1870-1871 Issue, the Scott stamp has two variations – one with grill,
the other without. Approximately 1,150,000 stamps of both variations were printed by the
The most complicated and rare stamp of the entire Continental Bank Note Issue is the 24-cent
General Winfield Scott. Philatelic specialists have contested the actual issuance of this stamp.
Support for the CBNCo-printed 24-cent Scott was largely speculative. Those assenters had to
assume that the terms of the Post Office Department contract, which set delivery dates and
printing production levels for each stamp issue (following the transfer of the original National
Bank Note plates to Continental), had been met. After all, Continental had printed stamps for all
the other denominations. Still, supporters acknowledged that the CBNCo printing was probably
very small; because they also believed that Continental had acquired a large, existing quantity of
the 24-cent Scott stamps from National Bank Note Company when it purchased their equipment
in 1873.
Continental had apparently not engraved a distinguishing 'secret mark' on this National Bank
Note printing plate. And no obvious indication of ownership could be determined by studying
the color varieties since the shades were too indistinct. Specialists finally had a break through
when a paper variety known as 'ribbed paper' was attributed to Continental Bank Note Company.
No other company contracted to print United States stamps had used this paper. The ribbing is a
series of either small vertical or horizontal lines in the paper of the stamps.
It was not until the 1960s that a single 24-cent Scott was finally attributed to CBNCo based on a
positive identification of the paper. The 24-cent Continental stamp was likely used in
combination with other stamps to pay larger foreign destination rates. The fact that there is only
one known example makes the 24-cent Scott Continental Bank Note Company Issue the rarest
stamp in United States Philately!
0143 30-cent Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was probably most famous for his work as the 'rogue' delegate from New
York to the Constitutional Convention. His ideas were heavily criticized by citizens of his home
state, almost more so than by people outside New York.
Italian sculptor Giuseppe Ceracchi executed many busts of prominent Americans during the time
of the Constitutional Convention. The National Bank Note Company had already chosen
Ceracchi’s bust of Franklin for the 1-cent stamp of the 1869-1870 Pictorial Issue. NBNCo would
again depend on Ceracchi’s artistry when it created a stamp of Hamilton.
The 30-cent Hamilton was the first stamp to depict a secretary of the treasury and would remain
so until the 1967 12-cent Albert Gallatin stamp. The Hamilton stamp was used primarily in
combination with other denominations to fulfill expensive postal rates. As with all stamps of the
1870-1871 Issue, the Hamilton stamp has two variations, one with grill, the other without.
Approximately 900,000 stamps of both variations were printed by the National Bank Note
Company.
Color is the best way to distinguish National Bank Note Company’s 30-cent Hamilton from that
of Continental Bank Note. NBNCo’s ink is a very full, rich black; CBNCo’s ink is a much duller,
off-gray black. Again similar to several of the preceding stamps in the 1873 Continental Issue,
the 30-cent Hamilton is more easily discerned from the NBNCo printing by a direct comparison
of the two stamps. Though the 30-cent stamp could have been used to pay ten times the first-
class domestic rate, it typically paid expensive foreign-destination letter rates to Peru, Mexico,
and India. Continental Bank Note Company printed approximately 2,050,000 stamps of the 30-
cent Hamilton issue.
Born in the West Indies, Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) served as an aid to George
Washington during the Revolutionary War, as a representative to the Continental Congress, and
as a New York delegate to the Constitutional Convention. Hamilton passionately supported a
strong central government, and he authored fifty-one of the eighty-five treatises of the Federalist
Papers. Hamilton’s work as a member of the federalist faction is a benchmark of political
advocacy in the United States. In his role as secretary of the treasury in Washington's cabinet, the
conservative Hamilton sponsored legislation to pay-off government debt and charter a national
bank. Hamilton died in a dual with Aaron Burr in 1804. This great American patriot was
commemorated with a stamp in 1870.
The 30-cent Hamilton design of 1870 was completed by National Bank Note Company. It was
the first stamp to depict a secretary of the treasury and would remain the only one until the 1967
1.5-cent Albert Gallatin stamp. The 30-cent Hamilton of American Bank Note’s 1879 Large
Banknote issues can be differentiated from this earlier stamp by its soft porous paper.
The stamp was typically used in combination with other denominations to fulfill expensive
postal rates. Approximately 4,000,000 Hamilton stamps were printed by American Bank Note
Company.
0144 90-cent Perry
The 90-cent Perry stamp is the highest denomination of the 1870-1871 National Bank Note
Company Issue. It depicts Commodore Oliver Perry (not to be confused with his younger brother
Matthew, who militarily forced-open trade with Japan), who gained fame by defeating a British
squadron at the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. The battle was the first in British
history at which an entire naval squadron was lost in a single engagement. Perry's famous line in
reporting the progress of the battle, “We have met the enemy, and they are ours,” is legendary in
naval lore.
In all previous stamp series since 1851, the ninety-cent value always represented a U.S.
president. Perry became the first (and remains the only) non-president to appear on a 90-cent
stamp on all regular U.S. stamp issues. The stamp was used primarily in combination with other
denominations on cover to fulfill expensive postal rates. As with all stamps of the 1870-1871
Issue, the Perry stamp has two variations, one with grill, the other without. Approximately
213,000 stamps of both variations were printed by the National Bank Note Company.
Continental Bank Note Company did not add its ‘secret mark’ to the 90-cent Perry printing plate
created by National Bank Note Company. Instead, as with the 30-cent Hamilton, it chose ink
color as its distinguishing characteristic. To say that this stamp is mostly easily differentiated by
its color is almost a misuse of the word 'easily'. The color variance is that minor. As the major
colors listed, NBNCo had used carmine; CBNCo used rose carmine.
As the subject of a 90-cent stamp, Oliver H. Perry was the first and only individual depicted who
had not served a president of the United States. Further, of all United States stamps 1847-present,
he was the only non-president portrayed on a 90-cent stamp.
The 90-cent Perry was mostly used in combination with other denominations to fulfill expensive
rates. Approximately 197,000 stamps of this issue were printed by Continental Bank Note
Company.
The American Bank Note 90-cent Oliver H. Perry issue was the third version of the stamp
issued. The National Bank Note Company created the plate for this 90-cent stamp to print the
original 1870-1871 stamps, and Continental Bank Note Company reused the plate for its 1873
Issue. The ABNCo stamp is only distinguishable from these previous printings by its soft porous
paper. The stamp was used primarily in combination with other denominations to fulfill
expensive rates. American Bank Note Company printed approximately 215,000 of the 90-cent
Oliver H. Perry stamp.
Commodore Oliver H. Perry defeated the British naval fleet in the War of 1812 and in so doing
preserved the young American nation. His brother Commodore Matthew Perry forced Japan to
open itself to trade with the West and negotiated an 1854 treaty to allow American ships to enter
two Japanese ports. United States postage stamps have honored both men. Oliver Perry appeared
on twelve stamps and Matthew appeared on one stamp.
New Bank Note Issues (1882-1890)
The 1882-1890 New Bank Note Issue included the first genuinely original engravings completed
by the American Bank Note Company since the inception of its contract with the federal
government. ABNCo had previously made some slight changes to frames and portraits that were
primarily National Bank Note Company’s design. The stamps of the 1881-1882 Re-Engraved
Issue are a case in point. The NBNCo printing plates had been used by three printing firms. The
soft copper plates were quickly worn by continuous printings. The pressure from the roller
against paper and plate caused the engraving—especially the finer, shallower lines—to lose
considerable sharpness. Printing plates either had lines re-engraved where needed or were
burnished smooth before having the transfer roll re-applied. In the case of the New Bank Note
Issue, new designs were created to totally replace the old, unusable plates.
The use of traditional portraits continued, though that of President James Garfield was an
exception. His image had never previously appeared on a stamp. His assassination in September
1881 prompted the release of the Garfield issue in spring 1882.
The 1-cent Franklin of the new Bank Note Issues was first used in July 1887. It was actually the
last of the new designs created and released by American Bank Note Company. The previous
Franklin issues, which had been designed and engraved by National Bank Note Company, had
been in continuous use for seventeen years (1870-1887).
The first-class rate was reduced by one cent in 1883, from three cents to two cents per ounce. A
single 1-cent stamp could have paid the postcard rate; two 1-cent stamps, the double-weight first-
class domestic rate; or, in combination with other denominations, larger rates. Approximately
1,325,000,000 stamps of the 1-cent Franklin were printed by American Bank Note Company.
0210 2-cent Washington, red-brown
0213 2-cent Washington, green
The new 2-cent Washington stamp went into use a few months after the first-class domestic rate
was reduced from three cents to two cents. Washington’s image replaced Andrew Jackson (who
had been on the earlier two-cent stamp) because Washington had been on every stamp that paid
the single-weight first-class rate.
The new 2-cent Washington was issued in a red brown color in 1883. When it was printed again
(1887-1890), it was printed in green. It is one of the most common stamps in American philately
because almost eight billion were printed.
The 3-cent Washington of the 1882-1890 New Bank Note Issue was released in a vermilion
color during the fall of 1887. Though printed from the same plate as the stamp in the the 1881-
1882 Re-Engraved Issue, its color departed dramatically from the green shades of the previous
issues. This re-engraved design differs slightly from its predecessors. See the shading that
outlines the outside of the oval frame line around Washington’s portrait. That shading on the re-
engraved stamp has a narrower width than the previous issues. There is also an added horizontal
dash under the frame line below the "T" of "CENTS."
Because the domestic rate for a half-ounce first-class letter was two cents, the 3-cent Washington
stamp served no direct single-weight use. Instead, it was frequently used to pay multiple-weight
rates or, in combination with other denominations, higher foreign destination rates.
Approximately 15 million stamps of this issue were printed by American Bank Note Company.
0211 4-cent Jackson, blue-green

0215 4-cent Jackson, carmine
The 4-cent Andrew Jackson stamp of the 1882-1890 New Bank Notes Issue was the first four
cent denomination stamp issued by the United States. It used the same portrait as the 2-cent
Jackson of the previous series. It was released in coordination with the first class domestic mail
rate change from three to two cents. The stamp was issued to fulfill the double weight rate. The
stamp was at first issued in a green color, then later in 1888 printed in a carmine color. The four
cent denomination would be represented in every regular issue series for the rest of the Classic
Period and throughout the Bureau Period. It was most often used to pay the double weight
domestic first class rate or in combination with other denominations to fulfill larger foreign
destination rates. A total of approximately 103,000,000 4-cent stamps were printed by American
Bank Note Company.
0216 5-cent Garfield
The 5-cent Garfield was the first stamp released in this Issue and the second U.S. postage stamp
to honor an assassinated president within the year following his death. The 15-cent Lincoln of
1866 was the first instance. This Garfield stamp was released on April 10, 1882, a little less than
seven months after Garfield’s death. His portrait appeared on a surprising number of stamps
throughout the Classic and Bureau Periods despite his brief presidency (March 4–September 19,
1881). The stamp was printed in yellow brown for the 1882 Issue, and in indigo for the 1888
release.
The 5-cent Garfield stamp is one of the most distinctive regular issues that American Bank Note
Company created during its time as the engraver and printer for United States postage stamps. It
typically paid the U.P.U. international rate. Approximately 252,351,000 stamps of the 5-cent
Garfield were printed by American Bank Note Company.
0217 30-cent Hamilton
American Bank Note printed the 30-cent Hamilton in 1888. It was the last Hamilton stamp
created by a private printing firm. The Hamilton portrait did not appear on another U.S. stamp
until the 1956 Liberty Issue.
National Bank Note Company had designed and engraved this stamp for its 1870-1871 Issue.
NBNCo, Continental Bank Note, and American Bank Note printed the design for nearly twenty
years. The same was true for the 90-cent Oliver Perry. This was the longest printing of a single
design of any regular issue during the Classic Period.
This last 1888 printing of the 30-cent Hamilton was released in an orange brown color, which
was a complete departure from the full black ink used to print the 1879 Issue. The 1888 stamp
was used primarily in combination with other denominations to fulfill expensive rates. American
Bank Note Company printed approximately 915,000 stamps of the 30-cent Hamilton.
0218 90-cent Perry

The 90-cent Oliver H. Perry of the New Bank Notes Issues was the final, large, bank note-size
rendition of the famous stamp. The original National Bank Note Company design had been in
continuous use since 1870, almost twenty years. This was the longest printing of a single design
of any of the regular issues during the Classic Period. The 30-cent denomination of this 1888
Issue shared this distinction.
American Bank Note Company used a purple color for the 1888 printing. This was the first and
only major color difference in all its printings. The 90-cent denomination was the highest
denomination of the entire Bank Note stamp era.
The stamp was typically used in combination with other denominations to fulfill expensive rates.
American Bank Note Company printed approximately 135,000 stamps of the 90-cent Perry.
Small Bank Note Issues (1890-1893)
The 1890-1893 Issue was the American Bank Note Company’s first and only original definitive
stamp series. The contract for the issue was originally awarded to Charles F. Steel in mid-1889.
Steel, who was based in Philadelphia, had never engraved or printed a stamp or banknote. When
he submitted his bid, he intended to create the means to fulfill the contract after successfully
receiving it. Steel’s complete lack of equipment and facilities should have alarmed the Post
Office Department more than it did. The American Bank Note Company certainly realized the
potential problem and lodged a complaint, but the Post Office Department disregarded it and
gave Steel a chance to fulfill his side of the contract.
When in September 1889 Steel had not produced any of the necessary requirements of the
contract, the Department issued a new request for bids. The delay required the Department to
request an additional three-month supply of the then-current issue to be printed. American Bank
Note Company submitted another bid for the contract and successfully secured it for another four
years. The stamps of the 1890-1893 Issue were the smallest in surface size of any Classic Period
stamps, and they included the portraits of more presidents than any previous series.
Edward Steimle modeled his engraving for the 1-cent 1890-1893 Issue after a bust of Benjamin
Franklin executed by Jean Antoine Houdon. The twenty-six year old engraver’s rendering would
be the last regular issue portrait of Franklin accomplished by a private printing firm. The
American Bank Note Company had hired the German-born Steimle, who had emigrated to the
US about 1870, after he submitted an engraving of a train engine.
The stamp was officially issued on February 22, 1890, two months shy of the 100th anniversary
of Franklin’s death. The stamp would have been used for some third-class mail, drop letters, or
in combination with other denominations to fulfill larger postage rates. The American Bank Note
Company printed approximately 2,206,093,450 of these 1-cent stamps.

The image of George Washington was a staple for most Classic Period stamp series. In the 1890-
1893 Issue, Washington was depicted on the 'work horse' of the series, the 2-cent stamp, which
paid the first-class mail rate. February 22, 1890, the official release date for most stamps in this
issue, was Washington’s 158th birthday. Coincidentally, it made this stamp the first to be issued
on the subject’s birthday.
The stamp was originally printed and issued in a lake color, but complaints about stamp's quality
soon prompted the postmaster general to order the ink color changed. The new carmine ink
became the predominant, familiar color for the majority of these 2-cent stamps.
The 2-cent postage rate primarily paid the first-class mail rate. In some situations, in combination
with other denominations, it fulfilled higher rates. The American Bank Note Company printed
approximately 6,344,719,500 of these stamps, making it the largest printing of any stamp of the
Classics Period. The closest competing issue had over one and a half billion fewer stamps in its
print run.
0221 3-cent Jackson
The first portrait of Andrew Jackson on stamp, issued in 1863, was derived from artist Miner
Kellogg’s work. Every subsequent Jackson stamp, including the 3-cent 1890-1893 issue, was
inspired by the Jean-Antoine Houdon sculpture. Other than George Washington (the subject of
twenty different stamp issues), Jackson appeared on more Classic Period stamps than any other
president.
The 3-cent stamp was used primarily in combination with other denominations to fulfill larger
rates. A total of 46,877,250 of these stamps were printed by the American Bank Note Company.
0222 4-cent Lincoln
During his tenure as superintendent of the pictorial department at the American Bank Note
Company, Alfred Jones engraved the portrait of Abraham Lincoln for the 4-cent stamp of the
1890-1893 Issue. Born in Great Britain, Jones became an engraver for the Philadelphia printing
firm Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson soon after immigrating to the United States. During the
mid-1850s, the renowned portrait engraver operated his own firm, which later merged with the
ABNCo.
The 4-cent Lincoln was issued on June 2, 1890, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the surrender of
the last major Confederate army. [Read more about this in the discussion of the 5-cent Grant
issue.] The 4-cent stamp would have been used to pay either the double-weight first-class rate or,
in combination with other denominations, higher mail rates. American Bank Note Company
printed approximately 66,759,475 of these 4-cent stamps.
0223 5-cent Grant

The 5-cent stamp of the 1890-1893 Issue was the first U.S. stamp to depict Ulysses S. Grant. Of
the eleven men pictured in this issue, Grant and Sherman, both former Union generals during the
American Civil War, were first-time subjects.
After his defining role as general-in-chief of the Union army, Grant was twice elected president
of the United States (1869-1877). He died in 1885, shortly after completing his memoirs.
It is of special note that the Post Office Department released the 5-cent Grant exactly twenty-five
years after Gen. Edmond Kirby Smith’s surrender of the last major Confederate army (the Trans-
Mississippi Department) at Galveston, Texas, on June 2, 1865. At the time of Gen. Kirby's death
on March 28, 1893, he had seen three opposing Union generals honored on stamps—Winfield
Scott, Ulysses S. Grant, and William Sherman. The 8-cent Sherman stamp was released seven
days before Smith’s death, the only one of the 1890-1893 Issue to be released that year.
The 5-cent Grant stamp typically paid the Universal Postal Union (UPU) international rate or, in
combination with other denominations, higher mail rates. Approximately 152,236,530 stamps
were printed by the American Bank Note Company for the 5-cent issue.
Two American presidents were assassinated during the nineteenth century—Abraham Lincoln
and James Garfield. John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln at Ford's theater, Washington,
D.C., in 1865; a soldier named Charles J. Guiteau, disgruntled about the outcome of the 1880
general election, assassinated Garfield in 1881.
Interestingly, the two 6-cent stamps issued after 1870 featured the two assassinated presidents.
All regular-issue 6-cent stamps until 1909 featured Garfield. This stamp could have paid the
triple-weight, first-class rate or, in combination with other denominations, higher rates.
American Bank Note Company printed approximately 9,253,400 stamps of this 6-cent issue.
0225 8-cent Sherman
When the American Bank Note Company and the Post Office Department began their
collaboration on the 1890-1893 Issue, only ten different denominations were required. The need
for an 8-cent stamp arose when the registered mail fee was lowered from ten to eight cents on
January 1, 1893.
William Tecumseh Sherman, who succeeded Ulysses S. Grant as commander of the U.S. army in
1869 and was a legendary Union general of the American Civil War, was chosen as the subject
for the last stamp of the 1890-1893 Issue. He had outlived Grant by five years, dying on
Valentines Day 1891. Now his stamp, released on March 21, 1893, would have the distinction of
being the only stamp of the issue not released in 1890. Sherman was the only person born in the
nineteenth century who would see a stamp series on which he would eventually be portrayed.
The stamp was often used to pay the registered mail fee; otherwise, in combination with other
denominations, it might have been used to fulfill higher rates. Approximately 12,087,800 stamps
were printed by the American Bank Note Company of this 8-cent issue.
The registered mail fee had been ten cents for about fifteen years when the Post Office
Department released the Daniel Webster stamp of the 1890-1893 Issue. The fee that had been
stable since July 1, 1875, was overturned on January 1, 1893. On that date the fee returned to
eight cents, the pre-July 1875 level. T he American Bank Note Company printed approximately
70,591,710 of these stamps. Then on March 21, just two months later, the 8-cent Sherman was
released as the new registered mail fee stamp.
Just as the 10-cent Daniel Webster was seemingly eclipsed by this new stamp, a second use for it
became clear. It could be used to pay the combined two-cent first-class rate and the eight-cent
registered mail fee, a total of ten cents. This kind of customer convenience had not been
envisioned in the 1890-1893 Issue. No twelve-cent stamp was designed to pay the combined
two-cent first-class rate and the then ten-cent registered fee.
When the fee returned to ten cents on November 1, 1909, it would be almost five years before
the Post Office Department issued a twelve-cent stamp which could pay the combined registered
and first-class rate.
0227 15-cent Clay
Prior to the 1890-1893 Issue, one stamp design was created and reused for all Henry Clay
stamps. The National Bank Note Company created Clay’s likeness from Clevenger’s sculpture
for their 1870-1871 Issue; it was used again by the Continental Bank Note and American Bank
Note Companies.
The 1890-1893 Issue featured a new, strong image of Clay (befitting a man of his
accomplishments and personality), engraved from a surviving daguerreotype. The stamp was
most often used to pay large domestic rates; or sometimes, in combination with other
denominations, to fulfill foreign destination rates. The American Bank Note Company printed
approximately 5,548,710 of these stamps.
The engraver of an incredible range of vignette types, Liverpool-born artist Alfred Jones (1819-
1900) created the image of Thomas Jefferson that appears on the 30-cent stamp of the 1890-1893
Issue and the 4-cent Lincoln of the same issue. Jones moved beyond portraits and into full scenes
during his time at American Bank Note Company. For examples of that work, see his 2-cent and
30-cent Columbian Exposition Issues of 1893.
The 30-cent Jefferson of the 1890 American Bank Note Company Issue added one more
denomination to the list of ‘Jefferson’ stamps in the Classic Period. This would be the last 30-
cent stamp of the Classic Period and the last 30-cent denomination on a United States stamp until
1914. It typically paid large domestic rates or, in frequent combination with other denominations,
foreign destination rates. American Bank Note Company printed approximately 1,735,018
stamps of the 30-cent Jefferson.
0229 90-cent Perry
The American Bank Note Company continued National Bank Note’s example and used the bust
of Commodore Oliver Perry on the 1890 Issue's 90-cent denomination.
The Oliver Perry stamp was the last 90-cent stamp of the Classic Period, and, unlike every other
denomination issued between 1847 and 1893, it was never used during the Bureau and Modern
Periods, making it the last 90-cent denomination printed and issued for the United States
government. Edward Charles Steimle, the American Bank Note Company engraver who created
the first denomination of the Issue, also engraved this last denomination.
The stamp typically paid large domestic rates or, in combination with other denominations,
foreign destination rates. American Bank Note Company printed approximately 219,721 stamps
of this 90-cent stamp.
Columbian Exposition Issues (1893)
The Classic Period's only commemorative stamps, the sixteen stamps of the Columbian
Exposition Issue of 1893 were also the last stamps issued during that era. Forty-seven years
would pass before another commemorative set would eclipse the size of the Columbian Issue—
the Famous Americans Series.
Late in the 1880s, American cities vied for the opportunity to host a world's fair. Some members
of Congress questioned whether a separate congressional committee was needed to select the
host city; others wondered if Congress should pay for the fair and hold it in the District of
Columbia, an idea squelched by public opinion and the competing cities. The nation bowed by a
deep depression, a fair would create jobs in the victorious city.
On February 24, 1890, Congress selected Chicago to host the fair. The following day, the New
York Times reported, "If the New-Yorkers who have been striving in a dignified businesslike
way to secure the World's Fair could have been in Chicago to-night their natural regret. . .would
have disappeared. They would have realized then how much more Chicago desired the fair, and
perhaps obtained some idea of how much the town needed it. Interest in the result, such as is
rarely seen in Presidential elections, was apparent all day."
Within months of the announcement, the title 'World's Fair' was changed to the 'World's
Columbian Exposition', embracing the decade-old idea to commemorate the 400th anniversary of
Columbus's first voyage to the Americas. On December 24, 1890, President Benjamin Harrison
announced, "In the name of the Government and of the people of the United States, I do hereby
invite all the nations of the earth to take part in the commemoration of an event that is pre-
eminent in human history, and of lasting interest to mankind."
The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as 'The White City,' opened on Chicago's
lakefront on May 1, 1893. Over the next seven months, twenty-seven million visitors attended
the fair. The Columbian Exposition commemoratives keep the fair alive for a small population of
stamp collectors. The issue price for the set in 1893 was $16.34; in today's dollars the total face
tops $300.00. The stamps are some of the most colorful and intriguing of the entire Classic
Period of United States philately.
American Bank Note Company printed approximately 2,005,216,300 Columbian Exposition

stamps, totaling over $40,000,000 in postage face value.
0230 1-cent Columbus in Sight of Land
Alfred Jones was over seventy years old in 1892, when he began the engraving of the Columbian
Exposition Issue. Born in England, he entered the United States while young and apprenticed for
Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson until 1841, when he created his own firm. In 1859, after
consolidation with another small business, Jones’s firm joined the American Bank Note
Company (ABNCo).
As engraver at the ABNCo, he began work on the 1-cent Columbian Issue, using the painting by
William Powell as his reference. He would engrave four other stamps in the series. This stamp
was primarily used alone to pay the one-cent-per-half-ounce third-class printed matter rate. A
total of 440,195,550 stamps were printed by the American Bank Note Company for this 1-cent
issue.
0231 2-cent Landing of Columbus
Both the 2-cent Columbian Issue stamp and the 15-cent 1869 Pictorial Issue stamp were inspired
by the same painting, "Landing of Columbus," by John Vanderlyn. Though Douglas Ronaldson
engraved the frames for both stamps, there are differences. An interesting example is the ‘broken
hat’ variety. In the regular stamp, the man immediately to Columbus’s left in the image has a
solid form hat; in the variety, a small ‘v’ appears cut from the hat’s top. Given the style of the
day, the variety might have been intentional. Philatelist Lester G. Brookman remarked, "Much
amusement has been given collectors by the fact that this stamp shows Columbus with a beard
whereas the one cent stamp, which purports to show Columbus one day earlier, shows him to be
clean shaven!" [Brookman, Lester G. The 19th Century Postage Stamps of the United States,
Vol. II. New York: H. L. Lindquist, 1947, p. 152.] The stamp is the most common of the entire
issue. There are two major reasons for this. The first is that the stamp paid the first-class rate for
domestic mail. The second is that a total of over two billion stamps were issued among all the
denominations of the Columbian Issue, and seventy-two percent of these were 2-cent stamps.
0232 3-cent Santa Maria
In celebration of Columbus’s discoveries, it was only fitting that a stamp in the Columbian
Exposition Issue be devoted solely to his flagship, the Santa Maria. It is widely believed that the
source for the American Bank Note’s image for the 3-cent stamp was a Spanish engraving. The
stamp does not fulfill any predetermined rate; it was meant to be used with other stamps to fulfill
any number of other domestic and foreign-destination rates. A total of 11,501,250 3-cent stamps
were printed.
0233 4-cent Fleet of Columbus
The origin of this stamp's design is obscure. Many publications attribute the design to a Spanish
engraving, but in his Chronicle article on this stamp, George B. Arfken referenced an article in
"Essay Proof Journal" that noted the appearance of a similar design in an American book
published in mid-1892. This would have been six months before the Columbian Exposition Issue
was released. There were striking similarities between the two images. In the end, the authors of
both articles could not say conclusively that American Bank Note Company engravers had used
the book’s design for the stamp image.
The Columbian Exposition Issue's one major error appears on the 4-cent Fleet of Columbus. It is
a color error: the ultramarine-colored ink of the normal printing was mistakenly replaced by a
blue-colored ink, similar but not identical to the color of the 1-cent Columbian. Two sheets of the
error were supposedly purchased by the public before being discovered.
The 4-cent Columbian Exposition stamp most often paid the double-weight, first-class mail rate.
But two 4-cent stamps would conveniently pay the registered mail fee or, in combination with
other denominations, any number of other domestic and foreign destination rates. American
Bank Note Company printed a total of 19,181,550 stamps of this 4-cent issue.
0234 5-cent Columbus Soliciting Aid from Queen Isabella
In 1476 Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) and his brother Bartolomeo traveled to Lisbon,
Portugal, determined to enhance their seafaring, navigation, and mapmaking skills. Within a few
years, the visionary Columbus believed it possible to sail west from Europe to Asia, a distance he
calculated as 2,400 nautical miles. Such a route, he argued, would eliminate the need of sailing
south around the tip of Africa, a long and dangerous trip. To prove his calculation correct, he
needed financial backing. In his search for a sponsor, Columbus appealed to King John II of
Portugal, who refused. He then appealed to the Spanish court of Queen Isabella. While waiting
for a summons from the Spanish court, he lobbied unsuccessfully for support from England's
Henry VII. Isabella initially rejected his proposal, but upon urging from a trusted advisor, she
reconsidered. This second review led to the Spanish monarchy's granting financial and material
support to Christopher Columbus for his expedition across the Atlantic.
The image of Columbus soliciting Isabella’s aid presumably derived from a January 2, 1492,
description. In 1884 Vaclav Brozik completed a painting titled ‘Columbus at the Court of
Ferdinand and Isabella’ which, less than a decade later, inspired Alfred S. Major's image for the
5-cent Columbian Exposition Issue. The primary purpose of the 5-cent stamp was to pay the
Universal Postal Union half-ounce international rate. American Bank Note Company printed a
total 35,248,250 stamps of this issue.
0235 6-cent Columbus Welcomed at Barcelona

As Supervising Engineer of the Capitol Extensions, Captain Montgomery C. Meigs approached
American-born artist Randolph Rogers to design the House Wing doors of the United States
Capitol building. Rogers chose to portray the chronology of Columbus’ voyage to the Americas
and completed the models for the door panels at his studio in Rome in 1857. He then shipped
them to Munich for casting. Production delays and transportation problems (due to the Civil
War) delayed their installation until 1863. Since then the doors have been moved twice, once in
1871 and again in 1961, when they were hung at the east entrance to the Capitol.
Rogers had created eight panels that were ultimately arranged in a confusing order on the doors.
One large panel depicting the “Landing of Columbus in the New World” stretched above the
doors. The seventh panel in this ordering inspired the 6-cent Columbian Exposition stamp. The
image depicts the return of Columbus from his first voyage. He traverses the streets of Barcelona
on horseback, heading toward the gates of the city. King Ferdinand stands to the left of the
design, and Vasco Nunez de Balboa, Spanish discoverer of the Pacific Ocean, to the right. The 6-
cent stamp is the only Columbian Exposition Issue stamp that reflects Rogers’ creation and the
feel of three-dimensional relief in the figures.
Randolph Rogers died in 1892 on the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ voyage. The stamp was
not issued with a specific single use in mind, though it conveniently paid the three-times-single-
weight rate. In combination with the 4-cent Columbian Exposition stamp, it paid the first-class
letter rate and registered fee or the double-weight Universal Postal Union rate. American Bank
Note Company printed a total of 4,707,550 stamps of this 6-cent issue.
0236 8-cent Columbus Restored to Favor
The lower value denominations of the Columbian Exposition Issue of 1893 were released right
after the New Year. The 8-cent ‘Columbus Restored to Favor’ stamp was issued in March 1893.
Like the 8-cent Grant of the 1890 Issue, this 8-cent stamp was specifically created to pay the
new, lower registered mail fee that was enacted on January 1, 1893. The 8-cent Columbian
Exposition stamp was released before the 8-cent 1890 Issue by a few weeks.
Based on the painting by Francisco Jover y Casanova, the stamp depicts Columbus being
restored to favor by the king and queen of Spain. Queen Isabella is taking the hand of the
kneeling Columbus. Unlike many other denominations of this issue, the 8-cent stamp (as
described above) served a direct purpose: In combination with the very common 2-cent stamp, it
paid the first-class rate and the registered mail fee. The American Bank Note Company printed
10,656,550 of this 8-cent issue.
0237 10-cent Columbus Presenting Natives
Through his contacts at the Vatican, Italian painter Luigi Gregori learned of a teaching position
at the University of Notre Dame, and in 1874 he arrived in South Bend, Indiana, to chair the Art
Department. Five years later (1879), a fire destroyed the main administration building. The 1865
structure was subsequently rebuilt, and between 1882 and 1884 Gregori was tapped to paint a
series of twelve paintings to adorn the second-floor entrance hall. The theme would be identical
to the Randolph Rogers engravings for the U.S. Capitol installed twenty years earlier—the life
and voyages of Christopher Columbus. The Post Office Department modeled the engraving for
10-cent Columbian Exposition stamp on one of Gregori's paintings.
As with the 10-cent 1890 Issue, the 10-cent Columbian was created specifically to pay the
registered mail fee that had been in place since July 1, 1875. When the fee returned to the pre-
July 1, 1875, amount of eight cents on January 1, 1893, the Post Office Department issued a new
stamp for that amount to simplify public usage. The 10-cent Columbian Exposition stamp now
had a new function: it paid the combined first-class rate and registered mail fee which totaled ten
cents. The American Bank Note Company printed a total 16,516,950 stamps of this 10-cent
issue.
0238 15-cent Columbus Announcing His Discovery
After thirty-three days at sea, Christopher Columbus spotted land in what is now known as the
Bahamas. The date—October 12, 1492. On his return to Spain, Columbus presented his
discoveries to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. The 15-cent Columbian Exposition Issue
highlighted the royal court appearance in which Columbus stands in front of kneeling natives—
trophies from his first voyage. A painting by the Spaniard Ricardo Baloca y Cancico may have
inspired the final stamp design. Unfortunately, it is lost and presumed to be a casualty of the
Spanish Civil War.
The 15-cent Columbian Exposition stamp could have paid the Universal Postal Union rate and
the registered fee. At the time of its issuance, however, the registered rate was reduced to eight
cents. The stamp could still pay the triple-weight U.P.U. rate or, in combination with other
denominations, more expensive domestic weight or international rates. American Bank Note
Company printed 1,576,950 stamps of this issue.
0239 30-cent Columbus at La Rabida
The 30-cent Columbian Exposition Issue depicts Columbus at the Franciscan monastery at La
Rabida, where monks restored his confidence in his proposed expedition. His confidence shaken
by several failures to win sponsorship, in 1490 Columbus intended to the Royal Court of France
for funding. The monks of La Rabida and local monastery patrons, however, convinced him to
appeal to the Spanish Court a second time. Meanwhile, King Ferdinand's advisor(s) had
fortuitously convinced Queen Isabella to reconsider his appeal.
Felipe Maso's painting 'Columbus before the Franciscans at La Rabida' inspired the design for
the 30-cent Columbus stamp, which was typically used in combination with other denominations
to pay expensive foreign destination rates. American Bank Note Company printed a total of
617,250 of these 30-cent stamps.
0240 50-cent Recall of Columbus
The 50-cent Columbian Exposition issue was the first U.S. stamp of that denomination. During
the Bureau Period, the 50-cent denomination became a staple of most large stamp series.
The 30- and 50-cent stamps of the Columbian Exposition Issue present a sequence of events that
is slightly skewed. The mule or ass on which Columbus sits in the 50-cent stamp was not
provided by the Franciscan monks or their patrons at La Rabida. Before arriving at La Rabida,
Columbus had purchased the animal with money that Isabella, Queen of Spain, had dispensed to
reimburse him for the expense of his first unsuccessful audience with the Spanish Court.
This 50-cent stamp, in combination with other denominations, paid expensive heavyweight
foreign destination rates. American Bank Note Company printed a total 243,750 stamps of this
50-cent issue.
0241 1-dollar Queen Isabella Pledging Her Jewels
Though the subject of the Columbian Exposition Issue's 1-dollar stamp suggests that Queen
Isabella sold her jewels to fund Columbus's expedition, in reality the Spanish nobility also
provided the adventure considerable support. For decades the finances of northern Spain had
been vested in the struggle to re-conquer the Moor-controlled south, a battle won in 1492. The
triumph assured, Isabella's willingness to sell her own jewels to underwrite the expedition
prompted many noblemen to follow suit.
The collecting community considers the 'dollar-value Columbians' the jewels of the Columbian
Exposition Issue. Their denominations constitute $15 of the set's total $16.34 face value. As the
'jewels', they are less attainable than the 1- to 50-cent denominations that typically fill a
collector's album.
Until 1893 the highest denomination of any single U.S. stamp was ninety cents. Every company
from Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co. to American Bank Note had printed at least one stamp
of this denomination, all with defined uses. But when the 'dollar-value Columbians' were
conceived, none was intended to pre-pay a specified rate on its own. The stamps' functions seem
to have been to publicize the Columbian set and to generate revenue for the Post Office
Department. In other words, the issues were intended as collectibles, not postage 'work horses'.
Printing costs were essentially the same for any denomination of the Columbian Issue, so the
dollar-value stamps offered a high margin of profit.
As expected, stamp collectors and dealers, who saw the opportunity to create collectible covers,
used the issues to drastically overpay the usually low domestic rates. The stamp could also have
paid expensive heavyweight foreign destination rates. American Bank Note Company printed a
total 55,050 stamps of the 1-dollar issue.
0242 2-dollar Columbus in Chains
Of the sixteen stamps in the Columbian Exposition Issue, nine portray historical scenes in Spain
and three portray scenes on the Atlantic Ocean. The issue's 2-cent and 2-dollar stamps depict
events in the New World.
The 2-dollar stamp depicts Columbus as a prisoner in San Domingo on the island of Hispaniola
(now the Dominican Republic and Haiti). Adm. Don Francisco de Bobadilla had charged him
with administrative misconduct. De Bobadilla returned Columbus to Spain to stand trial, where
he was acquitted.
The stamp could have paid expensive heavyweight foreign destination rates. Stamp collectors
and dealers who saw the opportunity to create speculative, collectible covers also used it to
drastically overpay the usually low domestic rates. American Bank Note Company printed a total
45,550 stamps of the 2-dollar issue.
0243 3-dollar Columbus Describing His Third Voyage
The scene depicted on the 3-dollar stamp occurred after Columbus was acquitted of
administrative misconduct.
Three principle vignette engravers worked on the Columbian Exposition stamps—Alfred Jones,
age 74 at the time of the Columbian set issuance; Charles Skinner, age 48, and Robert Savage, in
his early twenties. Alfred Jones and Charles Skinner worked independently on some vignettes
and collaborated on several others. Robert Savage is credited with engraving the vignettes for the
3-, 6-, and 10-cent, 1-dollar, and 3-dollar Columbians. That someone so young engraved five of
the sixteen dies without collaboration suggests his virtuosity.
The Columbian Exposition stamps engraved by Savage had a total face value of $4.19 when first
issued in 1893. Though the entire Columbian set often sold below face value after the Exposition
closed, by 1943 (the year Robert Savage died) Scott Catalogue listed Savage's five stamps in
mint condition at $75.00, almost eighteen times their face value.
Stamp collectors and dealers who saw the opportunity to create collectible covers used the 3-
dollar Columbus to drastically overpay the usually low-value domestic rates. In a few cases, it
paid expensive foreign destination rates. American Bank Note Company printed a total 27,650
stamps of the 3-dollar issue.
0244 4-dollar Queen Isabella & Columbus
The 4-dollar Columbian Exposition Issue was the first U.S. stamp to bear the portrait of a
woman, Queen Isabella of Spain. Isabella of Castile married Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469, thus
uniting their two kingdoms. They spent most of the years of their union fighting to expel the
Moors from the southern reaches of the Iberian Peninsula, a feat accomplished in 1492. In the
same year she agreed to finance Christopher Columbus's expedition of discovery. That same year
she moved to purge the nation of Sephardic Jews in what became known as the 'Spanish
Inquisition'.
After the 4-dollar stamp's 1893 debut, women of social and political significance slowly gained
recognition on stamps. Martha Washington, wife of the country's first president, was honored on
a 1902 postage stamp. Then in 1907, the Indian princess Pocahontas was featured on a 5-cent
stamp to memorialize her contribution to peace in the early Virginia colony. In 1936 a stamp
honored Susan B. Anthony for her work in the woman suffrage movement.
Stamp collectors and dealers who saw the opportunity to create collectible covers used the 4-
dollar stamp to drastically overpay the usually low-value domestic rates. But in a few cases, it
paid expensive heavyweight foreign destination rates. American Bank Note Company printed a
total 26,350 stamps of this issue.
0245 5-dollar Columbus
The United States issued its first commemorative stamps—the Columbian Exposition Issue—in
1893. The issue's most famous stamp is the 5-dollar denomination, which features a bust of
Christopher Columbus. Prized more than any other, the stamp has an almost mystical aura in the
United States philatelic community. In cooperation with the U.S. Post Office Department, the
United States Mint also issued a commemorative Columbus half-dollar coin.
Alfred Jones engraved the Columbus portrait for both the stamp and coin; Charles Skinner
engraved the two figures on both sides of the stamp vignette. Columbus faces a different
direction in each-to the right on the stamp, to the left on the coin. The back of the half-dollar coin
displays a ship and the words "World's Columbian Exposition Chicago 1892."
Collectors and dealers who saw the opportunity to create collectible covers used the 5-dollar
stamp to drastically overpay the usually low-value domestic rates. But in a few cases, it paid
expensive heavyweight foreign destination rates. American Bank Note Company printed a total
27,350 stamps of the 5-dollar issue.
Bureau Period (1894-1939)
In 1861 Congress authorized the United States government to finance the Civil War with its own
paper money rather than that issued by private banks. Congress also authorized the creation of
the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) as a division of the Treasury Department.
The Bureau began operations on August 29, 1862, its initial functions being signing, separating,
and trimming sheets of the Treasury's privately-printed Demand Notes. Over time, the Bureau
assumed more of the work of engraving and printing, producing fractional currency, revenue
stamps, government obligations, and other security documents for many federal agencies. The
Bureau was the sole producer of all U.S. paper currency by 1877.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing officially began the production of postage stamps in July
1894, having won the contract from the American Bank Note Company. The Bureau then
embarked on a new association with the Treasury Department, which spanned more than three-
quarters of a century. During those years, the Bureau held a virtual monopoly on postage stamp
production, with one notable exception: in 1943 the American Bank Note Company produced the
bi-colored 'Overrun Countries' stamps.
The stamp-printing monopoly began to unravel during the late 1960s, when a few production
contracts were awarded by the Post Office to private security printers. This was the beginning of
a trend that accelerated in the ensuing years. By 1997 the Bureau's share of all postage stamps
printed fell below 50 percent, and in 2005 the Bureau ended stamp production for the U.S. Postal
Service.
Definitive Issues
The Post Office Department has, since its very early days, issued stamps that efficiently handle
the everyday payment of postage. These stamps, whose designs might be used for many years,
are known as 'definitives'. From the first U.S. issue of 1847 through the end of the nineteenth
century, images on definitive stamps portrayed important political and military leaders. By the
turn of the twentieth century, definitive issues incorporated common design elements, and, later,
clearly-defined themes, of which the 'Presidential Issue' of 1938 provides one example. The
USPS continues offering definitive stamp sets with common themes, but many definitives do not
share a common subject, design, or name.
Commemorative Issues
Unlike definitives, commemorative stamps are printed in limited numbers to honor an event,
person, or specific theme. Postmaster General John Wanamaker issued the nation's first
commemorative stamps in 1893. The series of sixteen stamps illustrated the Columbus's
discovery of America. They prepared the way for the rapid growth of commemorative issues in
the twentieth century.
Like the Columbians, early commemorative stamps were issued in sets of a few stamps. In the
late 1920s and throughout most of the twentieth century, individual stamps were issued to
commemorate a topic. Commemorative sets or panes of multiple images have again become
popular, especially with the development of self-adhesive stamps.
First Bureau Definitive Issues (1894-1898)
As the first postage stamps issued by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the Series of 1894
holds a unique position in U.S. philately. Generations of collectors have referred to the series as
the 'First Bureau Issue'. The stamp designs were the legacy from the American Bank Note
Company dies, to which the Bureau added 'triangles' in the upper corners. Until July 1894, when
the first stamps of the series was issued, private companies had printed all postage stamps under
contracts with the Post Office Department.
Series of 1894 stamps are categorized in three groups based primarily on whether or not
watermarked paper was used and on color. The series includes thirteen denominations, ranging
from one cent to five dollars.
Issued in July 1894, the first denomination of the first group was the 6-cent Garfield stamp. Most
of the other stamps were issued in the fall of 1894, though the 8-cent Sherman was not issued
until March 1895. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing issued all stamps in this first group on
unwatermarked paper, just as the American Bank Note Company had done.
A decision was made in 1895 to print stamps on watermarked paper. Series of 1894 stamps that
had only recently appeared on unwatermarked paper now appeared again on paper with a double-
line USPS watermark. They were the first postage stamps printed on watermarked paper and
constitute the second group of stamps in the First Bureau Issue.
The third group in the First Bureau Issue includes stamps whose colors were changed to conform
to Universal Postal Union regulations. The 1-cent Franklin was changed from blue to green and
the 5-cent Grant from chocolate to blue. In order to avoid confusing postal clerks and the public,
the 10-cent Webster, previously printed in green, was reissued in brown and orange brown, and
the 15-cent Clay, previously printed in blue, was reissued in olive green.
The 1-cent Franklin stamp was first printed in 1894 in ultramarine on unwatermarked paper.
Uneven inking of the plates and the moisture content of the paper at the time of printing resulted
in many shades of the ultramarine color, so soon after the introduction of the 1-cent ultramarine,
the color was changed to blue. Like its predecessor, the 1-cent blue is found in many shades,
which are easily distinguishable from the ultramarine shades. A 1-cent stamp with triangles in
ultramarine can be readily identified as the 1894 printing.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing decided in 1895 to use a watermarked paper for
production of all the stamps of this issue. Since all stamps printed on watermarked paper are the
same shades of blue as the 1894 printings on unwatermarked paper, each stamp must be
examined for the watermark. The size and layout of the watermark is such that at least a portion
of one of the letters U, S, or P can found on every 1895 stamp.
To assist postal workers in all countries signatory to the Universal Postal Union in identifying
stamps of equal postage value, the 1-cent stamp color was changed from blue to green in 1898.
The Bureau continued printing the stamp on the same watermarked paper, however.
The 1-cent stamp paid primarily the domestic third-class rate and the domestic postal card rate. It
was also used in multiples or in combination with other stamps to pay other rates.
The 2-cent stamps of the First Bureau Issue provide an entire area of study unto themselves.
Design variations and color varieties abound in these printings and, since the 2-cent stamp was
the primary payment for first-class domestic mail and the most commonly available stamp
during the 1890s, a multitude of usages can entertain the student of postal history.
Students must first understand the three distinct triangles seen on these stamps. Because of the
sheer number of stamps printed, which caused excessive wear on the plates, repairing the plates
was an ongoing process. Over time new plates were also added to the inventory. Different
engravers had different ideas as to what the triangle should look like, producing three distinct
varieties. Later re-entries into the plates show distinct re-cuttings. These re-cuttings, along with
the later colors, create a Type IV recognized design. The Type I triangle appears in the 1894
unwatermarked printings on pink, carmine lake, and shades of carmine. The Type II and Type III
triangles occur on shades of carmine only.
All three Types of triangles occur in shades of carmine on the watermarked papers used for the
1895-1898 printings. Pairs of stamps showing Type II and Type III triangles are known,
demonstrating the re-entry process discussed above. The 1898 printings are found in many
shades of red, carmine, orange, and pink but will always be the Type III triangle with the re-
cuttings of the vignette, and they are referred to as Type IV.
0253 3-cent Jackson
The 3-cent value of the First Bureau Issues is an orphan. That is, it paid no single rate by itself so
it could be used only to pay a multiple rate—for example, as triple third-class rate (three x 1-
cent)—or as additional postage, such as with a 2-cent to pay the five-cent Universal Postal Union
rate to another country.
A holdover from the prior issue, the 3-cent value was probably included in this issue as a
contingency to cover the increase in first-class postage from two cents to three cents. Printed in
an attractive shade of purple, collectors are glad it was included in the issue.
The 2-cent values are the only stamps of the issue that have different triangles in their design, so
the only way to distinguish the first printings from the second printings of the other values is by
checking for the watermark. A stamp from the first printing has no watermark. There was no
color change in this value to require a third printing.
The 3-cent stamp can be found in many shades. A crisp color on white paper is an exciting find!
0254 4-cent Lincoln
The handsome, dark brown 4-cent stamp of the First Bureau Issue features a portrait of Abraham
Lincoln (1809-1865). The 1894 and 1895 printings can be positively identified only by the lack
of the “U.S.P.S.” watermark.
The third printings were also issued on watermarked paper but in different tints of brown, such
as orange brown, lilac brown, and rose brown. The 4-cent Lincoln stamp was used primarily to
pay double-weight first-class postage.
0255 5-cent Grant
Five cents postage would pay the Universal Postal Union Rate for a half-ounce letter from the
United States to any signatory nation anywhere in the world during the lifetime of the First
Bureau Printings. The 5-cent stamp was printed to pay this rate.
The first two printings are found in brown colors somewhat duller than the 4-cent stamp. The
third printings were produced in dark blue. The unwatermarked printing can be found in a
vertical format, imperforate horizontally. This error is extremely rare.
This stamp is fun to collect on cover to exotic destinations such as Burma, Tahiti, and
Madagascar, to name but a few of the U.P.U. signatory countries.
The 6-cent stamp joins the 3-cent as an orphan of the Issue, paying no single rate by itself and
possibly carried over from the 1890 Issue as a contingency against a postal rate increase. Should
the first-class rate increase to three cents, this stamp would have paid the double rate. It is,
however, of interest that the earliest known usage of any First Bureau postage stamp is
associated with this stamp—August 11, 1894.
The unwatermarked first printings were produced in an unattractive dull brown. The second
printings followed on watermarked paper in a similar dull color. The U.P.U. printings upgraded
this color to quite pretty shades of lake and claret in December 1898.
Sometime during the second printing period an unknown quantity of stamps was printed on
paper watermarked “USIR” (U.S. Internal Revenue) instead of “USPS.” Only about half of these
stamps could ever be identified because of the “I” or “R” watermark, the “U” and “S” being
identical. This error is extremely rare in used condition and only recognized in a handful of
copies in mint condition, but with a little luck, more might be found!
The unwatermarked printing can also be found in the vertical format, imperforate horizontally.
Like the 5-cent, it is extremely rare in this variation.
0257 8-cent Sherman
The 8-cent stamp of the first printings was issued in March 1895. It was the last of the series
released because a large number of the 1890 8-cent stamps remained in the materials that the
Bureau received from the American Bank Note Company when the printing contract transferred
to the Bureau.
The second printings on watermarked paper were released in July 1895. There was no change for
the U.P.U. printings in this stamp. Both printings are found in shades of violet brown and can be
very attractive.
Like the 6-cent, the 8-cent stamp during the second printing period was printed on paper
watermarked “USIR” (U.S. Internal Revenue) instead of “USPS” in an unknown quantity of
stamps. This error is only slightly more common than that of the 6-cent, but it is still quite
unusual.
The 8-cent stamp paid the Registry fee current in the period. Properly paid a 1st Class letter of
the time would have a 2-cent stamp (1st Class Rate) plus an 8-cent stamp (Registry fee).

The 10-cent printings of the First Bureau Issues actually consist of four stamps. The first is a
printing in dark green on unwatermarked paper, and the second printing of the same color is on
watermarked paper. The third and fourth stamps are in shades of brown on watermarked paper.
This color change was necessitated by the conformance to U.P.U. standards of colors for certain
values. The U.P.U. printings in shades of brown have two distinct types, Type I and Type II.
Type I stamps are typically found in shades of brown and dark brown. Around the vignette of
Daniel Webster is a white border. The circles around the numerals “10” do not penetrate
(impinge) on this white border.
Type II stamps are typically found in shades of yellow brown or orange brown. In the Type II
stamps the circles around the numerals “10” do impinge into the white border.
The plates producing the Type II stamps were the newer plates used to print the issues. They had
been prepared by using the original dies, upon which the existence of the impingement is known
but had been removed from the plates previously.
The 10-cent stamp was used to pay the first-class rate plus registry and double U.P.U. first-class
rates. It could have also been used in combination to pay other rates for heavier items.
0259 15-cent Clay
Beginning with the 15-cent printings, the numbers of actual stamps printed dropped dramatically.
Over seven billion of the 2-cent watermarked printings were made compared to about 1.5 million
unwatermarked and seven million of the watermarked 15-cent. Printed in a regal dark blue, these
lovely stamps were most commonly used as payment for multiples of the 5-cent U.P.U. rate.
When the color of the 5-cent stamp was changed from brown to blue in 1898, the 15-cent was
issued in olive green on watermarked paper to prevent confusion. Only about fifteen million
copies were issued.
These 15-cent stamps, which depict U.S Senator and Representative Henry Clay from Kentucky,
were most commonly used as payment for multiples of the 5-cent U.P.U. rate.
The 50-cent First Bureau issue represents the first marked change from the designs of the 1890
Issue. The 30-cent black of the 1890 issue featured the vignette of Thomas Jefferson that had
been used for twenty years prior, in the Banknote printings of 1870-1888. The Bureau design
encompasses that vignette on the new 50-cent issue and changes the color to orange.
The watermarked printings were issued in a quantity of about 175,000 stamps, the watermarked
printings in about one million. Both printings can be found in many shades of orange, but the
watermarked printings can be found in a distinct red orange shade also.
This stamp was used for multiple rate payments, both foreign and domestic.
0261 1-dollar Perry
The 1-dollar stamp of the First Bureau Issue features a vignette of Commodore Oliver Hazard
Perry (1785-1819), a naval hero of the War of 1812. The vignette had previously been used on
the 90-cent stamp of the 1890 Issue. The 90-cent design was reworked and issued as the 1-dollar
stamp. The color is black.
Two varieties of the design exist on the single plate used for the all the printings of this stamp.
Fifteen rows of the plate contain the Type I, and five rows are of the Type II. The circles around
the “$1” abut into the frame of the vignette and are incomplete In the Type I design. The circles
in the Type II design are complete. There were slightly more than 26,000 Type I and 8,000 Type
II issued on unwatermarked paper. The numbers are 192,000 and 63,000 on watermarked paper.
This stamp, like the 50-cent, was used for multiple rate payments, both foreign and domestic.
0262 2-dollar Madison
James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, is the subject of the 2-dollar stamp.
The design was created for the 1894 First Bureau Issue.
The bright blue stamp can be difficult to find unused and well-centered in the unwatermarked
printings. The distinctive dark blue sub-shade of the watermarked printings is very attractive.
Only about 10,000 of the unwatermarked and 31,000 of the watermarked printings were ever
issued.
There are known examples 'on cover', but non-philatelic uses are extraordinarily rare. Used
stamps are relatively easy to find. Heavy overseas mail was the most common usage. It is also
likely that the 2-dollar stamp was used more frequently for internal Post Office Department
accounting than for common postal use.
0263 5-dollar Marshall
A veteran of the Revolutionary War, an advocate of a strong judiciary, and the fourth chief
justice of the Supreme Court, John Marshall (1755-1835) is the subject of the 5-dollar stamp of
the First Bureau Issues. This was a new design created specifically for the issue.
The unwatermarked printings were issued in a quantity of just over 6,000 (compared to estimates
of 21,000 for the 5-dollar Columbian), and the watermarked printings were issued in a quantity
of under 27,000. By any comparison and in unused or used condition, the 5-dollar Marshall is a
rare stamp. Like the 2-dollar stamp, the most likely usages would have been on large overseas
pieces or for internal Post Office Department accounting.
Commemorative Issues 1898-1925
“Come to the Fair!” That invitation might well be regarded as the theme of the majority of the
commemorative stamps issued during the three decades following the Columbian Exposition
Issues (1893). It was a time in our nation’s history that a fair or exposition was truly an exciting
event and great entertainment! U.S. commemorative postage stamps helped spread the invitation,
“Come to the Fair!”
During the period 1898-1925, the Post Office Department offered fourteen commemorative
issues. The early issues comprised sets of stamps. The largest was the Trans-Mississippi
Exposition (1898) with nine different images and denominations. The first single stamp
commemorative was the 1909 Lincoln Centennial issue that established the pattern for
commemorative issues for the twentieth Century.
In addition to the 2-cent Lincoln Centennial, two other 2-cent (the then domestic rate for a one-
ounce letter) commemorative stamps were issued in 1909: the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition
and the Hudson-Fulton Celebration. All three stamps were issued with and without perforations.
All of the imperforate stamps of the period (both definitive and commemorative) were primarily
intended to receive private perforations and manufactured into coils by private companies. In
reality, the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific stamps and the Hudson-Fulton stamps were not well-suited for
this purpose because of their larger size. Most of these stamps that exist with private perforations
were produced as a favor to collectors, and few of them were actually used in vending or affixing
machines.
Commemorative stamps were printed on the same paper used for ordinary stamps during this
time. The Trans-Mississippi through Hudson-Fulton stamps were printed on double line
watermarked paper. In 1913, reflecting a change in BEP production, the Panama-Pacific stamps
were printed on single-line watermarked paper. Subsequent commemoratives were all printed on
unwatermarked paper. The commemorative stamps of the period also reflect perforation gauge
changes, starting with gauge 12, experimenting with 10 (Pan Pacific of 1914) and eventually
gauge 11.
Trans-Mississippi Exposition Issue
Besides the 1893 Columbian Issue, the only other commemorative stamps issued during the
nineteenth century came about when Edward Rosewater, publisher of the Omaha Daily Bee,
convinced Postmaster General James A. Gary to issue a set of nine stamps to commemorate the
1898 Trans-Mississippi Exposition being held in Omaha to promote development of the Midwest
and West.
Surprisingly, the designs of the Trans-Mississippi stamps have no explicit connection to the
Exposition. Unlike the Columbians, they don’t bear dates, and the illustrations on each stamp
bear only the caption of the painting or photograph used, without obvious relationship to the
others. All the values from one-cent to two-dollars were printed from plates of one hundred
subjects and were printed on double-line watermarked paper.
The Trans-Mississippi stamps were originally to be printed in two colors, the borders in various
colors, and the vignettes in black. Unfortunately, the Bureau was unable to furnish satisfactorily
or in the time desired supplies of the several denominations in two colors, so the stamps were
produced in a variety of single colors.
The one-dollar and two-dollar values never had the sales to collectors that were anticipated.
Ironically, the stamps, which were on sale from June 17 through December 31, 1898, were
available to the public at the same time that the 1893 dollar-value Columbians were still
available from the Washington, D.C., post office.
Though it took one hundred years, the U.S. Postal Service eventually released the Trans-
Mississippi stamps in two colors, as originally intended. In 1998, on their 100th birthday, the set
of nine two-color Trans-Mississippi stamps appeared on two souvenir sheets.
0285 1-cent Marquette on the Mississippi
The one-cent Trans-Mississippi Exposition Issue depicts Jacques Marquette on the Mississippi.
In fact the young French priest (attached to a Jesuit mission in Canada) and other members of his
small exploration party who crossed Lake Superior headed towards the Mississippi in spring
1674 would never discover the great river. Instead the cabin along the Chicago River in which
they passed the winter of 1674-75 would eventually become the site for the city of Chicago. By
spring 1675, Marquette (then in his mid-twenties) was dead of an unknown illness.
A painting by William Lamprecht that hung in Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,

was chosen as the model for the one-cent stamp. Bureau of Engraving and Printing officials paid
only three dollars to have it professionally photographed. The resulting 9 x 10-inch image was
used by the Bureau vignette engraver, G. F. C. Smillie, to engrave the stamp design.
The 1-cent Marquette stamp was most often used to pay the one-cent card rate. It was also
commonly used with other denominations to fulfill large-weight and foreign destination rates. A
total of 70,993,400 stamps of the 1-cent Marquette were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing.
0286 2-cent Farming in the West
The image on the two-cent stamp of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition Issue was a real scene
captured by camera in 1888 - ten years before the stamp was issued. Bureau officials considered
it the most representative 'western' image of the series and had planned to use it on the two-dollar
denomination. Members of the Congressional Postal Committee suggested that the image would
have the greatest exposure (widest use and greatest printed quantity) on the two-cent stamp; and
so the subjects of the two-cent and two-dollar stamps were reversed.
This image that is commonly called 'Farming in the West' shows sixty-one horses and their
respective drivers. Evan Nybakken, the driver in the foreground with his left hand up as if to say
hello, was actually grabbing his hat so that it would not blow away. When he died in 1934, his
obituary cited the stamp as his major claim to fame.
A total of 159,720,800 stamps were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing for the 2-
cent Western Farming stamp. It was the largest printing of any stamp in the Trans-Mississippi
Issue because it paid the two-cent domestic first-class rate.
0287 4-cent Indian Hunting Buffalo
The 4-cent stamp of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition Issue is probably the most dramatic of the
entire series. The original image from which the stamp was engraved included a large scene of a
valley and another Indian and buffalo in the foreground. The stamp's design focused just on the
central subject of the original image. The original engraving appeared in a multi-volume book,
"Information Respecting the History, Condition and Prospects of the Indian Tribes of the Untied
States" published in 1854. This engraving appears in the fourth volume of the set. G. F. C.
Smille, the vignette engraver of the 1-cent stamp also engraved the 4-cent Indian Hunting
Buffalo. The 4-cent stamp was often used to pay the double weight domestic first class rate. It
was also commonly used with other denominations to fulfill large weight and destination rates. A
total of 4,924,500 stamps were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
0288 5-cent Fremont on the Rocky Mountains
The 5-cent stamp of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition Issue depicts Captain John C. Fremont
placing the United States flag on a peak in the Rocky Mountains. He accomplished this at the age
of thirty in 1843. By the time Fremont died in 1890, he had been a Senator from California, one
of the principle founders of the Republican Party, the Republican presidential candidate in 1856,
and the territorial governor of the Arizona Territory. To top it all off, during the California Gold
Rush, he found gold on his land and became a millionaire. Unfortunately, by his death he had
lost most of his fortune in bad business investments.
The 5-cent stamp still symbolizes an exciting moment in the history of the west. The stamp was
intended to be used to pay the Universal Postal Union international rate. In some cases it was
used with other denominations to fulfill large weight and destination rates. A total of 7,694,180
stamps were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
0289 8-cent Troops Guarding Wagon Train
When people think of the old west one image which comes to mind is the wagon trains of settlers
heading west. The 8-cent stamp of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition Issue proudly portrays
Federal troops guarding one such wagon train. The original image used was painted by Frederick
Remington and published in a book of his works the year before the Trans-Mississippi
Exposition. Remington largely shaped the American vision of the West in the late 19th and early
20th centuries through his painting, sculpture and writing. When Remington died in 1909 at the
age of forty-eight, he had authored thirteen books and his images adorned some seventy-three
books.
This stamp was intended to pay the domestic registered mail fee. In some cases it was used with
other denominations to fulfill large weight and destination rates. A total of 2,927,200 stamps
were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
0290 10-cent Hardships of Emigration

In contrast to the triumphant images which adorn previous denominations of the Trans-
Mississippi Exposition Issue, the 10-cent stamp portrays the hardships of the expansion and
emigration westward. The stamp depicts the pain of a dying horse with its desperate owners on
their way westward. Augustus Goodyear Heaton did the painting that inspired the image for the
10-cent stamp. Several years earlier in 1892, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing used another
one of Heaton's paintings for the 50-cent Columbian Exposition Issue stamp. The image used for
the Trans-Mississippi Exposition Issue 10-cent stamp was painted by Heaton around the same
time his Recall of Columbus Painting was adopted by the Bureau for the Columbian Issue.
The stamp could have been used to pay the domestic registered mail fee and the first class rate in
one stamp. In some cases it was used with other denominations to fulfill large weight and
destination rates. A total of 4,629,760 stamps were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing.
0291 50-cent Western Mining Prospector
Like the 8-cent of this issue, a Frederick Remington painting was used for the design of the 50-
cent stamp of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition Issue. The image is simple, just a man with a
white beard and two mules searching for gold. The stamp's official title describes the man as a
"Western Mining Prospector." Remington titled his original image "The Gold Bug." The two,
four and fifty-cent stamps of this issue all share the same vignette engraver, G. F. D. Smille.
The stamp could have been used to pay the five times rate for the domestic registered mail fee
and the first class rate in one stamp. In most cases it was used with other denominations to fulfill
large weight and destination rates. A total of 530,400 stamps were printed by the Bureau of
Engraving and Printing.
0292 1-dollar Western Cattle in Storm
The 1-dollar Cattle in the Storm stamp is considered by many philatelists to be the most beautiful
stamp of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition Issue. Others deem it the most intricate and beautiful
stamp ever issued by the United States. The breed of cattle that were meant to represent the
ruggedness of the American West and that inspired the original painting actually derive from the
West Highlands of Scotland.
Prior to the issuance of the 1-dollar Cattle in the Storm, only two other 1-dollar U.S. stamp
designs had been printed and released to the public - the $1 Columbian and the $1 Perry. There
are instances of philatelic use of the 1-dollar stamp on mail originating from the Trans-
Mississippi Exposition, even though it overpaid the postage rate. In many other cases it was used
with other denominations to fulfill large-weight and foreign destination rates. A total of 56,900
stamps of this denomination were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
0293 2-dollar Mississippi River Bridge
The highest value stamp in the Trans-Mississippi Exposition Issue is the 2-dollar Mississippi
River Bridge. The Farming [or Harvesting] in the West design that was originally chosen for this
denomination was instead assigned to the two-cent stamp. The Bridge design was the perfect
ending for the progressive history of the West that the Trans-Mississippi Issue was trying to
portray. The 1,500-foot Eads Bridge (completed in 1874) and the city of St. Louis are pictured in
the vignette.
There are instances of this stamp's philatelic use on mail originating from the Exposition, even
though it overpaid the postage rate. In many other cases it was used with other denominations to
fulfill large-weight and foreign destination rates. A total of 56,200 stamps of this denomination
were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
Pan-American Exposition Issues
The first commemoratives of the twentieth century were also the first bi-colored postage stamps
printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Six stamps in denominations of 1-cent, 2-cent,
4-cent, 8-cent and 10-cent were issued to publicize the 1901 Pan-American Exposition held in
Buffalo, New York.
The stamps depict modes of modern transportation. All the stamps bear the inscription
“Commemorative Series 1901.”
Three of the Pan-American Exposition stamps exist as inverts: the 1-cent, 2-cent, and 4-cent. The
1-cent and 2-cent were produced by accident and discovered by the public. The 4-cent invert was
created intentionally after it was erroneously reported that the public had discovered inverts of
this denomination. These three classic inverts were reproduced one hundred years later on a 2001
souvenir sheet.
0294 1-cent Steamship
Issued in 1901, the 1-cent Fast Lake Navigation stamp was the first denomination of the Pan-
American Exposition Issue. It was also the first 1-cent stamp printed in more than one color
(green and black). Not until the American kestrel of the Flora and Fauna of the Series of 1991
was another multicolored 1-cent stamp issued. The engraved design featured the steamer ‘City of
Alpena’.
The 917-ton CITY OF ALPENA steamer, built 1880 and owned by the D. & C. S. N. Co.,
collided with the Tecumseh on May 2, 1887. Its home port was Detroit, and the collision
occurred on Lake Huron. Neither ship sank.
The six stamps of the Pan-American Issue were the first multicolored stamps since the 1869
Pictorial Issue. Like that issue, the first three denominations of the Pan American produced
inverts.
This 1-cent stamp typically paid the one-cent card rate or, when used in combination with other
denominations, it paid the large weight and foreign destination rates. One of the most
recognizable U.S. stamps of the twentieth century, it was printed in large numbers, and it is
consequently very affordable for beginning stamp collectors. The Bureau of Engraving and
Printing produced 91,401,500 1-cent Fast Lake Navigation stamps.
0295 2-cent Train
The New York Empire Express inspired the engraving for the 2-cent stamp of the Pan American
Issue. The engine was a logical choice since the Exposition was taking place in New York State
and the train was one of the era's most modern. The carmine and black stamp was the first 2-cent
denomination printed in more than one color. Another multicolored 2-cent stamp did not appear
until the 2-cent Sloop from the Norse-American Issue of 1925. It should also be noted that the 2-
cent denomination saw the greatest use of the entire Pan American Issue.
The Pan American Issue's six stamps were the first multicolored stamps since the 1869 Pictorial
Issue. Like that issue, the first three denominations of the Pan American produced inverts.
This 2-cent stamp typically paid the first-class domestic rate. In combination with other
denominations, it fulfilled large weight and foreign destination rates. It is probably one of the
most recognizable twentieth century US stamps. It was printed in great quantities and is,
therefore, very affordable for beginning stamp collectors. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing
produced 209,759,700 of these stamps.
0296 4-cent Automobile
The electric car pictured on the 4-cent Pan American Issue stamp displayed the real
technological advancements being made in the United States. The car was owned and operated
by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in Washington, D.C., explaining the Capitol building shown
in the foreground.
It was the first four-cent stamp printed in more than one color (deep red brown and black). There
would not be another multicolored four-cent stamp for over another fifty years. That stamp
would be the 4-cent Flag Issue stamp that was released in 1957. The six stamps of the Pan
American Issue were the first multicolored stamps since the Pictorial Issue of 1869. And like that
Issue, the first three denominations of the Pan American would produce inverts.
The 4-cent stamp typically paid the double two-cent first-class domestic rate; or when used with
other denominations, it fulfilled large-weight and foreign destination rates. A total of 5,737,100
stamps were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
0297 5-cent Bridge
The Upper Steel Arch Bridge, also known as the Honeymoon Bridge or Falls View Bridge, is the
subject of the 5-cent Pan American Issue stamp. The bridge was completed in 1898 and was the
largest single-span steel bridge in the world. It crossed Niagara from the United States to Canada
until late January 1938, when a massive ice storm raised the river and stacked so much ice
against the bottom bridge supports that the entire structure collapsed.
The ultramarine and black stamp was the first five-cent denomination printed in more than one
color. There would not be another multicolored five-cent stamp for another quarter century, and
that would be the 5-cent Viking Ship stamp from the Norse-American Issue of 1925.
The 5-cent Pan American stamp typically paid the single-weight Universal Postal Union
international rate. When used with other denominations, it fulfilled large weight and foreign
destination rates. A total of 7,201,300 stamps were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing.
0298 8-cent Canal Locks
The 8-cent Pan American Issue stamp features an image of the Sault Sainte Marie Canal Locks.
Completed in 1895, they were the largest and first electrically operated locks in the world.
The brown violet and black stamp was the first eight-cent denomination printed in more than one
color. Another multicolored eight-cent denomination was not printed again until the 8-cent
Statue of Liberty stamp of the 1954 Liberty Issue.
The 8-cent stamp of the Pan American Issue typically paid the domestic registered mail fee.
When used with other denominations, it fulfilled large weight and foreign destination rates. The
Bureau of Engraving and Printing produced 4,921,700 of these stamps.
0299 10-cent Ocean Liner
While the 1-cent stamp of the Pan American Issue salutes America's technological advances in
lake navigation, the Issue's 10-cent stamp heralds America's technological advances in ocean
navigation. It bears an image of the steamship ‘St. Paul’, owned at the time by the International
Navigation Company. Completed in 1895, the ship saw action with the U.S. Navy during the
Spanish American War.
The yellow brown and black stamp was the first ten-cent denomination printed in more than one
color. Another multicolored ten-cent stamp - the Pan American Gamers Issue - did not appear
until 1959.
The 10-cent stamp of the Pan American Issue most often paid the domestic registered mail fee
and the domestic first class rate or double the UPU rate. Patrons also used it with other
denominations to fulfill large weight and destination rates. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Second Bureau Definitive Issues (1902-1908)
During the final months of 1902, a new series of stamps—the Second Bureau Issue—was
introduced. It was the first definitive issue completely designed and produced for the Post Office
Department by the craftsmen of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Stamps of the series were
released in sheet, booklet pane, and experimental coil formats. They were printed on double-line
watermarked paper with gauge 12 perforations.
The series contained sixteen designs in denominations from 1-cent to 5-dollar, including a 10-
cent Special Delivery design and a replacement for the original 2-cent design. The stamps were
in general use until 1909. However, the 2-dollar and 5-dollar designs, reprinted in 1917 on
unwatermarked paper, perforation 10, were produced until 1918. The Special Delivery
'Messenger on Bicycle' design continued in use until 1922 and was also produced on single-line
and unwatermarked paper with 10 and 11 gauge perforations.
Only three stamps of the series were actually released during 1902. The 13-cent stamp honoring
recently-deceased President Benjamin Harrison was issued in November. It was the first U.S. 13-
cent stamp and was intended to pay the 8-cent registry fee plus 5-cent foreign letter rate. The 8-
cent Martha Washington, the first to honor an American woman, and 10-cent Special Delivery
were issued in December. The remaining stamps of the series were released during the first few
months of 1903.
The Second Bureau Issue marks the first time that a U.S. stamp’s design included the name and
dates of birth and death of the person portrayed. Each stamp of the series includes the words
"Series 1902.” This 'year date' feature, first applied to postage stamps with the 1901
commemorative Pan-American issue, was discontinued with the 1908 introduction of the
Washington-Franklin Series (Third Bureau Issue).
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), publisher, scientist, diplomat, and first postmaster general of the
American colonies, is honored on the 1-cent stamp. Franklin’s image was inspired by an
engraving after a painting by J.B. Longacre that resides in the State Capitol in Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania.
The green stamp was initially issued on Feb. 3, 1903, as a sheet stamp, and in 1907 it became the
first 1-cent stamp issued in booklet format. In February 1908 the Franklin stamp was one of three
experimental endwise coil stamps introduced by the Post Office Department. The sheet stamps
were printed from plates of four hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12
perforations. In October 1906 the stamps were also made available in imperforate full sheets of
four hundred for use by private manufacturers of vending and affixing machines, who applied
their own designed perforations. The 1-cent Franklin stamp was also issued as experimental
sidewise perforated coils and imperforate endwise and sidewise coils in limited quantities.
R. Ostrander Smith designed the 1-cent Franklin. He incorporated into the frame design symbols
of Franklin’s scientific experimentations with electricity. The engravers of the 1-cent stamp were
George F. C. Smillie (vignette and frame), Robert F. Ponickau (frame), and Lyman F. Ellis
(Lettering and numerals).
The Franklin stamp was primarily used to pay the one-cent first class domestic postcard rate, the
third-class (printed matter), and fourth-class (merchandise/samples rate) rates of one-cent per
two-ounces and one ounce, respectively.
After George Washington, Benjamin Franklin has been the most honored American on U.S.
postage stamps.
0301 2-cent Washington January 1903
George Washington’s image (1732-1799) has appeared on more U.S. stamps than has that of any
other individual. The denomination in a series that paid the first-class domestic letter rate
typically featured his image. This was the case with the Second Bureau Issue's 2-cent issue.
The nation's reverence for the Revolutionary War general and first president was captured the
eulogy delivered Henry Lee at Washington's funeral, “First in war, first in peace, first in the
hearts of his countrymen.” Lee was Washington's fellow Virginian and patriot and the father of
General Robert E. Lee.
The stamp was issued January 17, 1903, as a sheet stamp and was also produced as booklets of
twenty-four, forty-eight, and ninety-six stamps in multiple panes of six stamps.
A painting by Gilbert Stuart which features a one quarter left image of Washington inspired the
2-cent carmine issue. R. Ostrander Smith designed the stamp. The vignette, framed by two
American flags, is often referred to as the Washington 'Flag' stamp. The stamp was engraved by
George F. C. Smillie (portrait), Robert F. Ponickau (frame), and Lyman F. Ellis (lettering and
numerals).
Besides paying the domestic first-class letter rate, the 2-cent Washington paid the domestic two-
cent drop letter fee (carrier office), the international postcard rate, and the unsealed
samples/merchandise rate per four-ounce.
Though the original engraved die produced one of the most attractive stamps ever printed,
production stamps often imparted a red-faced and unattractive appearance to Washington’s
portrait. Criticism of the stamp led to its replacement in November 1903 by the 2-cent
Washington 'Shield' stamp.
0319 2-cent Washington November 1903
Because of considerable dissatisfaction with the original 2-cent Washington 'Flag' stamp, the
Bureau produced a new 2-cent stamp featuring Washington’s portrait within a shield of stars and
stripes. The new design, referred to as the 2-cent Washington 'Shield' stamp, was issued Nov. 12,
1903. In addition to the bold shield background, the left numeral was enclosed with laurel leaves
and the right with oak leaves, symbolizing Washington’s role as president in peace time and as
general in war time.
The stamp was issued January 17, 1903, as a sheet stamp and was produced in booklets of
twenty-four, forty-eight, and ninety-six stamps in multiple panes of six stamps. In October 1906
the stamps were also made available in imperforate full sheets of four hundred for use by private
manufacturers of vending and affixing machines, who applied their own designed perforations.
The Washington stamp was one of three experimental endwise coil stamps introduced by the
Post Office Department in February 1908. It was later issued as experimental sidewise perforated
coils and imperforate endwise and sidewise coils. These experimental coils were issued in
limited quantities and are today highly prized twentieth-century rarities.
The 2-cent carmine stamp was designed by Clair Aubrey Huston from a painting by Gilbert
Stuart. The stamp was engraved by George F. C. Smillie (portrait), Robert F. Ponickau (frame),
and George U. Rose, Jr. (lettering and numerals).
Because the original engraved die had been damaged, a new die exhibiting slight changes was
made in mid-1908 to create new transfer rolls for needed plates. The two 'Shield' stamp varieties
are referred to as die Type I and Type II. The Washington 'Shield' stamp is recognized for its
many shade varieties. Initially issued as a carmine stamp, it has also been cataloged in shades of
scarlet, carmine rose, red, and lake.
In addition to paying the domestic first-class letter rate, the 2-cent Washington paid the domestic
two-cent drop letter fee (carrier office), the international postcard rate, and the unsealed
samples/merchandise rate per four ounces.
0302 3-cent Jackson
The 3-cent Andrew Jackson (1767–1845) stamp honors the seventh president of the United
States. Jackson won fame for his military victory at the battle of New Orleans in the War of
1812. Jackson, popular with the masses because of his 'log cabin' beginnings and democratic
ideology, was a deft politician who created the Democratic Party, the nation's first modern
political party. He is blamed for the Panic of 1837, one of the nation's deepest depressions.
The stamp was issued February 11, 1903, in sheet format printed from plates of four hundred and
sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. The 2-cent purple stamp,
designed by R. Ostrander Smith, was based on a portrait by Thomas Sully that hangs in the
National Gallery of Art. The stamp was engraved by George F. C. Smillie (portrait and
decorative figures), Robert F. Ponickau (frame), and John U. Rose, Jr., E. M. Weeks, and Lyman
F. Ellis (lettering and numerals).
The 3-cent stamp did not pay a specific rate and was used in multiple formats or with other
stamps to cover existing rates. In spite of its limited use, the stamp, like many of the Series 1902,
exists in a surprising variety of color shades.
0303 4-cent Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) is portrayed on the 4-cent stamp of the series. Grant first achieved
national attention when President Lincoln appointed him commander of the Union armies during
the Civil War. Grant had achieved notable victories against southern forces in the Mississippi
campaign, and his military strategies led to the defeat of Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern
Virginia and to the Union’s victory over the Confederacy.
A national hero, Grant was elected president in 1868, the youngest man theretofore elected
president. He was re-elected in 1872. Though his administration was criticized for
mismanagement, Grant held himself above the scandals, was a hard working president, was
credited with with a strong foreign policy and a sincere interest in enforcing the rights of freed
slaves in the South.
The stamp was issued February 10, 1903, in sheet format printed from plates of four hundred and
sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. The 4-cent brown stamp,
designed by R. Ostrander Smith, was based on a ferrotype or tintype by Kurtz. The stamp was
engraved by George F. C. Smillie (portrait), Robert F. Ponickau (frame), and John U. Rose, Jr.,
and Lyman F. Ellis (lettering and numerals).
0304 5-cent Lincoln
The nation’s sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), is portrayed on the 5-cent
stamp. Lincoln’s fame as a magnanimous leader is unequalled in American history. No other
American except Washington and Franklin has been honored more frequently on U.S. stamps
than Abraham Lincoln. The international (U.P.U.) letter postage rate was five cents when the
Series 1902 was in use. It was decided that Lincoln’s image would best represent the nation on
mail sent around the world. He had appeared on the 4-cent stamp of the First Bureau Issue.
The 5-cent Lincoln stamp was issued January 20, 1903, as a sheet stamp printed from plates of
four hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. In late 1906
the stamps were also made available in imperforate full sheets of four hundred for use by private
manufacturers of vending and affixing machines, who applied their own designed perforations.
The Lincoln stamp was one of three experimental endwise coil stamps introduced by the Post
Office Department in February 1908. These experimental coils were issued in limited quantities
and are today highly prized twentieth-century rarities.
The 5-cent blue stamp was designed by R. Ostrander Smith after a photograph by Matthew
Brady. The Lincoln vignette is shown between two robed female figures holding flags to
symbolize the reunited nation. The stamp was engraved by George F. C. Smillie (portrait and
decorative figures), Robert F. Ponickau (frame), and John U. Rose, Jr., and Lyman F. Ellis
(lettering and numerals).
The primary use of the 5-cent Lincoln stamp was to pay the U.P.U. letter rate. It was also used in
multiple formats or with other stamps to cover existing rates. Two 5-cent stamps could pay the
ten-cent special delivery fee and the registry fee when that was increased to ten cents November
1, 1909.
The 6-cent James A. Garfield (1833–1881) stamp honors the twentieth president of the United
States. Garfield, an Ohio lawyer and legislator, fought at Shiloh and Chickamauga during the
Civil War and rose to the rank of major general. Elected to Congress in 1862, he served in the
House of Representatives for seventeen years. He was elected by the Ohio legislature to the U.S.
Senate in 1880 and selected as a compromise presidential candidate for the Republican Party.
Garfield won the Electoral College vote 214 to 155, though his plurality in the popular vote was
under 7,500.
Garfield’s presidency was cut short by an assassin’s bullet on July 2, 1881, at Washington's
railroad station. Garfield died eleven weeks later in Elberon, New Jersey, on Sept. 19, 1881.
The 6-cent claret stamp was issued February 20, 1903, only in sheet format printed from plates
of four hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. The stamp,
designed by R. Ostrander Smith from a photograph, was engraved by George F. C. Smillie
(portrait), Robert F. Ponickau (frame), and Lyman F. Ellis (lettering and numerals).
The 6-cent stamp did not pay a specific rate and was used in multiple rate formats or with other
stamps to cover existing rates. Two 6-cent stamps were often used to pay the ten-cent special
delivery fee plus two-cent domestic letter rate.
This stamp had the smallest sale of any of those below the ten-cent value, and like many of the
Series 1902, it exists in a variety of color shades.
0306 8-cent Martha Washington
The first stamp to honor an American woman was the 8-cent Martha Washington (1732–1802).
She was selected from a list of prominent females submitted to Third Assistant Postmaster
General Edwin C. Madden. Martha Washington, wife of George Washington, was the only
person depicted on a stamp of the series with a first and last name.
Born Martha Dandridge, she married Daniel Parke Custis as a young woman of eighteen. Custis
died in 1757, leaving her with two children, an immense fortune, and a 17,000 acre estate. She
married George Washington in 1759. She devoted her life to supporting and comforting him, and
together they raised her two children by Custis. Her son John Custis died in young adulthood and
her daughter Martha died at sixteen. George and Martha Washington also raised her
grandchildren, George Washington Parke Custis and Eleanor Parke Custis. Martha Washington's
great-granddaughter, Mary Anna Randolph Custis, married General Robert E. Lee.
The 8-cent violet black stamp was issued December 6, 1902, only in sheet format printed from
plates of four hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. R.
Ostrander Smith designed the stamp from an unfinished portrait by Gilbert Stuart. The portrait
captured Mrs. Washington as a "stout 65-year-old, with a twinkle in her eyes and a faint grin."
(Boston Globe, May 3, 2006)
The engravers were George F. C. Smillie (portrait), Robert F. Ponickau (frame), and George U.
Rose, Jr. (lettering and numerals).
The 8-cent Martha Washington stamp was primarily used to pay the eight-cent registry fee for
both domestic and foreign mail. A single 8-cent stamp could also pay the two times foreign five-
cents-per-ounce plus three-cents-per-additional-ounce letter rate initiated October 1, 1907.
The Second Bureau Issue's 10-cent stamp pays tribute to lawyer, orator, and statesman Daniel
Webster (1782–1852). An ardent Federalist, Webster was elected to the U.S. House of
Representatives in 1812 and served three terms. A practicing Massachusetts lawyer, he won
major constitutional cases before the Supreme Court. He returned to Congress in 1823 as U.S.
Senator from Massachusetts. Webster, a champion of American nationalism, made an
unsuccessful bid for the presidency on the Whig ticket in 1836.
President William Henry Harrison named Webster secretary of state in 1841. He is credited with
settling a dispute with Great Britain over the Maine-Canada boundary. When Harrison suddenly
died in office, Webster continued as secretary of state under John Tyler but retired in 1843 and
returned to the Senate. Webster served as secretary of state once again, being appointed by
President Millard Fillmore in 1850.
Over the course of his long political career, Webster debated some of the most important
legislation of the nineteenth century. He ardently attempted to prevent the Civil War by urging
the North and South to compromise over the issue of slavery. Opposed to slavery himself, he
nonetheless supported the 'Fugitive Slave' law.
The 10-cent pale red brown stamp was issued February 5, 1903, only in sheet format printed
from plates of four hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations.
The stamp, designed by R. Ostrander Smith after a daguerreotype by John Adams Whipple, was
engraved by Marcus W. Baldwin (portrait), Robert F. Ponickau (frame) and George U. Rose Jr.
and Lyman F. Ellis (lettering and numerals). On either side of the portrait are fasces, the ancient
symbol of authority in the Roman Republic. A bundle of sticks bound together represents the
idea that, while one stick breaks easily, a bundle will not, and the axe in the center represents
military strength.
The single 10-cent stamp could be used to pay the eight-cent registry fee plus the two-cent
domestic first-class letter rate. A single stamp could also pay a two time U.P.U. foreign five-
cents-per-half-ounce letter rate. When special delivery stamps were no longer required to secure
that service on Mar. 2, 1907, the Webster stamp was used to pay the ten-cent special delivery
fee. A 10-cent stamp also paid the domestic and foreign registry fee when that fee increased to
ten cents, November 1, 1909.
0308 13-cent Harrison
The 13-cent stamp of the Second Bureau Issue, which features an image of Benjamin Harrison
(1833–1901), was the first stamp of the series issued. The stamp memorialized the twenty-third
president, who had died the previous year. Harrison, a lawyer and grandson of William Henry
Harrison, the nation's ninth president, became active in Republican politics as a young man. He
rose to the rank of brigadier general during the Civil War, and he was elected a U.S. senator from
Ohio in 1880. Though he did not win the popular vote, he won the electoral vote and therefore
triumphed over Democrat Grover Cleveland to become president in 1888. He lost his bid for re-
election in 1892 to Cleveland.
The 13-cent purple black stamp was issued Nov 18, 1902, only in sheet format printed from
plates of four hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. The
stamp, designed by R. Ostrander Smith from a photograph supplied by Mrs. Harrison, was
engraved by Marcus W. Baldwin (portrait and frame), and Lyman F. Ellis (lettering and
numerals).
The Harrison stamp was the first 13-cent denomination issued by the Post Office Department. A
single 13-cent stamp could be used to pay the eight-cent registry fee plus the five-cents-per-half-
ounce foreign letter rate. The stamp remained as one of the regular denominations as long as the
registry fee remained at eight cents, though sales of the Harrison stamp were the lowest of any
value below the 50-cent stamp.
0309 15-cent Clay
The 15-cent stamp is a tribute to a leading American statesman and orator, Henry Clay (1777–
1852). Clay studied law in Virginia, and after passing the bar in 1797, he moved to Lexington,
Kentucky. He eventually represented that state in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S.
Senate.
While serving in the House, Clay was chosen as one of the commissioners to negotiate the
Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812. A devote Federalist, he advocated programs that
expanded commerce and industry, especially canals, railroads, and banks. He was known as the
'Great Pacifier' because of his success in brokering compromises on the slavery issue in 1820 and
1850. Clay put together legislation that would eventually be known as the 'Compromise of 1850'.
The Compromise, a response to sectional demands for and against slavery, forestalled the Civil
War for ten years. That decade gave the North time to prepare economically and politically for
the inevitable. In 1957 a Senate committee chaired by John F. Kennedy named Clay as one of the
five greatest senators in American history.
The 15-cent olive green stamp was issued May 24, 1903, only in sheet format printed from plates
of two hundred and four hundred stamps and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12
perforations. The stamp was designed by R. Ostrander Smith from an engraving by Alfred
Sealey. The engravers were Marcus W. Baldwin (portrait), Robert F. Ponickau (frame), and
George U. Rose Jr. and Lyman F. Ellis (lettering and numerals).
The 15-cent stamp was primarily used to pay multiples of the foreign five-cents-per-half-ounce
letter rate in effect until Oct 1, 1907. The stamps were also used on larger domestic fourth-class
parcels. A single 15-cent stamp paid the foreign five-cents-per-half-ounce plus the ten-cent
registry fee. Multiples are also found paying the foreign samples and merchandise rates.
Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), the nation’s third president, is portrayed on the 50-cent stamp.
Jefferson studied law at the College of William and Mary and served in the Virginia House of
Burgesses and the Continental Congress. At age of thirty-three, Jefferson drafted the Declaration
of Independence. He succeeded Benjamin Franklin as minister to France in 1785 and served as
secretary of state in President Washington’s cabinet.
Breaking with the Hamilton’s Federalists, Jefferson assumed leadership of the Republicans, who
opposed a strong central government. In 1796 he became vice president under John Adams and
was elected president in 1800. Jefferson’s notable successes include reducing the national debt
and fighting the Barbary Coast pirates, but he is most celebrated for writing the Declaration of
Independence and the acquisition of the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803. His brilliance
encompassed a vast range of topics and skills, not the least of which were architecture and
botany.
No other American except Washington, Franklin, and Lincoln has been honored more frequently
on U.S. stamps than Thomas Jefferson.
The 50-cent orange stamp was issued March 23, 1903, as a sheet stamp printed from plates of
two hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. The stamp
was designed by R. Ostrander Smith from the 1805 Edgehill Portrait by Gilbert Stuart. It was
engraved by George F. C. Smillie (portrait), Robert F. Ponickau (frame), and George U. Rose, Jr.
(lettering and numerals).
The 50-cent Jefferson stamp was frequently used to pay multiples for first-class shipments of
domestic inter-bank currency and coin. The stamp also franked large foreign letter rate parcels.
0311 1-dollar Farragut
Admiral David G. Farragut (1801–1870) appears on the Second Bureau Issue's 1-dollar
denomination. When Virginia seceded from the Union in April 1861, Navy Capt. David G.
Farragut moved his family north to Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. In January 1862 he was
chosen to command a fifty-ship expedition to capture New Orleans. Farragut battled past the
forts protecting the city, sailed up the Mississippi River to New Orleans, and forced the city’s
surrender. In doing so, he became a hero. He received the thanks of Congress and was promoted
to the navy's first rear admiral.
In addition to successful blockades of Confederate ports, Farragut forced the surrender of

Vicksburg and Port Hudson in July 1863. In 1864 he fought the fiercest of his battles, blasting
his way into Mobile Bay. Congress then created and bestowed the rank of vice admiral upon
him. The following year, Congress promoted Farragut to the rank of admiral.
The 1-dollar black stamp was issued June 5, 1903, as a sheet stamp printed from plates of two
hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. The stamp,
designed by R. Ostrander Smith from an engraving by Charles Schlecht, was engraved by
George F.C. Smillie (portrait), Robert F. Ponickau and Marcus W. Baldwin (frame), and George
U. Rose Jr. (lettering and numerals). Farragut's portrait replaced that of Commodore Matthew C.
Perry, which had appeared on the 1-dollar denomination in the First Bureau Issue.
The Farragut stamp was frequently used to pay multiples for first-class shipments of domestic
inter-bank currency and coin. The stamp also franked large foreign letter rate parcels.
0312 2-dollar Madison
James Madison (1751–1836), the nation’s fourth president, is pictured on the 2-dollar stamp.
Madison was born in Virginia and attended the College of New Jersey (Princeton University). A
leader in the Virginia Assembly, he participated in the framing of the Virginia Constitution in
1776. At age thirty-six, he was a Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia,
where he helped frame the Bill of Rights and enact the nation’s first revenue legislation.
As secretary of state under President Jefferson, Madison protested the seizure of American ships
by warring France and Britain as contrary to international law, and he supported the unpopular
Embargo Act of 1807. Madison was elected president in 1808. The British impressments of
American seamen and the seizure of cargoes impelled Madison to ask Congress to declare war
on Great Britain on June 1, 1812.
The young nation was not prepared to fight England’s army, fresh from victories against
Napoleon on the continent. The British entered Washington and set fire to the White House and
the Capitol, and battles raged both along the Canadian border and in the South. Gen. Andrew
Jackson's triumph at New Orleans brought the War of 1812 to a conclusion in 1814.
The dark blue 2-dollar stamp was issued June 5, 1903, as a sheet stamp printed from plates of
two hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. The stamp
was designed by R. Ostrander Smith from a painting by an unknown artist. It was engraved by
George F. C. Smillie (portrait), Robert F. Ponickau (frame), and George U. Rose, Jr. (lettering
and numerals).
The 2-dollar Madison stamp was frequently used to pay intra-Post Office Department funds
transfers. The stamp also franked large, foreign, letter rate parcels. In 1917 the 2-dollar Madison
stamp was reprinted in a lighter blue with the then-used gauge 10 perforations. These stamps met
a sudden demand for high-value postage to mail machine parts to Russia by parcel post as well
as valuable shipments of Liberty Bonds in connection with World War I hostilities.
0313 5-dollar Marshall
John Marshall (1755–1835) appears on the 5-dollar denomination of the Second Bureau Issue.
Marshall, an American statesman and jurist, was the fourth chief justice of the United States. He
had previously served in a variety of political offices, including in the U.S. House of
Representatives and as secretary of state in the Adams cabinet and very briefly in the Jefferson
cabinet.
President John Adams appointed Marshall to the Supreme Court understanding that Marshall
would perpetuate his federalist opinions long after he left the presidency. Marshall served for
thirty-four years, the longest serving chief justice in Supreme Court history, playing a significant
role in the development of the American political system. His decisions went a long way toward
establishing the Supreme Court as the final authority on the meaning of the Constitution. They
established the Supreme Court's right to exercise judicial review and to strike down laws that
violated the Constitution. Marshall is credited with raising the judiciary to its full potential as an
independent and powerful branch of government. He is also credited with shaping the balance of
power between the federal government and the states.
The 5-dollar dark green stamp was issued June 5, 1903, as a sheet stamp printed from plates of
two hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. The stamp,
designed by R. Ostrander Smith from a painting by William James Hubard, was engraved by
George F. C. Smillie (portrait), Robert F. Ponickau and Marcus W. Baldwin (frame), and Lyman
F. Ellis (lettering and numerals).
The 5-dollar Marshall stamp was frequently used to pay intra-Post Office Department funds
transfers. The stamp also franked large foreign letter rate parcels. In 1917 the 5-dollar Marshall
stamp was reprinted in light green with the then-used gauge 10 perforations. These stamps met a
sudden demand for high value postage to mail machine parts to Russia by parcel post as well as
valuable shipments of Liberty Bonds during World War I.
Louisiana Purchase Exposition Issue
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition Issue publicized the 1904 World’s Fair, held in St. Louis,
Missouri. Five single-color stamps in values of 1-cent, 2-cent, 3-cent, 5-cent, and 10-cent
inscribed “Commemorative Series of 1904” were issued in conjunction with the fair's opening on
April 30, 1904.
Three stamps feature men who were intimately involved in the Louisiana Purchase (1803): U.S.
Ambassador to France Robert Livingston, Secretary of State James Monroe, and President
Thomas Jefferson. The 1-cent stamp shows a map of the Louisiana Purchase, the first map to
appear on a U.S. stamp. The subject of the 5-cent stamp depicts William McKinley, who had
nothing to do with the Louisiana Purchase. He earned his place on the stamp because he was the
president who signed the legislation giving federal sanction to the Exposition. This stamp
essentially became a memorial to McKinley, who was assassinated in 1901.
0323 1-cent Livingston
Appropriately the first denomination of the set, the 1-cent stamp of the Louisiana Purchase
Exposition Issue features an image of Robert Livingston. Born in 1746, Livingston served as a
delegate of New York in the Continental Congress and as a delegate to the Constitution
Convention. He administered the oath of office to George Washington in 1789. After Thomas
Jefferson's election to the presidency in 1800, Livingston was appointed minister to France.
Livingston's efforts culminated in the purchase of the Louisiana Territory. He died in 1813.
The 1-cent Livingston stamp paid the one-cent card rate. It was also used with other
denominations to fulfill large weight and destination rates. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing
produced 79,779,200 Robert Livingston stamps.
President Thomas Jefferson, architect of the Louisiana Purchase, is featured on the 2-cent stamp
of the Louisiana Purchase Issue.
The 2-cent stamp paid the domestic first class rate. Combined with other denominations, it also
fulfilled large weight and foreign destination rates. A total of 192,732,400 stamps were printed
by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
0325 3-cent Monroe
The Louisiana Purchase Expedition Issue marked the first appearance of James Monroe, the fifth
President of the United States (1817-1825), on a US postage stamp. At Jefferson's direction,
Monroe helped negotiate the purchase from Napoleon, a mission for which he has received very
little recognition. His portrait in this set of stamps helped honor his significant contribution to the
nation's expansion.
Patrons used the 3-cent stamp with other denominations to fulfill large weight and destination
rates. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing produced a total of these 4,542,600 stamps.
0326 5-cent McKinley
The Post Office Department featured President William McKinley (1897-1901) on the 5-cent
stamp of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Issue because it was McKinley who signed the bill
committing the United States to staging the Exposition. An assassin's bullet fatally wounded
McKinley in 1901, three years before the fair opened.
The 5-cent stamp most often paid the single-weight Universal Postal Union International rate or
was used with other denominations to fulfill large weight and destination rates. The BEP
0327 10-cent Map of Louisiana Purchase
Every stamp of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Issue portrays a person except the last, which
features the very subject the Exposition actually celebrated—the lands of the purchase. The 10-
cent stamp features a map of the United States with an outline of the new Louisiana Territory, a
very fitting cap on a set of beautiful commemoratives.
The 10-cent stamps most often paid the domestic registered mail fee plus the domestic first class
rate or double the UPU rate. Patrons also used it with other denominations to fulfill large weight
and destination rates. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing produced 4,011,200 of these stamps.
Jamestown Exposition Issue
The Jamestown Exposition, held from April 26 to December 1, 1907, at Hampton Roads (near
Norfolk, Virginia) commemorated the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Jamestown
settlement. The settlement was the first permanent British colony in America following the 1587
failure of the Roanoke settlement in what is now North Carolina.
Three single-color stamps bearing the inscription “Commemorative Series 1907” were issued in
conjunction with the Jamestown Exposition. The 2-cent denomination shows the landing of the
English colonists in an illustration titled "Founding of Jamestown, 1607." Two of the most
recognized figures associated with the settlement are depicted on the other two stamps: Captain
John Smith, who promoted the settlement and is credited with its success, is portrayed on the 1-
cent stamp; Pocahontas, who purportedly intervened to save the life of Captain Smith, is
portrayed on the 5-cent stamp.
0328 1-cent Smith
The Simon de Passe engraving of John Smith (1580-1631) inspired the image on the 1-cent
stamp of the Jamestown Exposition Issue.
The 1-cent Mayflower typically paid the one-cent card rate, but it was also commonly used with
other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination rates. The Bureau of
Engraving and Printing produced 78 million of this 1-cent issue.
0329 2-cent Founding of Jamestown
The 2-cent stamp of the Jamestown Exposition Issue features the only non-portrait of the set, the
founding of Jamestown by the Virginia Company in 1607. The Founding of Jamestown stamp
paid the first-class domestic rate, and patrons also combined it with other denominations to fulfill
large weight and foreign destination rates. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing produced over
149 million of these stamps.
0330 5-cent Pocahontas
The image of Pocahontas used for the 5-cent stamp of the Jamestown Exposition Issue was
modeled from a portrait engraved by Simon Van de Passe in 1616. The image appeared in a book
published by John Smith in 1624.
This 5-cent stamp was commonly used with other denominations to fulfill large weight and
foreign destination rates. Approximately 8 million of this 5-cent issue were produced by the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing and issued to the public.
Third Bureau Definitive Issues (1908-1922)
The Third Bureau Issue, commonly known as the Washington-Franklins Head Issue (or simply
the Washington-Franklins) appeared in late 1908. Before the last of these stamps was issued in
early 1922, approximately two hundred and fifty different stamps were issued, all bearing the
likeness of either George Washington or Benjamin Franklin. Just five illustrations are needed for
all these different stamps.
To the casual observer, many of these stamps appear identical. However, the subtle differences
in watermark, perforation, and method of printing make the series one of the most challenging
definitives to collect. All the stamps were printed on flat plat presses with the exception of
several coil stamps and experimental sheet stamps printed on the rotary press late in the life of
the series. Between 1918 and 1920, several sheet stamps were also produced by offset printing.
The single most notable feature of this series is its use of only two images, those of Washington
and Franklin. This was a radical departure from the trend to expand the number of individuals
portrayed on stamps. Not since the first two postage stamps of 1847 had only Washington and
Franklin appeared on the nation’s definitive stamps.
The first denomination of the Third Bureau Series, the 1-cent Franklin, has the wording "U.S.
Postage" at top and "One Cent" at the bottom. The last time a stamp portraying Benjamin
Franklin did not have a numeral in the design to depict the denomination was in 1851 with the 1-
cent stamp of the Toppan, Carpenter 1851-1861 Issue.
The first 1-cent Franklin of the Third Bureau Issue rolled off the presses in the late fall of 1908.
That first printing was of stamps with a double line "USPS" watermark, and the last printing of
1-cent Franklin stamps began in the late fall of 1910. In that short span of two years, the Bureau
of Printing and Engraving produced eleven renditions of the stamp. The number is thirteen if one
includes booklet panes. A variety of papers, coils, watermarks, and perforations differentiate the
versions.
The 1-cent Franklin most often paid the one-cent card rate. Patrons also used it with other
denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination rates. By the time the last 1-cent
Franklins were sold, more than 14 billion had been issued.
The winter of 1912 saw the first printing of the 1-cent Washington, a single-line "USPS"
watermark. This 1-cent stamp marked the first time in American philatelic history that Franklin
and Washington appeared on the same denomination.
The 1-cent Washington went through thirty different renditions, including booklets from its first
printing in 1912 through its last version in 1922. Among its printings include some of the most
sought-after stamps of the entire Bureau Period. These include the Compound Perforation stamps
of 1914 and the Rotary Press Sheet Waste of 1922. The 1-cent Washington design was also used
in making the one cent denomination American Expeditionary Forces Booklet Pane in World
War I.
The 1-cent Washington frequently paid the card rate of one cent. It was also commonly used
with other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination rates. When the last 1-
cent Washington was sold in 1925, over 45 billion had been issued.
The "Two Cents" Washington of the Third Bureau Issue continued the tradition of George
Washington appearing on two-cent denomination stamps, the first having been the 1883
American Bank Note Company Issue.
The "Two Cents" issue is distinguished from the "2 Cents 2" issue. The Bureau of Engraving
produced fifteen different renditions of the "Two Cents" Washington design, including booklet
panes. A variety of papers, coils, watermarks, and perforations differentiate the versions.
The "Two Cent" Washington most often paid the two-cent domestic first-class rate. Patrons also
commonly combined it with other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination
rates. By the time the last "Two Cents" Washington stamps were sold, more than 16 billion had
been issued.
0406 2-cent Washington "2 Cents 2"
The "2 Cents 2" Washington underwent a remarkable thirty-four renditions between February
1912 and May 1921. It is referred to as "2 Cents 2" because the previous two-cent denomination,
the Washington of the Third Bureau Issue, displayed the denomination at the bottom of the
stamp as "Two Cents." A variety of papers, coils, watermarks, and perforations differentiate the
varieties. Engravers also used a wide variety of fonts for the "2 Cents 2" Washington over the
course of its many printings.
The World War I American Expeditionary Forces Booklet Pane used the "2 Cents 2"
Washington design for its two-cent denomination. This denomination is the most rare booklet
pane of all United States stamps.
The "Two Cent" Washington most often paid the two-cent domestic first-class rate. Patrons also
commonly combined it other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination rates.
By the time the last "Two Cent" Washington stamps were sold, more than 73 billion had been
issued.
Issued in 1908, the 3-cent Washington design served no purpose as a single stamp until 1917,
when the three-cent domestic first-class rate was instituted as the war rate. Before this increase,
the 3-cent Washington presumably would have best been used with a two-cent denomination
stamp to pay the Universal Postal Union rate.
The 3-cent Washington went through twenty-three renditions. A variety of papers, coils,
watermarks, and perforations distinguish these versions.
The rarest 3-cent Washington is the Bluish Paper issue, released in 1910. After 1917 the 3-cent
Washington paid the first-class domestic rate. Patrons also used the stamp with other
Washington stamps were sold, more than 10 billion had been issued.
The 4-cent Washington of the Third Bureau Issue has the same design as the 3-cent Washington
stamp. From its first printing in 1908 to the last, the 4-cent Washington underwent thirteen
renditions. A variety of papers, coils, watermarks, and perforations distinguish the versions. The
rarest 4-cent Washington was the Bluish Paper issue, released in 1910. The 4-cent Bluish Paper
is also considered one of the rarest stamps of the entire Bureau Period.
As a single stamp, except during the war rate of 1917-1919, the 4-cent Washington most often
paid the double weight first-class domestic rate. Patrons also combined this stamp with other
Washington stamps were sold, more than 2 billion had been issued.
Blue with a double line "USPS" watermark, the first 5-cent Washington was printed in 1908.
Over time it underwent seventeen renditions, differentiated by a variety of papers, coils,
watermarks, and perforations. The two rarest 5-cent Washington stamps are the Bluish Paper
issue, released in 1910, and the Compound Perforations stamps of 1914. Also rare, two 5-cent
Washington renditions were printed in error with the 2-cent Washington stamps in 1917.
As a single stamp, the 5-cent Washington most often paid the Universal Postal Union
international rate. Patrons also used the stamp with other denominations to fulfill large weight
and foreign destination rates. By the time the last 5-cent Washington stamps were sold, over 2.6
billion had been issued.
Issued to combine with other stamps to pay multiple rates, the 6-cent Washington underwent six
renditions, differentiated by a variety of papers, coils, watermarks, and perforations. The rarest 6-
cent Washington is the Bluish Paper issue, released in 1909.
As a single stamp, the 6-cent Washington could have paid the three-time domestic first-class
rate. Patrons also combined the stamp with other denominations to fulfill large weight and
foreign destination rates. By the time the last 6-cent Washington stamps were sold, more than 1.2
billion had been issued.
The 7-cent Washington stamp was issued to pay multiple rates. It was the first United States 7-
cent stamp issued since the 1870-1871 Issue 7-cent Stanton. The 7-cent Washington underwent
four renditions, differentiated by a variety of papers, coils, watermarks, and perforations.
This stamp was commonly used with other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign
destination rates. By the time the last 7-cent Washington stamps were sold, more than 550
million had been issued.
Issued to pay multiple rates, the 8-cent Washington underwent three renditions. A variety of
papers, coils, watermarks, and perforations differentiate the versions. The rarest 8-cent
Washington is the Bluish Paper issue, released in 1909. This issue is also one of the rarest stamps
of the entire Bureau Period.
As a single stamp, the 8-cent Washington could have paid the four-times domestic first-class
rate. Patrons also combined it with other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign
destination rates. By the time the last 8-cent Washington stamps were sold, more than 100
million had been issued.
The 8-cent Franklin stamp was not issued to address any specific rate. Rather, it was issued to
pay multiple rates. This stamp underwent four renditions, differentiated by a variety of papers,
coils, watermarks, and perforations.
As a single stamp, the 8-cent Franklin could have paid the four-times domestic first-class rate.
Patrons also combined it with other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination
rates. By the time the last 8-cent Franklin stamps were sold, more than 800 million had been
issued.
The 9-cent Franklin, the first 9-cent stamp issued by the U.S., was issued to pay multiple rates. It
underwent four renditions, differentiated by a variety of papers, coils, watermarks, and
perforations.
The 9-cent Franklin stamp was commonly combined with other denominations to fulfill large
weight and foreign destination rates. By the time the last 9-cent Franklin stamps were sold, more
than 300 million had been issued.
Initially issued in January 1909, the first 10-cent Washington stamp of the Third Bureau Issue
underwent four renditions by the year of its last printing. A variety of papers, coils, watermarks,
and perforations differentiated the varieties. The rarest 10-cent Washington was the Bluish Paper
issue, released in 1909.
As a single stamp, the 10-cent Washington paid the domestic registered mail fee. Patrons also
commonly used it with other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination rates.
By the time the last 10-cent Washington stamps were sold, more than 220 million had been
issued.
The Post Office Department issued the first 10-cent Franklin stamp of the Third Bureau Issue in
January of 1912. By its last printing, the 10-cent Franklin had witnessed five renditions,
differentiated by a variety of papers, coils, watermarks, and perforations.
As a single stamp, the 10-cent Franklin paid the domestic registered mail fee. Patrons also used
the stamp with other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination rates. By the
time the last 10-cent Franklin stamps were sold, more than 1.8 billion had been issued.
The Post Office Department issued the 11-cent Franklin to pay multiple rates rather than a single
rate. The first eleven cent stamp issued by the United States, it underwent three renditions over
the course of its use. A variety of papers, coils, watermarks, and perforations differentiated these
versions.
Patrons used the 11-cent Franklin stamp with other denominations to fulfill large weight and
foreign destination rates. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing produced more than 169 million
of the 11-cent Franklin stamps.
The Post Office Department issued the first 12-cent Franklin stamp in April 1914. At the time of
its last printing, it had been issued in three versions. A variety of papers, coils, watermarks, and
perforations distinguish the renditions.
As a single stamp, the 12-cent Franklin could have been used to pay the domestic first class rate
and the registered mail fee. It was also commonly coupled with other denominations to fulfill
large weight and foreign destination rates. By the time the last 12-cent Franklin stamps were
sold, more than 380 million had been issued.
The Post Office Department issued the first 13-cent Washington stamp of the Third Bureau Issue
in January 1909. By its last printing, the 13-cent Washington had gone through two renditions. A
variety of papers, coils, watermarks, and perforations differentiated the versions. The rarest 13-
cent Washington was the Bluish Paper issue, released in 1909.
Given World War I rates, the 13-cent Washington could have paid domestic registered mail fees
and the first class rate. Patrons also commonly used it with other denominations to fulfill large
weight and foreign destination rates. By the time the last 13-cent Washington stamps were sold,
more than 2.9 million had been issued.
The United States issued only one 13-cent Franklin in 1919. Given the World War I rates, the
stamp could have paid domestic registered mail fees and the first class rate. Patrons also used the
stamp with other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination rates. By the time
the last 13-cent Franklin stamps were sold, more than 32 million had been issued.
Released ca. January 1909, the first 15-cent Washington head stamp was part of the original
Washington-Franklin emission. Pale ultramarine in color, the first of the stamps was printed on
paper with the double-line watermark. Later in 1909, the Bureau issued another variety, printed
on the experimental blue paper, which are very rare. The third and last variety appeared around
March 1911, printed on paper with the single-line watermark.
When first issued, the 15-cent Washington filled no specific demand, but in November 1909,
when the registry fee was raised from eight to ten cents, the denomination proved useful. It then
fully prepaid the five-cent U.P.U. rate to foreign destinations plus the ten-cent registry fee. A
relatively large number of covers showing this usage still exist.
When released, just over 41 million of the 15-cent Washington stamps were delivered to
postmasters. They remained in use until the release of the 15-cent Franklin head stamp in
February 1912.
The Post Office Department issued the first 15-cent Franklin in February 1912. It appeared in
four renditions throughout its years of use. A variety of papers, coils, watermarks, and
perforations differentiate one version from another.
As a single stamp, the 15-cent Franklin could have paid the three-times weight of the Universal
Postal Union international rate. In addition, patrons often combined it with other denominations
to fulfill large weight and foreign destination rates. By the time the last 15-cent Franklin stamps
were sold, more than 382 million had been issued.
The Post Office Department issued the first 20-cent Franklin stamp in April 1914. By its last
printing, the 20-cent Franklin had gone through four renditions. A variety of papers, coils,
watermarks, and perforations differentiate the versions.
Patrons often used the 20-cent stamp to pay the four times weight of the Universal Postal Union
international rate. They also used it with other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign
destination rates. By the time the last 20-cent Franklin stamps were sold, more than 466 million
had been issued.
The first 30-cent Franklin stamp was issued in April of 1914. It eventually underwent three
renditions, each distinguished by a variety of papers, coils, watermarks, and perforations.
Patrons commonly combined the 30-cent Franklin stamp and other denominations to fulfill large
weight and foreign destination rates. By the time the last 30-cent Franklin stamps were sold,
more than 181 million had been issued.
The first and only 50-cent Washington stamp was issued in January 1909. Throughout its use,
patrons used this stamp with other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination
rates. By the time the last 50-cent Washington stamps were sold, more than 1.8 million had been
issued.
Issued initially in February 1912, the 30-cent Franklin underwent five renditions. A variety of
papers, coils, watermarks, and perforations differentiate these versions.
The 50-cent Franklin stamp was commonly used with other denominations to fulfill large weight
and foreign destination rates. By the time the last 50-cent Franklin stamps were sold, more than
125 million had been issued.
0342 1-dollar Washington
Issued on January 29, 1909, the 1-dollar Washington Head stamp was the last of the first issue of
Washington-Franklin stamps to appear. The Post Office Department originally intended to print
this stamp in a shade called 'pink'—actually a dark rose shade—and 'pink' proofs of the stamp
exist. It was decided, however, that the shade resembled the color of the current 2-cent stamps
too closely, and so the Bureau printed the stamp as violet brown. The stamp was current for more
than three years and probably was intended for use on heavy items. That the stamp is difficult to
find suggests low demand. Postmasters received 313,590 copies of the stamp.
0423 1-dollar Franklin
First issued February 12, 1912, the 1-dollar Franklin stamp can be found in four combinations of
watermark and perforation guage, appearing in this order: double line watermark, perforated 12;
double line watermark, perforated 10; without watermark, perforated 10; and without watermark,
perforated 11. The last of the combinations—without watermark, perforated 11—is by far the
most plentiful. There was substantial demand for the 1-dollar stamps, especially during and after
the Great War. Many of the stamps were used to pay postage on heavy parcels and also to pay
indemnity on valuable registered mail. A total of 21,954,774 of the stamps were issued through
fiscal year 1924.
The 2-dollar Franklin was bi-colored, as was its 5-dollar companion. Though planned to be
printed with a red frame and black vignette, the earliest printings had a distinctly orange frame.
These were available on August 19, 1918. The Bureau quickly remedied the situation and issued
the appropriate red frame on November 1. It printed 791,380 of these stamps through fiscal year
1924.
The 2-dollar Franklin's obvious usages included postage on heavy items and on registered items
that had substantial value and required high indemnification. The earliest stamps with the orange
frame are very scarce.
The 5-dollar stamp with the image of Benjamin Franklin was the highest value in the Third
Bureau Series. Like the 2-dollar stamp, it is bi-color, having a green frame and black vignette.
While the stamp was issued for use on heavy items or valuable items that required registration
with substantial indemnity, the fact is that $5.00 was a substantial amount of money when the
stamp was issued in August 1918 (and throughout its lifetime), and so demand for this stamp was
limited. Even though a replacement 5-dollar stamp was issued in 1923, the Franklin stamp
remained current and was issued to postmasters through fiscal year 1933. Over 296,650 of the 5-
dollar Franklin stamps were issued, and examples are quite scarce.
0367 Lincoln Centenary of Birth Issue
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) had appeared on at least one denomination of every regular issue
since 1866. When the definitive issue of 1908 (the Third Bureau Issue) bore only the portraits of
Washington and Franklin, there was considerable public disappointment.
The 100th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth created an opportunity to correct the situation. Ernest
Robinson Ackerman, a well-known stamp collector, successfully led the appeal for a special
commemorative stamp. Ten years later (1919) Ackerman would represent New Jersey in the U.S.
Congress. The National Postal Museum now owns part of Ackerman’s United States collection.
The 2-cent Lincoln stamp of 1909 had the dimensions of a definitive stamp, but it was the first
U.S. single stamp commemorative issue. The Lincoln portrait is based on a statue by sculptor
Augustus Saint-Gaudens. It was also the first commemorative issued with and without
perforations. A number of stamps of this time period were made available imperforate, intended
for perforation and manufacture into coils by private companies for use in vending and affixing
machines.
0370 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition Issue
The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition was held in Seattle, Washington, to commemorate the

development of the nation’s north-west territory on the 10th anniversary of the 1897 Klondike
Gold rush and the 40th anniversary of the 1867 purchase of Alaska. Originally planned for 1907,
it was delayed until 1909 so as not to compete with the Jamestown Exposition.
Secretary of State William H. Seward, who negotiated the $8 million purchase of Alaska from
Russia, is depicted on the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific stamp. The popular press in 1867 referred to the
purchase as "Seward's Folly," but by 1909 the importance of this acquisition and Seward’s
foresight were well recognized.
The design of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific stamp was also produced as imperforate stamps that
were to be privately perforated and coiled for use in vending and affixing machines though few
were actually used for this purpose. In reality the stamps were not well-suited for this purpose
because of their larger size. Most of these stamps that exist with private perforations were
produced as favors to collectors.
Hudson-Fulton Celebration Issue
The Hudson-Fulton Celebration was held in New York between September 25 and October 11,
1909. Though not a fair or exposition in the traditional sense, this massive celebration, which
stretched the length of the Hudson River from Staten Island to Troy (a distance of over 150
miles), had all the flavor of a fair. It was a combined commemoration of the tercentenary of
Henry Hudson’s discovery of the Hudson River and the centenary of Robert Fulton’s steamship
“The Clermont,” which plied the waters of the Hudson introducing steam navigation. The stamp
was the first commemorative celebrating more than one topic in a single issue.
Hudson’s ship, “The Half Moon,” and Fulton’s steamboat, “The Clermont,” (or at least the
reproductions of them built for the celebration) are anachronistically depicted side-by-side on the
stamp. Like the 1909 “Lincoln” and “Alaska-Yukon-Pacific” issues, the Hudson-Fulton stamp
was a single stamp commemorative design issued perforated and imperforate.
All of the imperforate stamps of the period (both definitive and commemorative) were primarily
intended to receive private perforations and made into coils by vending and affixing machine
manufacturers. In reality, the Hudson-Fulton stamps were not well-suited to this purpose because
of their larger size, so most of these stamps that exist with private perforations were produced as
a favors to collectors.
Panama-Pacific Exposition Issue
The Panama Pacific Exposition Issue commemorated the World's Fair held in San Francisco
from February 20 to December 4, 1915. Planning for the event began in 1911, just five years
after the great earthquake that destroyed the city. All four stamp designs of the issue were
inscribed "San Francisco, 1915" but were released January 1, 1913, to give advance notice of the
event.
The stamps of the series commemorated historical events. The 1-cent stamp commemorated the
400th anniversary of Spanish explorer Vasco Numez de Balboa’s discovery of the Pacific Ocean
on September 1, 1513, and the 10-cent stamp commemorated the discovery of San Francisco Bay
in 1769 by Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola. The 5-cent stamp illustrating the Golden Gate,
entrance to San Francisco bay, and the 2-cent Panama Canal stamp completed the issue.
The Bureau’s chief designer, Clair Aubrey Huston, created the handsome designs, but the image
of the 10-cent 'orange-yellow' stamp showed so poorly that a darker orange shade was issued in
August.
The stamps were originally perforated 12 gauge. When the stamps were produced in late 1914
and early 1915, the Post Office was experimenting with the 10 gauge perforation, so the Panama
Pacific stamps were also issued perforated 10 gauge. The Panama Pacific Exposition stamps
were the only flat plate U.S. commemorative stamps to have more than one type of perforation.
0401 1-cent Balboa
The 1-cent stamp of the Panama-Pacific Exposition Issue was produced in two varieties — the
first, issued in 1913, has perforations 12. The second, issued in 1914, has perforations 10. The
first denomination of the Issue features a portrait of Vasco Nunez de Balboa (1475–1517), the
Spanish explorer who, at the age of thirty-eight, 'discovered' the Pacific Ocean and claimed it for
Spain. He called the ocean 'Mar del Sur'. Balboa, accused of numerous crimes by his competitor
Pedro Arias D’Avila, suffered a tragic death by beheading.
The 1-cent Balboa paid the one-cent card rate. Patrons also commonly combined it with other
denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination rates. An estimated total of over 330
million 1-cent stamps were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and issued to the
public.
0402 2-cent Panama Canal
There are two variations of the Panama-Pacific Exposition Issue's 2-cent stamp. The first,
released in 1913, has perforations 12. The second, issued in 1914, has perforations 10. The Pedro
Miguel Locks appear in the stamp's vignette. Construction on these locks was completed in
1911, two years before the Panama-Pacific Exposition opened.
The 2-cent stamp most often paid the two-cent first class domestic rate. It was also commonly
used with other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination rates. An estimated
500 million of these 2-cent stamps were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and
issued to the public.
0403 5-cent Golden Gate
The 5-cent stamp of the Panama-Pacific Exposition Issue was produced with two variations: the
first, issued in 1913, has perforations 12; the second, issued in 1914, has perforations 10. The
third denomination of the Issue portrays the Golden Gate entrance to San Francisco harbor.
The 5-cent stamp most often paid the single-weight Universal Postal Union International rate. It
was also commonly used with other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination
rates. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing produced approximately 29 million of these 5-cent
stamps.
0404 10-cent Discovery of San Francisco Bay
The Post Office Department issued the 10-cent stamp of the Panama-Pacific Exposition Issue in
three varieties. The first, issued in 1913, has perforations 12 and a orange yellow color; the
second, also perf 12, is orange rather than the orange yellow color; the third, issued in 1914, has
perforations 10 with the orange color.
The fourth and final denomination of the Panama-Pacific Exposition Issue portrays a Spanish
expedition party on the shores of the San Francisco Bay.
The 10-cent stamp paid the double weight Universal Postal Union international rate or the
domestic registered mail fee. It was also commonly used with other denominations to fulfill large
weight and foreign destination rates. An estimated 17 million 10-cent stamps were printed by the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
0537 Victory Issue
Early in 1914 the Post Office Department prepared a special ‘Peace’ issue to commemorate the
100th anniversary of peace among English-speaking nations, which dated to The Treaty of
Ghent, signed on December 24, 1814, to end the War of 1812. Hostilities raging in Europe,
however, made it inadvisable to continue with preparations of the stamps in 1914. The
November 11, 1918, triumph of the Allies in World War I presented the opportunity for a multi-
stamp issue to celebrate the great victory.
With the Bureau busy making Liberty Bonds and revenue stamps, materials shortages and
limited time, it was decided to issue only a single stamp. The 3-cent Victory issue featured the
allegorical figure of the ‘Goddess of Liberty Victorious’ holding a sword in one hand and the
Scales of Justice in the other. The figure is framed by the flags of the five allied countries most
engaged in the conflict— Great Britain, Belgium, the U.S., Italy, and France (left to right).
The laudable theme not withstanding, the public did not receive the stamp well. The design’s
cluttered appearance, its shaded background, and its light violet color presented a blurred and
unsatisfactory appearance. In fact, the lack of public interest was acknowledged by the Post
Office Department which, shortly after releasing the stamp, issued a directive to postmasters
stating, “The issue of the Liberty Victorious is not sufficiently large to take the place of the
regular issue of 3-cent stamps, and postmasters will, therefore, supply them only to patrons who
request them.”
Pilgrim Tercentenary Issue
Fairs and expositions lost their prominent place in American culture as the second decade of the
twentieth century began. Never again would fairs and expositions so thoroughly dominate the
American imagination–or the nation’s stamp program. New patterns emerged for
commemorative stamps during the late 1920s and early 1930s.
More commemorative stamps were issued, but the trend was toward issuing fewer stamps for
each event commemorated. Some of those events might today be considered obscure, or perhaps
even inappropriate for commemoration, but stamps were sometimes issued in response to
political pressures.
The 1920 Pilgrim Tercentenary Issue was the first to represent this change. The three stamps of
the issue celebrated the 300th Anniversary of the 1620 settlement of the Massachusetts Bay
Colony and paid tribute to America’s origin as a haven of religious freedom and representative
democracy.
The 1-cent stamp illustrated the ship Mayflower that carried the Protestant Separatists to the New
World. Though headed for the Virginia Charter Colony, after a difficult sixty-six-day voyage the
ship landed at the tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Shortly thereafter, the weary Pilgrims
established their Massachusetts Colony at Plymouth, as depicted on the 2-cent stamp. The 5-cent
stamp celebrated the Compact (agreement) that was signed aboard the Mayflower on November
21, 1620. The document—the colony's constitution—was the first plan for an American style of
democratic governance.
So well known was the story of the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth that the stamps did not include
the country of origin. These were the only stamps ever issued without the words “United States”
or the U.S. initials.
0548 1-cent Mayflower
A photograph of a model of the Mayflower in the Smithsonian Museum's collection inspired the
engraving of the 1-cent stamp of the Pilgrim Tercentenary Issue. The stamps of this Issue were
released in sheets of seventy and were initially available on December 18, 1920, at Provincetown
and Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Issue's other stamps feature images of the pilgrim's landing
and the signing of the Mayflower Compact, which established their new government.
As a single stamp, the 1-cent Mayflower paid the card rate of one-cent. It was also commonly
used with other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination rates. The Bureau of
Engraving and Printing produced approximately 138 million 1-cent of these stamps.
0549 2-cent Landing of the Pilgrims
The image on the federal five dollar bank note inspired the Pilgrim Tercentenary Issue's 2-cent
stamp, the Landing of the Pilgrims. The Mayflower appears in the distant background.
The 2-cent Landing of the Pilgrims stamp most often paid the two-cent first class domestic rate.
Patrons also used it with other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination rates.
An estimated 196 million 2-cent stamps were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing
and issued to the public.
0550 5-cent Signing of the Compact
A painting by American artist Edwin White (1817-1877) inspired the image for the final
denomination of the Pilgrim Tercentenary Issue. The signing of the Mayflower Compact was the
first major political event of American history.
Patrons commonly used the 5-cent stamp with other denominations to fulfill large weight and
foreign destination rates. Approximately 11 million of these 5-cent stamps were printed by the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing and issued to the public.
Fourth Bureau Definitive Issues (1922-1930)
The Series of 1922, also known as the Fourth Bureau Issue, consisted of sheet, coil, and booklet
stamps. The stamps of this series were printed on flat plate and rotary presses and had several
different perforation sizes. The frames, basically uniform in design, incorporated a variety of
subjects. Like the previous Bureau Issue, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington were
portrayed on the most commonly used stamps, the 1-cent and the 2-cent. Some other subjects in
the series had also appeared on U.S. postage stamps. Boldly innovative, numerous stamps
featured icons of American culture-an American Indian, the Statue of Liberty, California's
Golden Gate (before the bridge), Niagara Falls, a buffalo, the newly-dedicated Arlington
Amphitheater and Lincoln Memorial, the U.S. Capitol, and the head of the statue of 'Armed
Freedom' atop the Capitol dome (mistakenly called 'America' on the stamp). The .5-cent through
15-cent have a vertical orientation, and values from 17-cent through 5-dollar have a horizontal
orientation. Some collectors also consider the Harding Memorial stamp as part of the series.
The first stamp of the series, the 11-cent Rutherford B. Hayes stamp, was issued on October 4,
1922, the hundredth anniversary of Hayes's birth, in his hometown of Fremont, Ohio, and in the
District of Columbia. Thus began the practice of issuing a new stamp on a specific day and in a
particular city. Many collectors regard First Day Covers of the Hayes stamp as the beginning of
modern First Day Cover collecting.
Attempts to economize produced a few unusual stamps in this series. Rotary press coil stamps
web sections, not long enough to be made into coils, were made into sheets of stamps known as
'coil waste'. Similarly, some short sections of the rotary-printed web sheet stamps were salvaged
and perforated with the gauge 11 perforation that was intended only for use on flat plate stamps.
These 'sheet waste' stamps are exceedingly rare.
0551 1/2-cent Hale
A young American patriot, Nathan Hale (1755-1776) was executed as a spy by the British in
New York during the American Revolution. Hale is perhaps best remembered for the last words
attributed to him, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” A half-cent
stamp, the first half-cent stamp in U.S. history, was required by new postal rates established in
1925. Hale was selected to appear on that stamp by Postmaster General Harry New. Since no
images of Hale are known, the stamp's designer, Clair Aubrey Huston, based his work on a
photograph of a clay model of a statue of Hale located on the campus of Yale University, which
Hale attended as a student.
John Eissler engraved the Hale stamp's vignette. E.M. Hale engraved the frame and lettering, and
J.C. Benzing engraved the scrolls and ribbon. E.M. Weeks engraved the numerals. The stamp
was first printed on the flat plate press in 1925, and was subsequently printed on the Stickney
rotary press.
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), American patriot, printer, inventor, diplomat, and first
postmaster general was chosen for the Fourth Bureau Issue's 1-cent stamp. An image of Franklin
had appeared continually on the lowest value U.S. stamp since 1847, when stamps were first
issued in the United States. No new engraving was made for the Franklin vignette of this stamp.
Rather, Marcus Baldwin's engraving for Washington-Franklin Heads Series was reused. Baldwin
modeled his work after a photograph of a plaster bust of Franklin created by French artist Jean
Jacques Caffieri's in 1777. Caffieri was one of Louis XV's court sculptors and died in 1792. The
stamp's frame was designed by Clair Aubrey Huston and engraved by Edward M. Hall and
Joachim C. Benzing.
The 1-cent Franklin, which was commonly used on postcards, first appeared in 1923, and had
been printed by the flat plate press. It was later printed by the Stickney rotary press. It exists not
only as a sheet stamp but also in coil and booklet formats.
0553 1 1/2-cent Harding Profile
Warren G. Harding (1865-1923) of Ohio, the incumbent U.S. president who had died
unexpectedly in office less than two years earlier, was chosen to appear on a 1.5-cent postage
stamp made necessary by postage rate changes in 1925. The first fractional cent stamp in U.S.
history, it was intended for use on third-class mail.
Clair Aubrey Huston designed the stamp. Frederic Pauling engraved the vignette, a Harding
profile. It was the same vignette used in 1923 on a 2-cent stamp issued in memory of Harding—
stamps sometimes called the 'Black Hardings'. Engravers E.M. Hall, J.C. Benzing, and E. M.
Weeks worked on the frame. Both the flat plate press and the rotary press were used to print
sheets of the stamp, which were issued on March 19, 1925. A sidewise coil version was also
issued that day. Subsequently, an endwise coil version was released. In 1930 the Post Office
Department decided that the 1.5-cent Harding should feature a full-face version of Harding's
likeness, and it issued a new version of the stamp.
0684 1 1/2-cent Harding Portrait
In 1930 the U.S. Post Office Department issued two new designs for existing values in the rotary
press regular issue series: a 4-cent stamp issued on June 4 replaced the portrait of Martha
Washington with one of former President William Howard Taft; a 1.5-cent stamp issued on
December 1 replaced the profile portrait of former President Warren G. Harding with one of
Harding full-face. Both stamps were issued as vertically perforated coils and in sheet format.
George Washington (1732-1799), Revolutionary War hero and first president of the United
States, appears on the Fourth Bureau Issue's 2-cent stamp, the 'workhorse' stamp of this series. It
was printed by the billions for use on first-class letters. Featuring Washington on this stamp
perpetuated the tradition, begun in 1847, of portraying Washington on a stamp in current use by
the Post Office Department. No new engraving was made for the Washington vignette of this
stamp. Rather, an existing engraving made for the preceding series of stamps—known as the
Washington-Franklins Heads Series—was used. That engraving, done by Marcus Baldwin, was
modeled from a bust made by Clark Mills in 1853. The Mills bust, however, was a reproduction
of a bust sculpted by Jean Antoine Houdon at Washington’s Mount Vernon, Virginia, home in
1785. Clair Aubrey Huston designed the stamp's frame, which was engraved by Edward M. Hall
and Joachim C. Benzing.
The 2-cent Washington was first printed on the flat plate press and was issued on January 15,
1923. The stamp was subsequently printed on the Stickney rotary press. In addition to existing as
sheet stamps, the 2-cent Washington also exists as coil and booklet stamps.
0555 3-cent Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), president of the United States during the Civil War, was chosen
for the design of the 3-cent stamp. Clair Aubrey Huston designed the stamp using an existing
engraving for the vignette. George F.C. Smillie, an engraver at the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing, had made the earlier engraving in 1898. Smillie based his work on a photograph of
Lincoln taken in 1864 by Matthew Brady, arguably the most important photographer of the Civil
War era.
Edward M. Hall and Joachim C. Benzing engraved the frame for the stamp. The stamp, initially
printed on the flat plate press, was issued on Lincoln’s birthday, February 12, 1923, in both
Washington, D.C., and in Hodgenville, Kentucky, near Lincoln’s birthplace. The stamp was
subsequently printed by the Stickney rotary press both in sheet and coil formats. A 1934 reprint
commemorated the 125th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth.
0556 4-cent Martha Washington
Martha Washington (1731-1802), wife of George Washington and America’s first 'First Lady',
appeared on the 4-cent stamp, which was often used to pay the postage on a double-weight letter.
Martha Washington had also appeared on the 8-cent stamp in the Series of 1902. Clair Aubrey
Huston designed the stamp. Leo C. Kauffmann, who engraved the vignette, based his work on a
drawing done by the French artist Charles Francois Jalabert, who had based his drawing, in part,
on Gilbert Stuart's portrait of Washington.
Edward M. Hall and Joachim C. Benzing engraved the frame for the stamp. Initially printed on
the flat plate press for the 1923 release, the stamp was later printed on the Stickney rotary press
in both sheet and coil versions.
0685 4-cent Taft
William Howard Taft (1857-1930) was the only man to ever serve as both president and chief
justice of the United States. He appeared in the Series of 1922 beginning in 1930, when a stamp
bearing his image appeared. The Taft stamp replaced the Martha Washington stamp issued in
1923. It was issued in Taft’s hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, on June 4, 1930, less than three
months after his death.
Stamp designer Clair Aubrey Huston based the vignette on a photograph of Taft taken while he
was chief justice, an office he preferred to the presidency. Taken by the Washington studio of
Harris & Ewing, the portrait shows Taft in his judicial robe. The vignette was engraved by John
Eissler. Edward M. Hall and Joachim C. Benzing engraved the frame. This stamp is the only one
in the Series of 1922 to be printed exclusively on the Stickney rotary press. It exists in a coil
version as well as sheet format.
0557 5-cent Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), hero of the Spanish-American War and the Battle of San Juan
Hill, conservationist, and president of the United States appeared on the 5-cent stamp. Issued in
1922, the stamp was commonly used on letters to foreign destinations. Its blue color conformed
to Universal Postal Union regulations for stamps used on foreign mail. Clair Aubrey Huston
designed the stamp. The vignette, engraved by John Eissler, was based on a photograph taken of
Roosevelt by the Washington, D.C., firm of Harris & Ewing in 1907. Edward M. Hall, Joachim
C. Benzing, and Edward E. Meyers engraved the frame. Initially printed from the flat plate press,
it was later printed on the Stickney rotary press in both sheet and coil format.
An image of James A. Garfield of Ohio (1831-1881), the nation's twentieth president, appears on
the 6-cent stamp. He was one of four presidents assassinated while in office. The others were
Abraham Lincoln (1865), William McKinley (1901), and John F. Kennedy (1963).
Garfield had appeared on four previous stamps, the first of which appeared in 1882, the year
following his death. Like the stamp issued in 1922, each of the previous Garfield stamps was
based on a photograph of Garfield taken by New York photographer Edward Bierstadt. The
vignette for the 1922 stamp was engraved by John Eissler. Edward M. Hall and Joachim C.
Benzing engraved the frame.
The stamp was released in a flat plate printed version on the day after Garfield's birthday,
November 20, 1922. It was subsequently printed on the Stickney rotary press in both sheet and
coil versions. When the stamp was first issued, it could have paid postage on triple-weight
letters. Beginning in 1934, it could be used to pay the six-cent air mail rate.
0559 7-cent McKinley
William McKinley of Ohio (1843-1901), the president of the United States who lead the nation
during the Spanish-American War and who was felled by an assassin at the Pan-American
Exposition in Buffalo, New York, appears on the 7-cent stamp. It was McKinley’s second
appearance on a stamp. He first appeared on the 5-cent stamp in the Louisiana Purchase
Exposition Issue.
Clair Aubrey Huston designed the 7-cent McKinley stamp. The vignette, inspired by George
Rockwood's 1898 photograph of the president, was engraved by Louis Schofield. The frame was
engraved by Edward E. Myers, Edward M. Hall, and Joachim C. Benzing.
The flat plate sheet stamp was issued on May 1, 1923, both in Washington, D.C., and
McKinley’s birthplace, Niles, Ohio. The stamp was subsequently printed on the Stickney rotary
press.
0560 8-cent Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), Union general during the Civil War, hero of the battle of
Vicksburg who accepted the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox
Court House, and president of the United States from 1869 to 1877, was selected for the 8-cent
stamp. Grant’s image had appeared on four earlier U.S. postage stamps.
Clair Aubrey Huston designed the stamp. A photo of Grant by renowned Civil War-era
photographer Mathew Brady inspired Huston’s vignette. The die for the vignette was engraved
by Louis Schofield but reworked by John Eissler. Edward M. Hall and Joachim C. Benzing
engraved the frame. William B. Wells engraved the lettering in the ribbon.
First printed on the flat plate press and issued in 1923, the 8-cent Grant was subsequently printed
on the Stickney rotary press. When the stamp was issued it could be used to pay the postage on a
four ounce letter. It could also be used to pay the postage on a single zone of the transcontinental
airmail route during the mid 1920s, and the basic airmail rate from July 6, 1932, until June 30,
1934.
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) of Virginia, author of the Declaration of Independence and third
president of the United States (1801-1809), appeared on the 9-cent stamp, issued in 1923.
Jefferson first appeared on a U.S. postage stamp in 1856. Clair Aubrey Huston designed the new
Jefferson stamp. For his vignette, Huston used George F.C. Simille’s engraving of Jefferson that
appeared on the 2-cent value of the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition Series. Simille used as a
model for his engraving a portrait of Jefferson painted by Gilbert Stuart in 1805. Simille’s
engraving was transferred to a new die and restored by John Eissler and Leo Kauffmann for use
on the 1923 stamp. The stamp’s frame was engraved by Edward M. Hall and Joachim C.
Benzing.
Initially printed on the flat plate press, the stamp was subsequently printed on the Stickney rotary
press.
0562 10-cent Monroe
An image of James Monroe (1758-1831) appears on the 10-cent stamp issued in 1923 as part of
the new series. James Monroe served as president of the United States from 1817 until 1825 and
authored the “Monroe Doctrine,” which forbade any interference by foreign governments in the
western hemisphere.
Clair Aubrey Huston designed the Monroe stamp. For the vignette he used an engraving done by
George F.C. Simille for the 3-cent value of the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition Series.
Edward J. Hein transferred Simille’s engraving to a new die and restored it for the new stamp.
Simille’s engraving was probably based on an engraving by Asher Durand, which itself seems to
have been based on a painting by John Vanderlyn. The frame for the Monroe stamp was
engraved by Edward M. Hall and Joachim C. Benzing, while Howard I. Earle engraved the
lettering in the ribbon.
The registry and special delivery rates were each ten cents when the stamp was issued, so it was
frequently used to pay for those services. Printed initially on the flat plate press, it was
subsequently printed on the Stickney rotary press in both sheet and coil formats.
0563 11-cent Hayes
An image of Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893) of Ohio appears on the 11-cent stamp of the
Series of 1922, also known as the Fourth Bureau Issue. A Civil War veteran, Hayes served as
president of the United States from 1877 until 1881. The stamp was issued on the 100th
anniversary of Hayes’ birth—October 4, 1922—in Washington, D.C., and in Hayes’ hometown,
Fremont, Ohio. Issued on a specific day and in a specific city, it is considered by many the
beginning of modern 'First Day Cover' collecting.
Hayes had not previously appeared on a postage stamp, and this one, designed by Clair Aubrey
Houston, had a vignette apparently based on a photograph taken by Matthew Brady. John Eissler
engraved the die for the vignette. The frame was engraved by Edward M. Hall and Joachim C.
Benzing, while Edward M. Weeks engraved the lettering in the ribbon. Originally printed on the
flat plate press, the Hayes stamp was subsequently printed on the Stickney rotary press.
0564 12-cent Cleveland
Grover Cleveland (1837-1908), the first Democrat elected president of the United States
following the Civil War and the only person to serve two non-consecutive terms as president,
appears on the 12-cent stamp. Clair Aubrey Huston designed the stamp and John Eissler
engraved the vignette. The frame was engraved by Edward M. Hall and Joachim C. Benzing,
while Edward M. Weeks engraved the lettering in the ribbon. The source of the portrait used for
the vignette is listed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing as “unknown.” The stamp was
released on March 20, 1923, both in Washington, D.C., and in Cleveland’s hometown of
Caldwell, New Jersey.
When the stamp was issued it could be used to pay the combined first-class postage and special
delivery fee or the combined first-class postage and registration fee. First printed on the flat plate
press, the stamp was subsequently also printed on the Stickney rotary press.
0622 13-cent Harrison
Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901), grandson of the nation's ninth president (William Henry
Harrison, 1841), a Civil War veteran, and president of the United States, appears on the 13-cent
stamp. The stamp was not contemplated for the series as originally conceived but added to the
series in 1926.
Harrison holds the unique distinction of having defeating the sitting president, Grover Cleveland,
in 1889. Four years later Cleveland reclaimed the office by defeating Harrison. Harrison had
previously appeared on the 13-cent stamp in the Series of 1902. Clair Aubrey Huston, who
engraved the 1926 Harrison stamp, based the vignette on the same photograph of Harrison that
was the source of the 1902 stamp. That photograph was taken by the firm of McHugh and
Sherman at an unknown date. John Eissler engraved the die for the vignette, and Edward M. Hall
and Joachim C. Benzing engraved the frame.
Initially printed on the flat plate press, the stamp was subsequently also printed on the Stickney
rotary press. It was issued January 11, 1926, both in Washington, D.C., and Harrison’s adopted
hometown, Indianapolis, Indiana.
0565 14-cent American Indian
A figure identified simply as 'American Indian' appears on the 14-cent stamp—the first 14-cent
stamp ever issued in the United States. Clair Aubrey Huston designed the stamp, which was
inspired by De Lancey Gill's photograph of Hollow Horn Bear (1850-1913), a Brule Sioux. Gill
took the photograph in March 1905 when Hollow Horn Bear was in Washington, D.C., for the
inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt. The Smithsonian Institution now owns the photo. Louis
Schofield engraved the die for the vignette. The frame was engraved by Frank Lamasure,
Edward M. Hall, and Joachim C. Benzing.
The American Indian stamp, initially printed on the flat plate press, was placed on sale on May 1,
1923, both in Washington, D.C., and Muskogee, Oklahoma. It was subsequently printed on the
Stickney rotary press.
0566 15-cent Statue of Liberty
Simply labeled “Liberty,” the 15-cent stamp depicts the Statue of Liberty, which has welcomed
soldiers home and greeted hopeful immigrants since 1886. Designed by Frederic August
Bartholdi, the people of France presented the statue to the people of the United States in that
year. It stands in New York Harbor. The 15-cent stamp was the first to bear an image of the
Statue of Liberty, which has since appeared on numerous issues.
Clair Aubrey Houston, who designed the stamp, drew inspiration from an 1888 engraving by
Charles Skinner for the vignette. Skinner worked for the American Bank Note Company. Louis
S. Schofield engraved the die for the vignette. Edward M. Hall and Joachim C. Benzing
engraved the frame, which is unique in the series.
The stamp, sometimes used to pay the registration fee beginning in 1925, was initially printed on
the flat plate press and issued on November 11, 1922. The stamp was subsequently printed on the
Stickney rotary press.
0623 17-cent Wilson
Like the 13-cent stamp, the 17-cent stamp was an afterthought, not included in the Series of 1922
as originally conceived. President Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), who had died the previous
year, appears on the 17-cent stamp. Issued on December 28, 1926, the stamp can be considered a
memorial to Wilson. Since the registration fee had recently increased to fifteen cents, it
conveniently paid the combined first-class postage and registration fee.
President Wilson’s widow provided the photograph which designer Clair Aubrey Houston used
as the basis for the vignette. It is believed to have been taken during Wilson’s second term. John
Eissler engraved the die for the vignette. Edward M. Hall and Joachim C. Benzing engraved the
frame.
The stamp, originally printed on the flat plate press, was later printed on the Stickney rotary
press. It was issued both in Washington, D.C., and in Wilson’s birthplace, Staunton, Virginia.
0567 20-cent Golden Gate
The lowest value stamp in the Series of 1922 to use a horizontally-oriented frame, the 20-cent
stamp depicts San Francisco’s harbor or 'Golden Gate' prior to the construction of the legendary
Golden Gate Bridge. It was the last stamp approved by President Harding's outgoing postmaster
general, Hubert Work. Postmaster General Harry S. New approved the die proof on April 11,
1923. In the image, San Francisco lies to the south and Marin County lies to the north. A
painting by W.A. Coulter inspired the vignette. The full-rigged ship depicted in the painting and
on the stamp was reportedly the “W.F. Babcock.”
Louis S. Schofield engraved the vignette for the 20-cent Golden Gate stamp. Edward E. Meyers
engraved the variable lettering in the ribbon Edward M. Hall and Joachim C. Benzing engraved
the frame. The stamp was issued both at Washington, D.C., and San Francisco on May 14, 1923.
Initially printed on the flat plate press, the stamp was subsequently printed on the Stickney rotary
press as well. The stamp is sometimes encountered on airmail and registered mailings.
0568 25-cent Niagara Falls

The 25-Cent Niagara stamp, issued in Washington, D.C., on November 11, 1922, pictures the
American Falls on the Niagara River. The Niagara River, separating the United States from
Canada, flows from Lake Erie into Lake Ontario. The source of the vignette is given in Bureau
of Engraving and Printing records simply as "A photograph of Niagara Falls taken from Goat
Island." Goat Island, also known as Luna Island, divides the American portion of Niagara Falls,
shown on the stamp, from the Canadian portion of the falls, often called Horseshoe Falls.
Clair Aubrey Huston designed the stamp, Charles Chalmers engraved the vignette, and Edward
E. Meyers engraved the variable lettering in the ribbon. Edward M Hall and Joachim C. Benzing
engraved the frame.
Printed initially on the flat plate press, the stamp was later printed on the Stickney rotary press.
0569 30-cent American Buffalo
Issued on March 20, 1923, the 30-cent stamp featured a buffalo that resembled the 'buffalo
nickel' in circulation at the time. It is the only stamp in the series on which a ribbon does not
appear under the vignette. Clair Aubrey Huston chose a 1901 drawing of a bison by Charles R.
Knight as the basis for the vignette. Knight reported that he completed his drawing by observing
a bison at the Zoological Park in Washington, District of Columbia. Louis Schofield engraved
the vignette. Edward M Hall and Joachim C. Benzing engraved the frame. Issued at Washington,
D.C., and printed on the flat plate press, the stamp was subsequently printed on the Stickney
rotary press.
0570 50-cent Arlington Amphitheater
The 50-cent stamp depicts the Arlington Amphitheater. The Amphitheater, completed in 1920, is
located in Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, District of
Columbia. An image of the original Tomb of the Unknown Soldier occupies the stamp's
foreground. The tomb holds the remains of an unidentified WW I American soldier who was
entombed on Armistice Day, November 11, 1921. This simple tomb was covered in 1931 by the
more elaborate marble sarcophagus familiar today. The stamp was issued in Washington, D.C.,
on November 11, 1922, the first anniversary of the soldier's entombment.
Clair Aubrey Huston, who designed the stamp, based his work on a photograph. The vignette
was engraved by Louis Schofield. Edward E. Myers engraved the words “Arlington
Amphitheatre.” Edward E. Myers. Edward M. Hall and Joachim C. Benzing engraved the frame.
Initially printed on the flat plate press, the stamp was also printed on the Stickney rotary press.
0571 1-dollar Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., appears on the 1-dollar stamp. The stamp was
issued in Washington, D.C., and Springfield, Illinois, on Lincoln’s birthday, February 12, 1923.
The stamp, which was issued only a few months after the completion and dedication of the
memorial, was designed by Clair Aubrey Huston, who based his work on a U.S. Army Signal
Corps photograph taken as the memorial was being completed. The stamp shows the east facade
of the memorial, facing the Washington Monument. The vignette was engraved by Louis S.
Schofield. Edward M. Hall and Joachim C. Benzing engraved the frame. The stamp was printed
exclusively on the flat plate press.
0572 2-dollar United States Capitol
The U.S. Capitol appears on the 2-dollar stamp. The image is based on a photograph in the files
of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing taken by an unknown photographer. The House of
Representatives side of the building is in the foreground. The stamp was designed by Clair
Aubrey Huston and released in Washington, D.C., on March 20, 1923. The vignette was
engraved by Louis A. Schofield. Edward M. Hall engraved the words “U.S. Capitol” while
Edward M. Hall and Joachim C. Benzing engraved the frame. The stamp was printed only on the
flat plate press.
0573 5-dollar Head of Freedom Statue
The 5-dollar Head of Freedom Statue stamp, which features the head of the sculpture atop the
U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., is bi-colored, the vignette in blue and the frame in red. The
Statue of Freedom by Thomas Crawford was erected on December 2, 1863, atop the Capitol.
This was, of course, in the midst of the Civil War. Clair Aubrey Huston designed the stamp. The
vignette, incorrectly labeled 'America' was engraved by John Eissler. Edward M. Hall and
Joachim C. Benzing engraved the frame. It was issued at Washington, D.C., on March 20, 1923.
Being a bi-colored stamp, this stamp required the manufacture of two plates, one for the vignette
and one for the frame. The stamp, which was printed only on the flat plate press, required two
independent passes through the press, once for the printing of the frame and another for the
printing of the vignette.
0610 Harding Memorial Issue
President Warren G. Harding, twenty-ninth U.S. president, died suddenly on August 2, 1923. In
less than a month the Post Office Department issued a special 2-cent memorial stamp. The stamp
was issued in black rather than the red color required for international use by the Universal
Postal Union. It featured a profile portrait of Harding engraved from an etching taken from a
photograph. The stamp was the same size, with a slightly altered frame, as the 2-cent stamp
design of the definitive series of 1922-1923.
The initial Harding stamps were produced on the flat-plate press. They were first issued on
September 1, in Harding’s hometown of Marion, Ohio, and in the District of Columbia. It was
planned that the highly-publicized memorial stamp would only be sold for a period of ninety
days. On September 6, stamps produced on the Stickney rotary press went on sale. The stamps
were also offered for sale as flat-plate imperforate sheets on November 15. According to the Post
Office Department press release, they were issued to meet the demand from collectors.
Some Harding rotary press-printed stamps were perforated gauge 11 x 11on the flat-plate
equipment instead of the normal 10 x 10 rotary perforating machine, producing an important
twentieth century rarity.
Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary Issue
The Post Office Department issued several commemorative stamps in the 1920s and 1930s that
recognized the diversity of national origins that comprised the American 'melting pot'. The stamp
issue set something of a precedent for honoring immigrant groups.
The three stamps of the Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary Series, issued on May 1, 1924,
commemorated the 300th anniversary of settlement in New Netherlands, now the State of New
York. In 1624 a group of approximately thirty Belgian families, most of them French-speaking
Walloons from the south of Belgium sailed to the New World aboard the vessel 'Nieu
Nederland'. Persecuted for their Protestant beliefs, they sought religious freedom.
The series also honors the Huguenots, sixteenth-century French Protestants who, like the
Walloons, suffered persecution for their religious beliefs. Under the leadership of Jean Ribaut
(c.1520–1565), a group of Huguenots sailed from Dieppe, France, in February 1562, seeking
refuge from religious persecution. They landed at the mouth of Florida's St. John's River in May
1562.
0614 1-cent Ship "Nieu Nederland"
This first denomination of the Huguenot-Walloon Issue has as its subject the ship ‘Nieu
Nederland’ that brought the Walloons to their new settlement in 1624. The settlement, now in the
state of New York, was called 'New Netherland'.
As a single, the 1-cent stamp typically paid the one-cent card rate. It was also commonly used
with other denominations to fulfill large-weight and foreign destination rates. An estimated total
of over to 51 million stamps of the one-cent issue were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing and issued to the public.
0615 2-cent Walloons Landing at Fort Orange
The two-cent denomination of the Huguenot-Walloon Issue featured the landing of the Walloons
at Albany. As a single, the two-cent stamp typically paid the first-class domestic rate. But it was
also commonly used with other denominations to fulfill large-weight and foreign destination
rates. An estimated total of over 77 million stamps of the two-cent issue were printed by the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing and issued to the public!
0616 5-cent Jan Ribault Monument
The image for the final, five-cent denomination of the Huguenot-Walloon Issue came from a
rough sketch done of the Jan Ribault Monument in Mayport, Florida. The five-cent stamp was
commonly used with other denominations to fulfill large-weight and foreign destination rates.
An estimated total of close to 6 million stamps of the five-cent issue were printed by the Bureau
of Engraving and Printing and issued to the public.
Lexington-Concord Issue
A series of three stamps issued on April 4, 1925, commemorated the 150th anniversary of the
battles of Lexington and Concord, the first conflicts of the American Revolutionary War. These
battles immortalized the Minutemen, the voluntary militia that confronted the British during
those battles and inspired Ralph Waldo Emerson's poem 'Concord Hymn'. The poem includes the
phrase "the shot heard round the world."
The 2-cent and 5-cent stamps were directly related to both Lexington and Concord. The 2-cent
stamp pictured the actual battle at Lexington, and the 5-cent stamp featured the "Minute Man"
statue at Concord. The 1-cent stamp depicts General Washington assuming command of the
American troops at Cambridge a full two months after the skirmishes.
These stamps were the first of a group of commemoratives celebrating the 150th anniversaries of
important events of the War of Independence. While the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord
were clearly worthy of postal commemoration, some Revolutionary War commemoratives were
brought about by political pressure and depict events that would be considered relatively minor
today.
0617 1-cent Washington at Cambridge
Gen. George Washington and his troops stand at Cambridge, Massachusetts, are the subject for
the first denomination of the Lexington-Concord Issue. As a single, the one-cent stamp typically
paid the one-cent card rate. But it was also commonly used with other denominations to fulfill
large-weight and foreign destination rates. An estimated total of over 15 million stamps of the
one-cent issue were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and issued to the public.
0618 2-cent "Birth of Liberty"
Henry Sandham’s painting, ‘Birth of Liberty,’ was the model for the imagery on the two-cent
stamp of the Lexington-Concord Issue. As a single, the two-cent stamp typically paid the first-
class domestic rate. But it was also commonly used with other denominations to fulfill large-
weight and foreign destination rates. An estimated total of over 26 million stamps of the two-cent
issue were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and issued to the public.
0619 5-cent The Minute Man
The Daniel Chester French statue of the Minute Man who purportedly heard the call to arms and
was ready to march at a minute’s notice was the subject of the final denomination of the
Lexington-Concord Issue. The five-cent stamp was commonly used with other denominations to
fulfill large-weight and foreign destination rates. An estimated total of over to 5 million stamps
of the five-cent issue were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and issued to the
public.
Norse-American Issue
The Norse-American stamps commemorated the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first
group of Norwegian immigrants in New York on October 9, 1825. Two stamps were issued on
May 18, 1925, to coincide with the Norse-American Centennial Celebration held in Minneapolis
and St. Paul, June 6-June 9.
The 2-cent stamp depicted the sloop 'Restaurationen', which carried the Norwegian immigrants
to the United States in 1825. The vignette of the 5-cent stamp is taken from a photograph of an
exact size replica of an ancient Viking ship that had sailed from Norway to Chicago in time for
the Columbian Exposition of 1893.
The bi-colored stamps were very popular in Minnesota and Wisconsin, states with large
Norwegian populations. Because it took the Bureau of Engraving and Printing twice the time to
produce two-colored stamps on plates (sheets) of one hundred, the Norse-American stamps have
the distinction of having the smallest quantity issued of any commemorative.
0620 2-cent Sloop "Restaurationen"
The 2-cent red and black Norse-American commemorative stamp, issued October 9, 1925,
depicts the sloop 'Restaurationen', which brought the first group of Norwegian immigrants to the
United States in 1825.
0621 5-cent Viking Ship
The 5-cent blue and black Norse-American commemorative stamp, issued October 9, 1925,
pictures a Viking ship flanked by the shields of Norway and the United States. The stamp honors
the centenary of Norwegian immigration.
1926-1927 Commemorative Issues
During the mid-1920s, urban America enjoyed a period of economic prosperity, and the
American public fixated on exciting developments in aviation, technology, and entertainment.
Newspaper headlines related the feats of Charles Lindbergh's solo flight across the Atlantic, the
opening of the Holland tunnel between New York and New Jersey, and Al Jolson's "Jazz
Singer," which inaugurated the era of 'talking pictures'.
At the same time, the Post Office Department's commemorative stamp program focused on some
themes other than modern technology - for instance, it issued stamps in conjunction with the
150th anniversary of events of the American Revolution, including the Declaration of
Independence, the Battle of White Plains, the Battle of Bennington, and the Battles of Oriskany
and Saratoga. A stamp memorializing the Battle of White Plains was issued in a sheet of twenty-
five stamps in conjunction with International Philatelic Exhibition, held in New York City in
October 1926. This was the first of many souvenir sheets to be issued by the POD in future
years.
Of the five commemorative stamps issued in 1926 and 1927, only the John Ericsson Memorial
stamp departed from the American Revolution theme. The Ericsson stamp, indirectly
recognizing the contribution of Swedish-Americans, continued the American "melting pot"
theme that honored immigrant groups. Others included the three Pilgrim stamps (1920), the three
Huguenot-Walloon stamps (1924), and the two Norse-American stamps (1925).
0627 Sesquicentennial Exposition Issue
On May 10, 1926, the Post Office Department made available the Sesquicentennial Exposition
Issue, a single 2-cent stamp that commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of
Independence. The stamp depicts the Liberty Bell, but the model for the illustration was the
replica of the bell that hung over the entrance to the Exposition in Philadelphia rather than the
original Liberty Bell. Though Exposition organizers had requested a multi-stamp series for the
occasion, Postmaster General New approved just one stamp. The Liberty Bell was chosen as the
symbol most representative of the nation's independence.
0628 Ericsson Memorial Issue
Congressman Carl R. Chindblom wrote Postmaster General Harry New on April 20, 1926,
requesting that a commemorative stamp to John Ericsson (1803-1889) be issued on May 29. The
issue would coincide with the unveiling of the Ericsson Memorial in Potomac Park, directly
south of the Lincoln Memorial. Chindblom had already spoken with Third Assistant Postmaster
General Robert Regar that same day, and he desired a follow-up meeting with New the next
morning.
The postmaster general issued a formal letter on April 21, saying, "I confirm what I have said to
you personally since your letter was written—that is, that the Department is preparing to issue a
five-cent stamp of appropriate design." Work proceeded apace with Chindblom's request. The
press release of May 3, 1926, announced the Ericsson stamp, modeled "similar to the . . .
memorial statue designed by J. H. Fraser. The design is unique and distinctive in regard to its
size and general appearance . . . an upright rectangle . . . with a narrow white border line all
around, with exception of the top left corner (the U. S. Shield), and at the top right corner (the
Swedish Shield)."
The central design featured the seated figure of John Ericsson "in white marble," and above and
behind him, three figures representing Vision, Labor, and Adventure.
First day of sale locations were New York City, Chicago, Minneapolis, and in the District of
Columbia.
0629 Battle of White Plains Issue
This red 2-cent stamp commemorated the Battle of White Plains, New York, which occurred on
October 28, 1777. The stamp was issued on October 18, 1926. Its design was inspired by E.L.
Ward's painting 'Alexander Hamilton's Battery'. The artwork shows a four-man Continental gun
crew with cannon and ammunition.
In addition to the usual sheets of four hundred, cut into panes of one hundred for post office
sales, the stamp was also issued in sheets of twenty-five inscribed in the selvage for the
International Philatelic Exhibition in New York (USA Scott 630). These souvenir sheets were
actually printed on site at the exhibition on a flat plate press set up for the occasion.
0643 Vermont Sesquicentennial Issue
The red 2-cent Vermont Sesquicentennial stamp, issued on August 3, 1927, celebrated the 150th
anniversaries of the Battle of Bennington (August 16, 1777) and the independence of Vermont.
The British General John Burgoyne's forces were turned back at Bennington by a contingent of
Green Mountain Boys. The stamp depicts a Green Mountain Boy dressed in buckskin and
leaning on his rifle. Vermont was not one of the thirteen original states. It was actually an
independent entity at the time.
0644 Burgoyne Campaign Issue
The Burgoyne Campaign stamp, a single red 2-cent stamp issued on August 3, 1927,
commemorated the joint efforts of the New York and Vermont militias to halt the advances of
British General John Burgoyne's forces. The stamp marked the 150th anniversary of the battles
of Bennington, Oriskany, Fort Stanwix, and Saratoga, all named around the stamp's frame. The
stamp's central design shows the surrender of General Burgoyne to General Horatio Gates (1726-
1806), which effectively terminated the British presence in northern New York and Vermont.
The design is taken from John Trumbull's painting 'The Surrender of Burgoyne', which hangs in
the United States Capitol rotunda.
The public's fascination with aviation and technology became clear to the Post Office
Department by the late 1920s. As a consequence, the POD added a new theme to its
commemorative categories, one that paid tribute to the nation's technological acumen.
In conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the Wright brothers' historic flight and the 1928
International Civil Aeronautics Exhibition in Washington, DC, the POD issued two stamps
commemorating "civil aeronautics." In addition, it celebrated American ingenuity in 1929 by
issuing a commemorative stamp on the 50th anniversary of Thomas Edison's invention of the
electric light bulb. The 2-cent Edison stamp was issued in both sheet and coil formats.
The POD also issued commemoratives in categories other than technology during that period. As
a result of congressional influence, for instance, in 1928 the POD utilized the process of
surcharge overprinting, a new commemorative approach, to recognize the 200th anniversary of
the discovery of the Hawaiian Islands by Captain Cook. Using the 2-cent and 5-cent regular
issues, the words "Hawaii, 1778-1928" were overprinted in black across the front of the stamps.
The commemorative stamp program continued the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the
American Revolution by issuing stamps to commemorate the Valley Forge campaign and the
Battle of Monmouth. The Monmouth commemorative was produced, like the Hawaii stamp, by
overprinting the words "Molly Pitcher" across the face of the 2-cent regular issued stamp. Three
other stamps, commemorating George Rogers Clark, the Sullivan Expedition, and the Battle of
Fallen Timbers, while related to the War of independence, were heavily influenced by the young
country's interest in westward expansion. Added to that group was a stamp commemorating the
completion of the Ohio River canal that linked the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers to the
Mississippi, a project begun in 1875 and completed in 1929.
0645 Valley Forge Issue
This commemorative honored the 150th anniversary of George Washington's encampment at

Valley Forge. The single red 2-cent stamp was issued on May 26, 1928. It depicts Washington
kneeling in prayer at Valley Forge. The bitter winter of 1777-1778 took a tremendous toll on
Washington's forces, but with the aid of the French and other Europeans, including German
General Friedrich Von Steuben (1730-1794), a viable fighting force was regained. The follow-on
to Valley Forge was the famous crossing of the Delaware River and the successful campaigns at
Trenton and Monmouth.
0646 Battle of Monmouth Issue
Issued on October 20, 1928, this stamp commemorated the 150th anniversary of the Battle of
Monmouth (New Jersey). The stamp honored Molly Hays (nicknamed 'Molly Pitcher'),
legendary heroine of the Revolutionary War battle. The wife of an infantry sergeant, Hays
carried water to wounded soldiers. She thus earned her nickname. When her husband was
wounded, she assumed his position, manning one of the cannons for the battle's duration.
Postmaster General Harold S. New initially resisted issuing the stamp. He finally agreed to an
overprinted stamp, using the 2-cent red rotary press regular issue of 1926. The overprint reads
'Molly Pitcher' in two lines.
Hawaii Sesquicentennial Issue
The Hawaii Sesquicentennial stamp, issued August 13, 1928, commemorated the 150th
anniversary of the discovery of the Hawaiian Islands by Captain James Cook in 1778. Postmaster
General Harold S. New favored stamps honoring broad national interests rather than local topics,
and so he resisted issuing the stamp. He finally agreed to an overprinted issue. Two stamps
resulted, using the 2-cent red and 5-cent blue rotary press regular issues of 1926 as models, with
an overprint reading 'Hawaii 1778-1928' in two lines.
These stamps caused some confusion. Some stamp catalogs originally listed them under 'Hawaii'.
Since they were U.S. issues, some postal workers rejected their use, thinking that the overprints
were actually pre-cancellations from the Territory of Hawaii.
0647 2-cent Washington Overprint
The 2-cent Hawaii commemorative stamp, along with a 5-cent Hawaii stamp, was issued to
celebrate the 150th anniversary of the discovery of the Hawaiian Islands by Captain James Cook
in 1778. The stamps, issued August 13, 1928, were placed on sale only in Honolulu, Hawaii, and
at the Philatelic Sales Agency in Washington, DC.
Postmaster General Harry S. New initially resisted the Hawaii issue as not of broad national
significance. By offering a clever and economical solution, however, Governor Wallace
Farrington and Victor S.K. Houston, delegate to the House of Representatives from the Hawaiian
Territory, induced New to issue two stamps. The Hawaii stamps, unlike previous
commemorative issues, were actually regular issued designs of 5-cent Theodore Roosevelt and
2-cent George Washington stamps of the 1922 Fourth Bureau definitive issue. These were then
overprinted with a novel "commemorative overprint" in black: "Hawaii" and the dates 1778-
1928.
The stamps created problems because, though commemoratives, they looked like precancel
stamps to be used only at the post office that issued them. Even though the third assistant
postmaster general called attention to their legitimate national use in the Postal Bulletin of
October 12, 1928, postal clerks frequently refused letters with the "Hawaii" stamps, noting the
need for additional postage. The 2-cent stamp paid the first-class letter rate for one ounce.
Clair Aubry Huston, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, designed the stamp's vignette and frame.
Marcus Baldwin engraved the original vignette, and Edward M. Hall and Joachim C. Benzing
engraved the frame and lettering. A total of 5,519,897 stamps were printed on the BEP Stickney
rotary press and overprinted "HAWAII 1778-1929" on the precancel letterpress station. The
stamp web paper had no watermark, and the stamps were perforated gauge 11 horizontally and
10.5 vertically.
0648 5-cent Roosevelt Overprint
The 5-cent Hawaii commemorative stamp, along with a 2-cent Hawaii stamp, was issued to
celebrate the 150th anniversary of the discovery of the Hawaiian Islands by Captain James Cook
in 1778. The stamps, issued August 13, 1928, were placed on sale only in Honolulu, Hawaii, and
at the Philatelic Sales Agency in Washington, DC.
Aeronautics Conference Issue
The 25th anniversary of the Wright brothers' historic first powered flight was celebrated with
two stamps issued on December 12, 1928. The issues corresponded with the International Civil
Aeronautics Conference held in the District of Columbia. The two stamps, a 2-cent red and a 5-
cent blue, depict the Wright Flyer as well as a contemporary airplane over the globe. The
Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol flank each design.
0649 2-cent Wright Airplane
Currently this category does not have an overview narrative description. As part of the on-going
additions to Arago™ the National Postal Museum works with an international, online audience
of philatelists, historians, educators and students to supplement the existing collections
information. The museum offers an open invitation to specialists to continue making Arago™ a
critical online resource. Please visit again in the future!
0650 5-cent Globe & Airplane
The 5-cent blue stamp for the International Civil Aeronautics Conference, issued on December
12, 1928, shows a contemporary airplane over the globe, flanked by the Washington Monument
on the left and the U. S. Capitol on the right. The conference opened in Washington, D.C., on
that date.
0651 George Rogers Clark Issue
The George Rogers Clark issue of February 25, 1929, commemorated the 150th anniversary of
the surrender by the British of Fort Sackville at Vincennes, Indiana (1779). Clark's victory paved
the way for the U.S. conquest of the Northwest Territory, resulting in the western boundary of
the U.S. being extended to the Mississippi River by the Treaty of Paris (1783). The issue consists
of a single 2-cent stamp in extra large format with red border and black vignette. Frederick C.
Yohn's painting 'Surrender of Fort Sackville' inspired the stamp's central design.
0654 Electric Light's Golden Jubilee Issue
The 50th anniversary of the invention of a commercially viable incandescent lamp was
celebrated with a 2-cent red stamp issued on June 5, 1929. Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)
invented the product in 1879. The stamp pictures Edison's first lamp above the legend 'Electric
Light's Golden Jubilee'. The stamp was printed in three forms: flat plate, rotary press, and rotary
press coil with vertical perforations.
0657 Sullivan Expedition Issue
This commemorative honors the 150th anniversary of Maj. Gen. John Sullivan's expedition
against the Iroquois. It is a single 2-cent red stamp issued on June 17, 1929. The campaign's
success is credited with weakening the alliance between the Iroquois and the British and helping
facilitate the westward expansion of the new nation.
0658 – 0679 Kansas & Nebraska Overprint Definitive Issues (1929)
A series of post office robberies in the Midwest was the stated reason for the creation of the 1929
Kansas and Nebraska overprinted stamps of the Fourth Bureau Issue.
The Post Office Department conceived the idea to overprint stamps with the abbreviated names
of the individual states, believing that stolen overprinted state stamps would be difficult to fence
in or out of state. Kansas and Nebraska were selected to initiate the experiment. Since security at
large city post offices was considered adequate, only small post offices would receive the
stamps.
A one year supply of the 1-cent through 10-cent stamps was overprinted for Kansas and
Nebraska. Higher values were not included because they were not printed by rotary press and
could not easily be overprinted. The overprinted stamps could only be sold at post offices within
their respective states, but they were valid for postage throughout the United States and wherever
U.S regular stamps could be used. Shipments of the stamps began on April 15, 1929.
Economics rather than theft actually played the pivotal roll in promoting the state stamp idea.
Kansas and Nebraska postmasters were required to requisition a one-year supply of the
overprinted stamps, not the normal quarterly supply requisition. Had the experiment succeeded,
the Post Office Department planned to extend the scheme to all forty-eight states, hoping to cut
fulfillment costs by 75 percent.
There was considerable confusion as postal clerks nationwide misunderstood the rules and tried
to assess postage to replace entirely legal usage of the Kansas-Nebraska stamps. The Department
decided to abandon any further consideration of state overprinted stamps on March 29, 1930.
1-cent Franklin Kansas & Nebraska Overprints
As early as 1899, the Post Office Department had considered marking stamps to help identify
those stolen from post offices. Printing technology during the early years of the twentieth
century, however, made implementation of the idea unfeasible.
The development of the rotary press changed that. In 1929 a postal inspector again advanced the
idea of marking stamps, stressing that $200,000 worth of stolen stamps had been "fenced" the
previous year. His argument convinced postal officials, and a plan was formulated to overprint
stamps with the names for all forty-eight states for distribution to all but the very largest post
offices.
Officials at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing objected to the plan as impractical. They
agreed, however, to overprint stamps for Kansas and Nebraska (in the territory of the inspector
who devised the plan). The Bureau overprinted eleven stamps for each state, the 1-cent through
10-cent values of the Fourth Bureau Issue, perforated 11x10.5. All post offices in Kansas and
Nebraska received overprinted stamps except for Kansas City, Topeka, and Wichita, Omaha, and
Lincoln. Although the stamps went on sale at the Philatelic Sales Agency in Washington on May
1, 1929, known use in Kansas and Nebraska occurred as early as April 15.
The overprinted stamps created mass confusion. Although the stamps were valid for use
anywhere in the country, some postmasters thought they could be used only in Kansas and
Nebraska. Others thought they were precancels. False reports of stolen stamps circulated. The
failed experiment was cancelled in less than a year, and the Bureau never overprinted stamps for
the other forty-six states.
Stamps exist with counterfeit Kansas and Nebraska overprints. Genuine overprints have gum
with only one gum breaker and striated ridges. This simple examination will help identify many
counterfeits.
1 1/2-cent Harding Kansas & Nebraska Overprints
2-cent Washington Kansas & Nebraska Overprints
3-cent Lincoln Kansas & Nebraska Overprints
4-cent Martha Washington Kansas & Nebraska Overprints
5-cent Roosevelt Kansas & Nebraska Overprints
6-cent Garfield Kansas & Nebraska Overprints
7-cent McKinley Kansas & Nebraska Overprints
8-cent Grant Kansas & Nebraska Overprints
9-cent Jefferson Kansas & Nebraska Overprints
10-cent Monroe Kansas & Nebraska Overprints
0680 Battle of Fallen Timbers Issue
This single 2-cent red stamp honoring General Anthony Wayne (1745-1796) was issued on
September 14, 1929. The stamp also commemorated the 135th anniversary of the Battle of Fallen
Timbers, which occurred near the Maumee River (Ohio) in 1794. General Wayne's forces
defeated Chief Little Turtle's Native American warriors in the battle. Subsequently, the Treaty of
Greenville (1796) opened much of Ohio to white settlement. The stamp depicts the General
Anthony Wayne memorial statue, which is situated at the battle site. An Indian and a
frontiersman flank the image of Wayne.
0681 Ohio River Canalization Issue
Issued on October 19, 1929, this red 2-cent stamp commemorated the canalization of the Ohio
River with a red 2-cent stamp. The project's slogan, "Nine feet, Pittsburgh to Cairo," underscores
the immensity of the undertaking. The stamp pictures a lock and dam, specifically lock number
5, on the Monongahela River.
The Great Depression had just begun in 1930. During that year, the Post Office handled nearly
28 billion pieces of mail through over 49,000 post offices nationwide. Despite the volume of
mail, the Post Office Department suffered a deficit of almost 100 million dollars—the largest in
its history.
During this period, the Star Spangled Banner was officially named the national anthem of the
United States, the planet Pluto was discovered, and the Empire State Building, then the tallest
building in the world, was completed.
Between 1930 and 1931, the Department issued seven commemoratives with printings that
totaled over 411 million stamps, each commemorative issue averaging about 58 million stamps.
United States postage stamps commemorated, among others, the founding of the American Red
Cross and the surrender of the British at the Battle of Yorktown.
0682 Massachusetts Bay Colony Issue

This commemorative issue celebrated the 300th anniversary of the founding of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony. The red 2-cent stamp, issued on April 8, 1930, depicts the colony's
seal. The seal portrays an Indian holding a bow and arrow, the words "Come over and help us"
emanating from his mouth. Some members of the colony saw themselves as missionaries sent by
God to convert Native Americans to the Christian faith.
0683 Carolina-Charleston Issue
The 260th anniversary of the founding of Carolina Province and the 250th anniversary of the
establishment of the city of Charleston, South Carolina, were observed with red 2-cent stamp,
issued on April 10, 1930. The stamp depicts Joseph West (d. 1632), governor of Carolina
Province, holding a sword. Beside him stands a friendly Kiawah Indian, holding a spear. Two
ships lie at anchor in the background. Symbols of the state's rice and indigo industries flank the
central image.
0688 Braddock's Field Issue
A red 2-cent stamp issued on July 9, 1930, marked the 175th anniversary of the Battle of
Braddock's Field (1755), at which the British aimed to drive the French and their Indian allies
out of Pennsylvania. The stamp pictures George Washington as a colonel in the British army.
Though Braddock's troops lost the battle, Washington was highly commended for his bravery
and military acumen in the battle. Washington's star rose from this point, leading eventually to
his commanding the American revolutionary armies.
0689 Von Steuben Issue
Issued September 17, 1930, this red 2-cent stamp honored the 200th anniversary of the birth of
Baron Frederick Wilhelm von Steuben (1730-1794). In December 1777, at the urging of the
French minister of war, von Steuben came to America and offered his services to General
George Washington. Washington, then at Valley Forge, assigned him to drilling the troops. Von
Steuben installed a system of rigid discipline that brought order out of chaos and instilled an
esprit de corps in the ragged army. This transformation of the troops played a major role in
bringing about victory in future campaigns. The stamp features a profile portrait of von Steuben,
who stayed on to fight with American forces throughout the war.
0690 Pulaski Issue
This red 2-cent stamp, issued on January 15, 1931, honored General Casmir Pulaski (1748-
1779). A Polish nobleman, Pulaski came to America in 1777 and volunteered as an officer in the
revolutionary army. His obvious bravery and leadership qualities led to promotion to brigadier
general. Pulaski was killed during a cavalry charge on the British forces at Savannah, Georgia,
on October 11, 1779.
0702 Red Cross Issue

The 2-cent American Red Cross commemorative, issued on May 21, 1931, observed the
organization's 50th anniversary. The design features a Red Cross nurse with a globe and cross,
inspired by a poster called 'The Greatest Mother in the World'. The stamp was printed in black,
except for a cross printed in red.
Clara Barton founded The American Red Cross in 1881. She served as its president until 1904.
She was pictured on a stamp issued in 1948 (Scott 967).
0703 Yorktown Issue
Issued on October 19, 1931, this 2-cent stamp marked the 150th anniversary of the Battle of
Yorktown (1781). The battle followed the victory at Yorktown at which General Washington
received the sword of surrender from British General Cornwallis. Black within a red frame, the
stamp pictures Washington flanked by Count de Rochambeau and Count de Grasse, leaders of
the French forces that aided in the American victory.
America and the world were in transition in 1932 and 1933. Franklin Roosevelt’s election to the
presidency in 1932 was the first wave of attack against the Great Depression. In his inaugural
address in March 1933, he proclaimed, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” and
thereafter his administration would develop federal programs to put America to work.
The Depression did not suppress achievements. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University
developed the heart defibrillator; physicists John Cockcroft and Ernest Walton split the atom;
Amelia Earhart completed a solo, non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean; and the great Duke
Ellington ignited America with the song "It Don't Mean a Thing, If It Ain't Got That Swing."
While great advancements occurred in the United States and in other countries, future obstacles
to human freedom gained strength. When Adolph Hitler became chancellor of Germany, the
Nazi Party assumed control of the country. Japan withdrew from the League of Nations and
began preparations for its aggressive war against Southeast Asia. This new age of fascist
dictators and nationalistic fervor began to cast a dark shadow over the globe.
In the world of stamps, James Farley was appointed as U.S. postmaster general. His close
friendship with Franklin Roosevelt, who was himself a stamp collector, fostered a new type of
commemorative stamp issue. George Washington’s 200th birthday was commemorated with
twelve new stamps in 1932. In coordination with the American Philatelic Society’s Annual
Convention, the first imperforate souvenir sheets were released in 1933. During the period 1932-
1933, twenty-eight commemoratives (including the souvenir sheets) were issued. Their printings
totaled over 10.6 billion stamps, and each individual commemorative issue averaged over 380
million stamps. Included in the overall total is the individual printing total of 4.2 billion stamps
for the 2-cent Washington of the Washington Bicentennial Issue. Its total represents the largest
stamp printing of a single issue in the history of the U.S. postal administration.
0704 – 0715 Washington Bicentennial Issue

As the 200th anniversary of George Washington's birth approached, demand mounted for an
issue of large, colorful, pictorial stamps showing various events and objects from Washington's
life. Bowed by the Great Depression, the U.S. Post Office Department instead issued twelve
small, monochromatic stamps in denominations of .5-cent, 1-cent, 1.5-cent, and 2- through 10-
cents. Each stamp showed a portrait of Washington, which ranged from early manhood to old
age. Paintings by Charles Willson Peale (five), Gilbert Stuart (two) and John Trumbull (two); a
bust by Jean Antoine Houdon; and drawings by Charles B. J. Saint Memin and W. Williams
inspired the issues.
1/2-cent Olive Brown
The 1/2-cent olive brown stamp of the Washington Bicentennial Series, issued January 1, 1932,
reproduces a miniature portrait of General Washington painted by Charles Willson Peale in
1777.
1-cent Green
The 1-cent green stamp of the Washington Bicentennial Series features an image of Washington
inspired by a bust sculpted in 1785 by Jean Antoine Houdon.
1 1/2-cent Brown
The 1 1/2-cent light brown stamp of the Washington Bicentennial Issue features an image of
George Washington inspired by Charles Willson Peale's 1772 portraitof Washington. This
painting is known as the 'Virginia Colonel', and the stamp was available January 1, 1932.
2-cent Carmine Rose
The 2-cent red stamp of the Washington Bicentennial Series issued January 1, 1932, features the
famous 'Athenaeum' portrait of President Washington executed by Gilbert Stuart in 1796. This is
the portrait that appears on the one dollar bill, but in reverse image.
3-cent Deep Violet
The 3-cent violet stamp of the Washington Bicentennial Series, issued January 1, 1932,
reproduces a portrait of General Washington in a cocked hat, painted at Valley Forge by Charles
Willson Peale in 1777.
4-cent Light Brown
The 4-cent brown stamp of the Washington Bicentennial Series, issued January 1, 1932, features
a portrait of Washington by Charles Peale Polk.
5-cent Blue
The 5-cent blue stamp of the Washington Bicentennial Series issued January 1, 1932, reproduces
a likeness of President Washington painted by Charles Willson Peale in 1795.
6-cent Red Orange
The 6-cent orange stamp of the Washington Bicentennial Series issued January 1, 1932, features
a portrait of General Washington in uniform painted by John Trumbull in 1792.
7-cent Black
The 7-cent black stamp of the Washington Bicentennial Series issued January 1, 1932, shows a
head-and-shoulders likeness of General Washington in colonial uniform taken from a full length
portrait painted by John Trumbull in 1780.
8-cent Olive Bister
The 8-cent olive green stamp of the Washington Bicentennial Series issued January 1, 1932,
shows a portrait of President Washington from a crayon drawing made from life by Charles B. J.
F. Saint Memin in 1798.
9-cent Pale Red
The 9-cent salmon pink stamp of the Washington Bicentennial Series issued January 1, 1932,
reproduces a pastel portrait of President Washington drawn from life by W. Williams in 1794.
The Masonic Lodge of Alexandria, Virginia, commissioned the portrait.
10-cent Orange Yellow
The 10-cent yellow stamp of the Washington Bicentennial Series, issued January 1, 1932,
features a portrait of President Washington inspired by Gilbert Stuart's1795 painting of
Washington.
0716 Olympic Winter Games Issue
The United States hosted the 1932 Olympic Winter Games, held at Lake Placid, New York. It
was customary for the host nation to issue a stamp for the occasion, so on January 25, 1932, the
U.S. Post Office Department issued a single 2-cent red stamp picturing a ski jumper. The design
received some criticism for showing the skier in an unnatural position, but the public generally
accepted the issue.
0717 Arbor Day Issue
On April 22, 1932, the U.S. Post Office Department issued a single 2-cent red stamp to celebrate
Arbor Day. The stamp's issue date coincided with the 100th anniversary of J. Morton Sterling's
birth. A native of Detroit and immigrant to Nebraska, Sterling encouraged other immigrants to
plant trees on Nebraska's 'barren' plains. He saw trees as beautiful and useful, essential to
breaking the eroding winds that swept the state. On January 4, 1872, Morton proposed a tree-
planting holiday to be called 'Arbor Day' to Nebraska’s State Board of Agriculture. The date was
set for April 10, 1872. It has been estimated that more than a million trees were planted in
Nebraska on the first Arbor Day. Governor Robert W. Furnas soon proclaimed Arbor Day a legal
holiday in Nebraska. April 22, Morton's birthday, was selected as the date for its permanent
observance.
The stamp generated considerable controversy since the design, showing a boy and a girl
planting a tree, was taken from a photograph posed by the children of the Director of the Bureau
of Engraving and Printing, in apparent violation of the rule that living persons may not be
represented on postage stamps. In the end, it was judged that since the children were not being
honored by the stamp, the design was acceptable.
Olympic Games Issue
The United States being the host nation for the Olympic Summer Games of 1932, the U.S. Post
Office Department issued two stamps to honor the event. The violet 3-cent stamp shows a runner
on his mark; the blue 5-cent stamp pictures the sculpture 'Discobolus', or discus thrower, by 5th
century Greek sculptor Myron.
0718 3-cent Runner at Starting Mark
The 3-cent violet stamp in the Tenth Olympic Games Issue shows a runner on his mark awaiting
the starting signal for a race. The games were held in Los Angeles from July 30 to August 14,
1932. This was the second Olympics to be held in the United States, the 1904 games having been
held in St. Louis.
0719 5-cent Myron's Discobolus
The 5-cent blue stamp of the Tenth Olympic Games issue depicts the Discobolus of Myron, a
famous sculpture of fifth century Greece. A discus thrower is depicted about to release his throw.
The moment captured in the statue is known as 'rhythmos'—harmony and balance. Myron is
often credited as being the first sculptor to master this style. The other trademark of Myron
depicted in this sculpture is the body's perfect proportion, 'symmetria'.
0720 3-cent Washington Issue
On June 16, 1932, in response to the increase to 3-cents postage for basic letters, the U.S. Post
Office Department issued a new, violet 3-cent regular issue. Though identical to the design of the
2-cent Washington Bicentennial stamp, which was inspired by Gilbert Stuart's 'Athenaeum'
portrait of Washington, it is not part of the 1932 commemorative issue. The initial flat plate
printing was followed by rotary press coil stamps, perforated vertically and horizontally, on June
24 and October 12 respectively.
0724 William Penn Issue

A violet 3-cent stamp issued October 24, 1932, honored William Penn (1644-1718), founder of
the colony of Pennsylvania. Issued to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Penn's 1682
landing in the New World, the stamp's portrait design was inspired by a painting of Penn at
twenty-two years, executed in London in 1666.
0725 Daniel Webster Issue
The 150th anniversary of the birth of Daniel Webster (1782-1852) was marked n October 24,
1932, with the issue of a violet 3-cent stamp. An outstanding orator, Webster devoted his
professional career to politics. Webster introduced a resolution in the Senate on June 10, 1840,
which proposed the use of postage stamps.
0726 Georgia Bicentennial Issue
Issued on February 12, 1933, this violet 3-cent stamp honored the 200th anniversary of the
landing of General James Oglethorpe (1696-1785) at Savannah in 1733. Oglethorpe established a
British settlement there, which eventually led to the defeat of Spanish forces and creation of the
colony of Georgia. The portrait shown was taken from a painting by an unknown English artist.
0727 Peace of 1783 Issue
On April 19, 1933, a violet 3-cent stamp was issued to commemorate the 150th anniversary of
George Washington's proclamation of peace, which officially ended the Revolutionary War on
that date in 1783. Washington issued the proclamation from his headquarters at the Hasbrouck
House in Newburgh, New York. The house with Washington's flag flying above it is the stamp's
central design.
Century of Progress Issues
On May 25, 1933, two stamps—a green 1-cent and a violet 3-cent—were issued on the occasion
of the Century of Progress exhibition in Chicago. The 1-cent stamp depicts the restoration of Fort
Dearborn, a pioneer outpost on the site of Chicago; the 3-cent shows the new art deco Federal
Building in Chicago.
The stamps were reissued on August 25 in imperforate souvenir-sheet form without gum to mark
the convention of the American Philatelic Society.
0728 1-cent Restoration of Fort Dearborn
The 1-cent green stamp commemorating Chicago's Century of Progress International Exposition
(1933-1934) depicts Fort Dearborn, the pioneer outpost that had been located at the mouth of the
Chicago River. The fort was built as an army outpost in 1803 and named for Secretary of War
Henry Dearborn. In 1812 Indian uprisings encouraged by the British forced evacuation of the
fort and led to a massacre of many of the evacuees. Rebuilt in 1816, the fort was used off and on
until the 1850s. The stamp's vignette pictures the blockhouse and stockade fence and other
buildings of the fort in the background.
0729 3-cent Federal Building
The 3-cent violet stamp commemorating Chicago's Century of Progress International Exposition
(1933-1934) shows the three massive towers of the Federal Building on the exposition grounds.
0732 National Recovery Act Issue
The centerpiece of the 'New Deal' promised by newly-elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt,
the National Industrial Recovery Act promoted economic security, increased employment and
wages, and improved living and working conditions for Americans. As part of a campaign to
arouse support for the program, a violet 3-cent stamp picturing a group of workers was issued on
August 15, 1933. The workers shown are a farmer, a businessman, a laborer, and a female
worker. The stamp bears the initials NRA, the acronym for 'National Recovery Act'.
0733 Byrd Antarctic Issue
The Byrd Antarctic Expedition II stamp received immediate endorsement from the Post Office
Department when an approved model and three die proofs were sent on September 22, 1933,
from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. This 3-cent vertical stamp, the same size and shape
as a Special Delivery stamp, was intended for the collectors' market alone. The Post Office
Department arranged for 'philatelic mail' bearing this stamp to be carried by the expedition and
postmarked at the Little America post office at the expedition's base camp for a fee of fifty-three
cents.
Pre-addressed covers and money orders payable to the Byrd Antarctic Expedition, Norfolk,
Virginia, had to be received by the postmaster at Norfolk before October 8, the expedition's
sailing date. After October 8 but not later than November 10, remaining covers would be
forwarded by regular mail steamers to Dunedin, New Zealand, where they would connect with
the expedition before it sailed for Antarctica on January 1, 1934. Covers taken with the
expedition were returned by supply ship to Dunedin. They would reach U.S. destinations by
summer 1934.
'Second cancellation' group of covers could be received for forwarding until November 1, 1934,
the last date mail could be sent via Dunedin to Little America before the expedition's return
home. The 3-cent Little America stamp was placed on the covers by the Post Office Department
before shipping. That group would return to U.S. destinations by June 1935, having traveling
about 25,000 miles.
Because the stamp was not intended for use on domestic mail, it was only sold through the
Philatelic Agency of the Post Office Department. Nonetheless, the public soon inquired whether
this new stamp could be used as postage on regular domestic mail, which it could.
On October 2, 1933, Richard Byrd wrote the postmaster general to thank him and all concerned,
saying, "This recognition has helped us immeasurably in a number of ways."
President Franklin Roosevelt supposedly sketched the original design for this issue. Note that he
signed and dated the sketch "4/25/34[35]."
Charles F. Anderson, special representative of the postmaster general, was assigned to the post
office at Little America. He left Washington, D.C., on November 7, 1934, arrived in San
Francisco on November 10, and sailed for Auckland, New Zealand, on November 13. He carried
five full pouches of mail, seventeen empty pouches, a canceling machine, and other equipment.
Five more arrived before he left for Little America. When he reached the continent, a dog sled
transferred the mail and equipment to Little America, a distance of ten miles. To his dismay, he
found that mail shipped a year earlier had never been cancelled and was sitting exposed under ice
and snow. Anderson had only sixteen days in which to set-up the post office, cancel, and pack
the mail. Expedition leaders had no conception of the difficulties involved. For instance,
conditions twenty feet below the ice surface were abysmal, providing only enough heat to keep
the ink warm enough to flow; water leaked overhead; and inadequate workspace where personal
belongings and bedding often disappeared.
Cancelled mail was wrapped in waterproof paper, packed in cartons, encased in two heavy mail
sacks, and locked. It was then stored in a tent outdoors, waiting to be loaded on to the next ship.
Determined to cancel all the mail, Anderson slept only eighteen hours in sixteen days. "For the
first time in the history of polar exploration a mail train was made up of dog sledges drawn by a
tractor and with this train, I left Little America at noon February 4," he wrote. "Arriving at the
barrier, at the edge of Eleanor Bolling Bay . . . I waited alone for twenty-six hours, without food
or water, [until] the 'Bear of Oakland' . . . could be brought in through the braking ice." Back in
San Francisco on March 25, "the mail was taken to the Ferry Street Post Office Station, where it
was again worked. Five and one half days were required for 16 clerks and myself to rework this
mail." A total of 153,217 pieces of mail were dispatched from San Francisco on March 30.
0734 Kosciuszko Issue
The practice of recognizing foreigners who aided American colonies in their war for
independence was continued by the issuance on October 13, 1933, of a blue 5-cent stamp
honoring General Thaddeus Kosciusko (1746-1817) of Poland. The stamp, issued on the
occasion of the 150th anniversary Kosciusko's naturalization as an American citizen, shows the
statue of the uniformed general that sits in Lafayette Park in the District of Columbia. Kosciusko
served under George Washington and fought in several key battles. He is best known for his
engineering of the fortifications at West Point.
While Hitler consolidated his powerbase in Germany, Italy and Japan invaded Ethiopia and
China, respectively. At the same time, the United States battled the Great Depression. Congress
passed New Deal legislation in its 1933 session, but it took until 1935 for programs such as the
Works Progress Administration (WPA), the Rural Electrification Administration (REA), and the
Social Security Act to benefit citizens with more jobs and hope. Encouragingly, the national
unemployment rate shrank from its peak of 25 percent in 1933 to slightly over 20 percent in
1935.
The Post Office Department also struggled for firm ground during these years. It experienced its
first total mail volume decrease (from 27 billion to 22 billion pieces of mail) between 1930 to
1935 and was forced to close over three thousand post offices nationwide. The Department
experienced another deficit in 1935, though not as large as 1930's.
During 1934-1935, Postmaster General James Farley released one of the nation's most
recognized series of stamps—the National Parks Year Issue. The Department also released two
other souvenir sheets in coordination with national philatelic exhibitions. In total, over 1 billion
stamps were printed and issued to the public during the two-year period.
0736 Maryland Tercentenary Issue
On March 23, 1934, a red 3-cent stamp was issued to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the
establishment of the colony of Maryland by Cecil Calvert, Lord Baltimore. The stamp pictures
the Ark and the Dove, the two ships carrying the colonists that landed near Point Lookout at the
site that became St. Mary's City.
0737 Mothers of America Issue
A violet 3-cent stamp was issued on May 2, 1934, as a tribute to the mothers of America. The
issue was largely at the behest of the American War Mothers organization. The stamp design is
an adaptation of James A. McNeill Whistler's painting 'Portrait of my Mother' (originally titled
'An Arrangement in Gray and Black'). Many artists criticized the design as a 'mutilation' of
Whistler's painting, which was drastically cropped to emphasize the figure of the mother. A
picture on the wall was deleted, and a vase of flowers was added, among other changes.
The stamp was issued in both rotary press and flat plate printings, with the usual small
differences in dimension. The flat plate version was reissued on March 15, 1935, in an
imperforate, ungummed special printing.
0739 Wisconsin Tercentenary Issue
The 300th anniversary of French explorer Jean Nicolet's 'discovery' of Wisconsin in 1634 was
commemorated by a violet 3-cent stamp issued on July 7, 1934. The stamp design is taken from
a painting by Edward W. Deming depicting Nicolet's landing at Green Bay, with numerous
Indians in attendance.
The stamp was reissued on March 15, 1935, in imperforate, ungummed sheets of two hundred.
0740 – 0749 National Parks Year Issue
To encourage domestic tourism and to promote America's national parks, a series of ten stamps
was issued on various dates from July 16 to October 8, 1934. In denominations of 1- to 10-cents,
the stamps depict scenes from the national parks in various colors.
Two imperforate souvenir sheets were issued with designs from the National Parks Series. A
souvenir sheet of six 3-cent stamps was issued on August 28, 1934, for the American Philatelic
Society Exhibition. A souvenir sheet of six 1-cent stamps was issued on October 10, 1934, for
the Trans-Mississippi Philatelic Exposition.
The National Parks Series was reissued on March 15, 1935, in imperforate, ungummed sheets of
two hundred, and in imperforate, ungummed sheets of twenty panes of six stamps each. Referred
to as 'Farley's Follies', Postmaster General James Farley's 'special printings' suffered a storm of
criticism. It boiled over with this excessive issue. Farley was pilloried in both the philatelic and
the popular press. He finally abandoned the practice. The National Parks series was the last of
the special printings.
1-cent Yosemite
The 1-cent green National Parks stamp issued July 16, 1934 pictures the rock formation "El
Capitan" in Yosemite National Park. The park, famous for its waterfalls plunging thousands of
feet into Yosemite Valley, was established in California in 1890.
2-cent Grand Canyon
The 2-cent red National Parks stamp issued July 24, 1934, shows a view of the Grand Canyon of
the Colorado River. Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona was established in 1919. Various
Native American groups have inhabited the canyon over the centuries. The first white men to see
the Grand Canyon were from the Coronado expedition in 1540.
3-cent Mt. Rainier
The 3-cent violet National Parks stamp issued August 3, 1934, pictures Mount Rainier with
Mirror Lake in the foreground. Mount Rainier National Park was established in Washington
State in 1899. Mount Rainier is an active volcano that poses significant potential danger to the
heavily settled areas around it.
4-cent Mesa Verde
The 4-cent brown National Parks stamp issued September 25, 1934, depicts the 'Cliff Palace' in
Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado. The park was established in 1906 to preserve and protect
the cliff dwellings and other archaeological remnants of the ancient Puebloan Indians, also called
'Anasazi'.
5-cent Yellowstone
The 5-cent blue National Parks stamp issued July 30, 1934, features an image of Old Faithful
geyser in Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone is noted for its wide variety of thermal
activity—geysers, hot springs, and bubbling mud pools, and for the spectacular Upper and Lower
Falls in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. The nation's first national park,
Yellowstone was established in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana in 1872.
6-cent Crater Lake
The 6-cent dark blue National Parks stamp issued September 5, 1934, pictures Crater Lake, a six
mile wide body of water occupying the caldera of an ancient volcano. The color of the stamp
suggests the deep blue waters of the lake, whose maximum depth is 1,932 feet. Crater Lake
National Park was established in Oregon in 1902.
7-cent Acadia
The 7-cent black National Parks stamp issued October 2, 1934, honors Acadia National Park,
established in Maine in 1919 as Lafayette National Park and renamed Acadia in 1929. The park
occupies Mount Desert Island, which features varied terrains—a rocky coastline, mountains, and
forests. All terrains support a wide variety of wildlife. The stamp pictures the shoreline rock
formation known as 'Great Head'.
8-cent Zion
The 8-cent National Parks stamp issued September 18, 1934, fetures an image of the Great White
Throne rock formation in Utah's Zion National Park. The park, established in 1919, is noted for
its numerous varied and peculiar rock formations.
10-cent Great Smoky Mountains
The 10-cent gray black National Parks stamp issued October 8, 1934, shows a view of Mount Le
Conte in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The park, consisting of Appalachian Mountain
ridges straddling the border between North Carolina and Tennessee, was established in 1934. It
is noted for its wealth of flora and fauna and its rich cultural history involving Cherokee Indians,
white settlers, and the Civil War.
0772 Connecticut Tercentenary Issue
On April 26, 1935, a violet 3-cent stamp was issued to commemorate the 300th anniversary of
the founding of the colony of Connecticut under a charter granted by Charles II. The historic
Charter Oak was selected as the subject for the design. As the tree was considered sacred by the
Indians of the area, the colonists honored the Indians' wishes that the tree be preserved. In 1667
King James II demanded the surrender of the charter granted by Charles II. At the moment that
the crown's representative was about to seize the charter at the Assembly, the lights were
extinguished, and the charter was spirited away to be hidden in a hollow within the Charter Oak.
The charter remained hidden until the revolution in England, but continued in force as it had not
been surrendered.
0773 California Pacific Exposition Issue
A violet 3-cent stamp was issued on May 29, 1935, on the occasion of the California Pacific
International Exposition. The exposition, held in San Diego, coincided with the 400th
anniversary of the 'discovery' of the Pacific southwest by Spanish explorer Francisco Vazquez de
Coronado (1510-1554). The design shows a view of the exposition grounds with Point Loma and
San Diego Bay in the background.
0774 Boulder Dam Issue
A violet 3-cent stamp issued on September 30, 1935, marked the completion of Boulder Dam
(now Hoover Dam) on the Colorado River, between Nevada and Arizona. The vertical design
picturing the dam emphasizes the magnitude of its construction.
0775 Michigan Centenary Issue
The Post Office Department celebrated Michigan statehood with a 3-cent violet stamp, issued on
November 1, 1935. The issue might be viewed as premature since Michigan was admitted to the
Union on January 26, 1837, but since the campaign for statehood actually began in 1835,
Michigan chose to hold its centennial celebration in 1935.
The stamp features the Michigan state seal, a forest scene and an urban industrial landscape
flanking the seal.
King George V of England, one of the world’s most famous philatelists, died in 1936. He had
served as president of the Royal Philatelic Society from 1896 until 1910, when he ascended the
throne. His life-long interest in philately led to the formation of the Royal Philatelic Collection,
the most complete collection of British Empire stamps in the world.
In the United States, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, another world famous philatelist, was re-
elected in a landslide victory over Republican Alfred M. Landon, and construction was
completed on the Boulder Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge. In 1937 the zeppelin Hindenburg
burst into flames while landing at Lakehurst, New Jersey, and the aviator, Amelia Earhart and
her co-pilot Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific while circumnavigating the world.
During that same period, Germany hosted the 1936 Summer Olympics, and though the United
States lost in the overall medal count to the host country, Jesse Owens, winner of four gold
medals in Track and Field, was an indisputable reminder that Hitler’s ‘master race’ was not
supreme after all.
The Post Office Department issued twenty-four commemoratives, including two souvenir sheets,
during this period that had a total printing of over 1.8 billion stamps. Each individual
commemorative issued had an average printing of over 77.5 million stamps.
0776 Texas Centennial Issue
The Texas centennial stamp of March 2, 1936, does not commemorate the centennial of
statehood, as is usual, but rather the centennial of adoption of a Declaration of Independence for
Texas. Hostilities erupted in 1835 between Mexicans and American settlers in Texas; a
provisional government was formed, leading up to the declaration. Statehood was achieved in
1845, following the end of the Mexican-American War.
The 3-cent violet stamp features portraits of Sam Houston, general of the Texas army and later
governor of Texas and U.S. senator, and Stephen F. Austin, founder of the Texas colony. The
portraits flank an image of the Alamo, prominent in the center of the stamp.
0777 Rhode Island Tercentenary Issue
The Rhode Island Tercentenary issue, consisting of a single 3-cent violet stamp, was issued on
May 4, 1936, to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the state's first settlement. Roger
Williams led a group of followers out of Massachusetts, seeking a place where religious
tolerance and free thought could flourish. Their settlement, near Narragansett Bay, was called
Providence. This was the nucleus of what became the territory and later the state of Rhode
Island.
The stamp depicts the statue of Roger Williams that stands in the city of Providence near the
State House. A small image of the state seal of Rhode Island appears at lower left.
0782 Arkansas Centennial Issue
Issued on June 15, 1936, this 3-cent violet stamp observed the 100th anniversary of Arkansas
statehood. The central design features the Old State House in Little Rock. At lower left is a
depiction of Arkansas Post, the first European settlement in Arkansas, established as a French
trading post on the Arkansas River in 1686, and later the first territorial capital. At lower right is
the present Arkansas State Capitol.
0783 Oregon Territory Issue
Issued on July 14, 1936, this violet 3-cent stamp marked the 100th anniversary of the
establishment of the Oregon Territory. The Oregon Territory comprised the present states of
Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and parts of Montana and Wyoming. Settlement of the region
followed swiftly after the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804, leading to official territorial status
in 1836.
The stamp shows a map of the Territory, including a trace of the Oregon Trail. The map is
flanked by a Native American scene on the left and a covered wagon train on the right.
0784 Susan B. Anthony Issue
A reformer and feminist, suffragette Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) was honored with a 3-cent
purple stamp, issued on August 26, 1936, coincident with the 16th anniversary of ratification of
the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Ms. Anthony was a tireless worker for equal rights
for women and helped spearhead the woman suffrage movement, which culminated in the
amendment in 1920, fourteen years after her death. In honor of her efforts, the 19th amendment
has often been called the 'Anthony amendment'.
The stamp design is simple, featuring a profile portrait of Ms. Anthony in the small size used for
regular issue stamps.
The stamp issue received some criticism from those who felt that it was politically motivated.
1936 was an election year, so the stamp was seen as an appeal by the incumbents for women's
votes.
0785 – 0794 Army & Navy Issue
The Army and Navy Commemorative Series of stamps was issued over a period spanning 1936
and 1937. President Theodore Roosevelt had campaigned for such an issue during his term of
office, but the goal was finally realized at the urging of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, an avid
stamp collector and frequent motivator of stamp issues and designs.
The series includes ten stamps in the denominations of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 cents for each service.
Colors are green, carmine, purple, gray and ultramarine respectively. Stamp designs feature
portraits of famous military men, naval ships, residences of Army generals, and the military
academies.
1-cent Washington & Greene
The 1-cent Army Issue of December 15, 1936, has George Washington's residence at Mount
Vernon as its central design. Portraits of Washington and Nathanael Greene flank the image of
Mount Vernon. Greene became one of Washington's most valued generals in the Revolutionary
War, taking the lead in several major campaigns. He was widely viewed as the heir apparent if
Washington should be killed or incapacitated.
2-cent Jackson & Scott
The 2-cent Army stamp issued January 15, 1937, features portraits of Andrew Jackson and
Winfield Scott on either side of Jackson's home, The Hermitage. General Jackson was a hero of
the War of 1812, his troops having defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans. He served
as president from 1829-1837. General Scott was a hero of the Mexican War, leading a campaign
from Vera Cruz to Mexico City.
3-cent Sherman & Grant
The 3-cent purple Army commemorative stamp issued February 18, 1937, features portraits in
oval frames of three Union generals of the Civil War—Sherman, Grant, and Sheridan (left-right).
4-cent Lee & Jackson
The 4-cent gray Army commemorative stamp, issued March 23, 1937, features portraits of
Confederate Civil War generals Robert E. Lee (left) and Stonewall Jackson (right). Between the
portraits is Stratford Hall, Lee's ancestral home.
5-cent West Point
The 5-cent ultramarine Army commemorative stamp issued May 26, 1937, features several
buildings at the U. S. Military Academy, founded in 1802, at West Point, New York.
1-cent Jones & Barry
The 1-cent green Navy commemorative stamp issued December 15, 1936, features portraits of
Admiral John Paul Jones at the left and Commodore John Barry at the right, with contemporary
sailing ships in the center. Jones was a Revolutionary War hero. In a desperate battle against
British Captain Richard Pearson, Jones was asked if he was ready to surrender. At that, Jones
called out his famous reply, "I have not yet begun to fight!" Barry was also a hero of the
Revolution. When the navy was reconstituted after the war, he became senior commander of the
fleet. He is referred to as the "Father of the American Navy."
2-cent Decatur & MacDonough
The 2-cent carmine Navy commemorative stamp issued January 15, 1937, shows portraits of
commodores Stephen Decatur (left) and Thomas MacDonough (right) and a contemporary
warship in the center. Both men were heroes of the Barbary Wars and of the War of 1812.
3-cent Farragut & Porter
The 3-cent purple Navy commemorative stamp issued February 18, 1937, shows portraits of
Admirals David Farragut (left) and David Porter (right), with a contemporary warship in the
center. Both men were Union Navy heroes of the Civil War, most notably in the Mississippi and
Western Rivers campaigns. Porter also participated in the North Atlantic blockade. In a personal
sidelight, Farragut was David Porter's foster brother, a relationship stemming from a rescue of
Porter's father from a foundering boat by the Farraguts.
4-cent Sampson, Dewey & Schley
The 4-cent gray Navy commemorative stamp issued March 23, 1937, features Admirals William
Sampson, George Dewey, and Winfield Schley. These men were heroes of the Spanish-
American War. Sampson and Schley commanded actions in Cuba, and Dewey commanded
forces in the Philippines.
5-cent Naval Academy Seal & Midshipmen
The 5-cent ultramarine Navy commemorative stamp issued May 26, 1937, features the seal of
the U.S. Naval Academy flanked by two midshipmen, the sailor at the left wearing an early
uniform and the other wearing a uniform of the present day. The Naval Academy was established
in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1845.
0795 Ordinance of 1787 Sesquicentennial Issue

A 3-cent violet stamp was issued on July 13, 1937, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the
Northwest Territory as defined by the Ordinance of 1787. The Territory consisted of lands north
of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River—that is, lands now comprising the states of
Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota. The Ordinance established
the Territory, banned slavery, and specified that land must be purchased from the Indians and
offered for sale by the United States. It also made provision for temporary and permanent
governments and eventual statehood of included regions based on population.
The hotly contested Territory passed from Great Britain to the United States in the Treaty of
Paris in 1783. Several eastern states laid claim to parts of the Territory, but ceded those claims
pursuant to the ordinance of 1787. Many British settlers remained and fomented unrest among
the Indians. This unrest continued until the battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794.
The stamp features a map of the Territory, flanked by portraits of Manasseh Cutler, who drafted
the ordinance, and Rufus Putnam, superintendent of settlement in the Territory.
0796 Virginia Dare Issue
On August 18, 1587, in Roanoke Colony, Virginia, Eleanor and Ananias Dare became parents to
a daughter, Virginia. This child was the first born to European parents on the North American
continent. The 350th anniversary of the birth of Virginia Dare was commemorated by a 5-cent
gray-blue stamp issued on August 18, 1937. The stamp design shows the infant in the arms of
her mother, who is seated, with the father standing behind. The background is rather idyllic,
showing a substantial log cabin, a spinning wheel, and various crops. In reality, the Roanoke
colonists led a miserable existence. The colony was lost in rather short order, with all colonists
presumed slain by the native Indians.
0798 Constitution Sesquicentennial Issue
A 3-cent bright red violet stamp, issued on September 17, 1937, marked 150th anniversary of the
signing of the Constitution of the United States of America. The design was adapted from a
famous painting by Julius Brutus Stearns that shows most of the original signers of the
document. A number of delegates were not present, and the Constitution was not binding until
June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify (two-thirds of the eligible
states). The remaining four of the original thirteen states ratified it later still.
0799 – 0802 Territorial Issues
The Territorial Series was issued as a tribute to the outlying possessions, or territories, of the
United States. Four 3-cent stamps issued in the latter part of 1937 honored Hawaii, Alaska,
Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Alaska and Hawaii achieved statehood in 1959. Repeated
statehood votes in Puerto Rico have failed.
3-cent Hawaii Issue

On October 18, 1937 the Post Office issued a 3-cent violet stamp to honor the Territory of
Hawaii. This issue was part of a program to recognize the various United States territories. The
vertically oriented design shows the statue of King Kamehameha I that stands in front of Iolani
Palace in Honolulu. It was Kamehameha I (1736-1819) who united the Hawaiian islands into one
kingdom.
3-cent Alaska Issue
The program to commemorate the territories of the U.S. continued with the issuance of a 3-cent
violet stamp honoring Alaska on November 12, 1937. Snow-covered Mount McKinley
dominates the design, which also features a farm and a village, symbols of modern development
in the territory.
3-cent Puerto Rico Issue
The third stamp to commemorate U. S. territories, the 3-cent bright violet stamp issued on
November 25, 1937, honored Puerto Rico. The design features the old Governor's Palace known
as 'La Fortaleza'. The issue confused the public, some of whom thought the stamp was valid only
in Puerto Rico. It was in fact valid throughout the U.S. and its territories.
3-cent Virgin Islands
The stamp program to recognize the territories of the United States concluded with the issuance
of a 3-cent violet stamp on December 15, 1937, in honor of the U. S. Virgin Islands. The U.S.
purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917. The stamp displays a view of Charlotte
Amalie, capital city of the territory.
0803 – 0834 Presidential Series Definitive Issue (1938)
At the suggestion of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Post Office Department opened a
national competition in 1937 to design the first stamp in a new series of definitive stamps to be
known as the 'Presidential Series'. Artist Elaine Rawlinson of New York City won the contest.
She based her design for the 1-cent stamp on a bust of George Washington’s profile by the
sculptor Jean Antoine Houdin (1741-1828. It became the basis of the designs for the rest of the
1938 Presidential Series, also affectionately known as the ‘Prexies' or the 'Fifth Bureau Issue’.
Each design of the 1938 Presidential Series included a bust profile of a president and the dates of
his term(s) as president. The stamps depict all twenty-nine presidents who had died before 1938,
including many who had never before appeared on a postage stamp. In addition to the twenty-
nine presidents appearing on these stamps, Benjamin Franklin appeared on the half-cent stamp;
Martha Washington appeared on the 1.5-cent stamp; the White House appeared on the 4.5-cent
stamp. Thus, the Presidential Series contained thirty-two stamps issued in sheet format. The
stamps were in use for over eighteen years, from 1938 into the mid-1950s.
The issue provided a chronological overview of the American presidency, from George
Washington on the 1-cent stamp to Calvin Coolidge on the 5-dollar value. On stamps from 1-
cent through 22-cent, each stamp's denomination corresponded to the presidential sequence:
Washington, the first president, on the 1-cent; Adams, the second president, on the 2-cent, and so
on. Grover Cleveland, the 22nd president, appeared on the 22-cent stamp. However, since
Cleveland served two nonconsecutive terms, this pattern stopped at that point. Any attempt to
match the denomination to the order of presidency ended with McKinley. There was no 23-cent
stamp in the series. Benjamin Harrison appeared next, on the 24-cent stamp. William McKinley,
the 25th president, appeared on the 25-cent stamp. Some of these stamps did not pay any obvious
postal rate. Rather, they were issued to present our nation's presidents on denominations in the
order of their terms in office.
Though all the stamps in the series were similar, they were not identical. Values from half-cent
to 9-cent had no border, as in Rawlinson's original design. The 10-cent through 19-cent values
had a single line border, and the 20-cent through 50-cent values had a double line border. The
dollar values were bi-color, with designs significantly different from the cent values. All sheet
stamps up to 50-cent were printed on rotary presses, and the dollar values were printed on flat
plate presses.
The 1-cent Washington sheet stamp, the first of the series, was issued on April 25, 1938. All of
the stamps were issued in Washington, D.C., except the half-cent Franklin, which made its
appearance in Philadelphia. The Presidential Series contains nine coil stamps with vertical
perforations and four coils with horizontal perforations, all printed on the rotary press. The 1-
cent, 2-cent, and 3-cent stamps were issued as booklet panes in eighteen different combinations
of booklets with a variety of different covers.
1/2-cent Franklin
This orange stamp, the third stamp issued in the 1938 Presidential Series is an anomaly: 1) It
pictures Benjamin Franklin who was never a President of the United States, and 2) No rate ever
existed that would have been paid solely with this half cent stamp.
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) does have a major connection to philately. Among his many
achievements, Franklin served as the first Postmaster General of the United States. For that, and
for all his other achievements, he was honored when his picture was engraved on the first
postage stamp to be issued by the United States in 1847. His likeness has grace many postage
stamps issued by the United States, and other countries ever since.
It is fitting that Benjamin Franklin be included in the 1938 Presidential Series. Many scholars
agree that if it wasn't for Franklin's advanced age at the time of the creation of the United States,
he would have surely been elected President.
Millions of these Franklin stamps were used to pay postal rates, but no single rate ever existed
for the half cent Franklin. A collector wanting to show a single franking on cover would have to
resort to showing this half cent stamp affixed to a stamped envelope, postal card, or an envelope
with a meter.
The likeness of Franklin on this stamp was taken from a photograph of a statue by James Earl
Fraser which stands in the Franklin Institute, in Philadelphia, PA, where the stamp was first put
on sale on May 19, 1938.
1-cent Washington
This green 1-cent George Washington stamp was the first stamp of the Presidential Series of
1938 issued. Millions of these stamps were issued, and they were seen on everyday mail through
the late 1950s.
In 1933 newly-elected President Franklin Roosevelt, an avid stamp collector, suggested a set of
stamps honoring past presidents. In 1937, after lengthy discussions, a decision was made to issue
a new definitive series using the Roosevelt's suggestion. A national contest would determine the
design upon which the series would be based. With over twelve hundred entries submitted, some
from famous artists, a young New York City art student's contribution was chosen the winner.
Her name was Elaine Rawlinson.
George Washington has been pictured on more U.S. stamps than any other individual. As the
first president, it is fitting that Washington appear on the 1-cent Presidential Series stamp. This
stamp appeared in many forms: sheet stamp, horizontal and vertical coil, and as a booklet pane.
No matter the form, the 1-cent George Washington stamp theoretically could pay any postal rate,
singly or when added to other stamps. For a collector looking for a solo usage, the most common
way would be paying the one-cent domestic postcard rate in effect July 1928 through December
1951. More difficult to find is the one cent per ounce local drop rate (for letters mailed from and
to an addressee at a post office without mail-carrier service) in effect July 1919 through
December 1951.
1 1/2-cent Martha Washington
Bearing one of three non-presidential subjects and the only woman portrayed on the 1938
Presidential Series, the 1.5-cent yellow brown Martha Washington stamp saw extensive use from
its debut in 1938 through the late 1950s. The likeness of Martha Washington comes from a bust
on display in the Memorial Continental Hall Museum.
The 1.5-cent stamp can be found in two forms: as a sheet stamp (issued May 5, 1938) and as a
horizontal (sidewise) coil (issued January 20, 1939). The most common usage of this stamp was
to pay the third class 'greeting card' rate in effect April 1925 through December 1948.
2-cent Adams
A portrait of John Adams (1735-1826) appears on the rose carmine 2-cent value of the 1938
Presidential Series. Daniel Chester French's marble bust of Adams, executed in 1889 and
displayed in the U.S. Capitol's Senate Gallery, inspired the portrait. Adams, a Federalist, served
two terms as vice president under George Washington and narrowly defeated his arch-rival
Thomas Jefferson to become the second president of the United States. He and Jefferson died on
the same day, July 4, 1826. During his term, the capital of the U.S. was moved from Philadelphia
to Washington.
This 2-cent stamp can be found in four formats: a sheet stamp (issued June 3, 1938), a vertical
(endwise) coil (issued January 20, 1939), a horizontal (sidewise) coil (issued January 27, 1939),
and in pane form (issued January 27, 1939). The most common solo usage of this Prexie stamp
can be found on a domestic post card (January 1952-July 1958), a locally delivered letter (July
1933-March 1944) and on a third-class (unsealed) greeting card (January 1949-July 1958).
3-cent Jefferson
The purple 3-cent value of the 1938 Presidential Series features an image of Thomas Jefferson
(1743-1826), one of the most influential founders of the United States and the nation's third
president (1801-09). A bust on display in the Congressional Library inspired the stamp's
vignette. A genius and an enigma, it was Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of Independence
but also owned slaves.
With over 130 billion stamps printed, more than any other value in the Presidential Series, this 3-
cent stamp was the 'workhorse' of the mail during the 1940s and early 1950s. The stamp can be
found in four formats—a sheet stamp (issued June 16, 1938), a sidewise (horizontal) coil (issued
January 20, 1939), a vertical (endwise) coil (issued January 27, 1939), and in pane format (issued
January 27, 1939).
The most common way to find a single stamp usage is on a first-class domestic envelope. This
rate was in effect July 1, 1932-July 31, 1958. The 3-cent stamp could also pay the international
postcard fee, in effect July -9, 1934, through July 31, 1958, and the three-cents-per-ounce Pan
American Union and Spain Treaty rate on letters addressed to South America and Spain, in effect
October 4, 1932, through October 31, 1953.
4-cent Madison
James Madison (1751-1836), the nation's fourth president, appears on the red-violet 4-cent value
of the 1938 Presidential Series. Madison is generally regarded as the 'Father of the Constitution'
because he planned the system of 'checks and balances' so important to the success of the U.S.
government.
Two varieties of the 4-cent Prexie were printed: a sheet stamp (issued July 1, 1938) and a
vertically perforated (sidewise) coil (issued January 27, 1939).
Not widely used when first issued, the 4-cent Prexie fulfilled two times the two-cent-per-ounce
rate for letters delivered locally, a rate effective July 1933 through March 1944. Over the years,
however, changing postal rates required the use of 4-cent postage. A 4-cent stamp was required
to pay the fee on domestic airmail postcards (in effect January 1949 through July 1958), and to
pay for a domestic first-class letter (in effect August 1958 through January 8, 1963).
4 1/2-cent White House

The third stamp in the 1938 Presidential Series to feature an image other than that of a president,
the 4.5-cent green-gray value depicted the White House. The other two issues not depicting
presidents were the Ben Franklin and the Martha Washington.
Inspired by the Leinster House, an Anglo-Irish villa located in Dublin, Irish-born architect James
Hoban designed the White House. He won the privilege of designed the presidential mansion in a
contest held in 1792 organized by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. When the structure
burned during the War of 1812, Hoban returned to oversee reconstruction. He later added the
South and North Porticos.
While it may seem strange that such an unusual denomination—4.5-cent—be included in the
Presidential Series, businesses demanded such a rate to pay triple the 1.5-cent third-class per
two-ounce merchandise rate (in effect July 1939 through March 1944) and triple the 1.5-cent
fourth class book rate at 1.5-cent per pound (in effect November 1938 through June 1942).
The 4.5-cent White House stamp was issued in two varieties—in sheet form (issued July 11,
1938) and in the horizontal (sidewise) coil format (issued January 20, 1939).
5-cent Monroe
An image of James Monroe (1758-1831), the fifth president of the United States (1817-1825)
and a prominent leader in the War for Independence, appears on the 5-cent blue stamp issued as
part of the 1938 Presidential Series. Monroe's likeness was taken from a medal furnished by the
U.S. Mint.
It is ironic that a stamp portraying Monroe, the author of the 'Monroe Doctrine' (which warned
the European powers to stay out of affairs of the Americas), be the stamp paying the much-used
one-ounce surface rate to the world that was in effect July 1875 through October 1953. The 5-
cent Prexie could also pay the one-ounce domestic airmail rate in effect October 1946 through
December 1948.
The Bureau produced two varieties of the 5-cent Monroe stamp—the sheet stamp (issued July
21, 1938) and the horizontal (sidewise) coil issued (January 20, 1939).
6-cent Adams
The portrait of John Quincy Adams (1767-1848), the sixth U.S. president, appears on the orange
6-cent value of the 1938 Presidential Series. The likeness was taken from a bust on display in the
U.S. Capitol.
The son of the second U.S. president, John Adams (who appeared on the 2-cent value of the
Presidential Series), John Quincy Adams began a brilliant fifty-four-year career in public service
when President George Washington appointed him minister to the Netherlands. He was at the
time twenty-seven years old. A less-know fact, John Quincy Adams committed considerable
energy to assuring that James Smithson's financial bequest to the United States be used as
Smithson had willed—for the creation and dissemination of knowledge. The bequest served as
the financial underpinning of the Smithsonian Institution.
Two varieties of the 6-cent stamp exist—a sheet stamp (issued July 28, 1938) and a horizontal
(sidewise) coil (issued January 20, 1939).
The primary usage of the 6-cent stamp was for paying the six-cents-per-ounce domestic airmail
rate (in effect July 1934 through March 1944 and again in January 1949 through July 1958) and
two times the three-cents-per-ounce domestic first-class rate (in effect July 1932 through July
1958). The 6-cent stamp also saw a great deal of use paying the special six-cent airmail military
concession rate available to those serving in World War II.
7-cent Jackson
An image of Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States (1829-1837), appears
on the 7-cent sepia stamp issued as part of the 1938 Presidential Series. Jackson's likeness was
influenced by the Belle Kinney and Leopold F. Scholz bronze statue which stands in the U.S.
Capitol's Rotunda. Printed only as a sheet stamp, the 7-cent stamp was first placed on sale
August 4, 1938.
Jackson (1767-1845) was the first president from the nation's 'frontier' regions. He spent most of
his life in Tennessee. His troops nicknamed him 'Old Hickory’ for his toughness in battle as a
general in the War of 1812.
Despite the many 7-cent stamps used to pay postal fees, no single rate could be paid by a solo 7-
cent stamp until 1954, when the Liberty Series was introduced. The 7-cent Liberty paid the
seven-cents per ounce domestic airmail rate in effect August 1, 1958, to January 5, 1963.
8-cent Van Buren
Martin Van Buren (1782-1862), the eighth president of the Unites States, appears on the 8-cent
olive green denomination of the 1938 Presidential Series. A bust on display in the U.S. Capitol's
Senate Gallery inspired the image of Van Buren.
The 8-cent Van Buren stamp was issued in sheet form on August 11, 1938. It saw limited use
during the first years after it's release, when the solo stamp could pay for two rates: the five-cent-
per-ounce domestic airmail fee plus a three-cent international surface supplementary charge (in
effect November 23, 1934, through September 30, 1946) and the two-ounce international surface
rate (five cents for the first ounce and three cents for the next ounce, in effect October 1, 1907,
through October 31, 1953). Near the end of World War II, the 8-cent stamp saw more usage
when the one-ounce domestic airmail rate became eight cents. This rate was in effect for only a
short time—March 26, 1944, through September 30, 1946. More extensive use of this stamp
came when the one-ounce surface rate to foreign countries became eight cents (in effect
November 1, 1953, through June 30, 1961). A half-ounce letter could have been sent by airmail
to Cuba for eight cents from June 29, 1945, through July 31, 1954.
9-cent Harrison
William Henry Harrison (1773-1841), the ninth president of the United States, appears on the 9-
cent pink 1938 Presidential Series issue. A bust displayed in the Rotunda of the Virginia State
Capitol inspired the stamp's likeness of Harrison. The 9-cent stamp was printed only in sheet
form and was issued on August 18, 1938.
Harrison, a hero of the Indian Wars and the War of 1812, was the first president to die in office.
On Inauguration Day, 1841, Harrison caught a cold that developed into pneumonia, and he died
thirty days later.
The 9-cent Harrison appears most frequently in solo usage paying triple the three-cent first-class
rate (in effect July 9, 1934 through July 31, 1858). More difficult to find is the 9-cent stamp
paying three times the three-cent-per-ounce Pan-American Union and Spain surface rate (in
effect April 1, 1932, through October 31, 1953).
10-cent Tyler
The likeness of John Tyler (1790-1862), the tenth president of the United States, appears on the
orange-brown 10-cent denomination of the 1938 Presidential Series. A bust of Tyler displayed in
the Rotunda of the Virginia State Capitol inspired the image. Tyler had not previously appeared
on a postage stamp.
The first vice president to assume the presidency, Tyler took office when President William
Henry Harrison died thirty days into his term. Tyler finished the term (1841-1845) but did not
seek re-election.
The 10-cent denomination was released in two forms, as a sheet stamp (September 2, 1938) and
as a horizontal (sidewise) coil (January 20, 1939).
While the Tyler stamp saw extensive use in combination with other stamps, collectors looking
for a solo usage should search the following:
1) half-ounce airmail covers to a few U.S. possessions—e.g., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands
(in effect the Summer 1929 through January 14, 1945) and the Canal Zone (rate in effect April 1,
1945, through September 30, 1946); mail to a few international destinations—e.g., Jamaica (rate
in effect November 15, 1930, through October 31, 1946), Bermuda (rate in effect February 14,
1938, through October 31, 1946); the uniform airmail rate to Central and South America (in
effect November 1, 1946, through June 30, 1961); international postcards to most countries (in
effect June 1, 1954, through June 30, 1961).
11-cent Polk
The image of James K. Polk (1790-1849), the eleventh president of the United States (1845-
1849), appears on the 11-cent value of the 1938 Presidential Series. Polk's likeness on the stamp
was derived from a medal struck by the U.S. Mint. This ultramarine stamp was printed only as a
sheet stamp and was issued on September 8, 1938.
Interestingly, the first two stamps produced by the United States were issued during Polk's
presidency (1847), but this 11-cent denomination was the first to feature his image.
While this 11-cent stamp can be found in use with other stamps, solo usages are somewhat
scarce. A single 11-cent stamp would have paid the international surface rate for up to three
ounces (five cents for the first ounce and three cents for each of the next two ounces) in effect
October 1, 1907, through October 31, 1953, as well as the combination air/surface/air rate to
Europe (five cents for the international surface rate plus three cents for domestic air service and a
three-cent supplement for air carriage within Europe), in effect November 23, 1934, through the
beginning of World War II.
12-cent Taylor
Zachary Taylor (1784-1850), the twelfth president of the United States, appears on the 12-cent
denomination of the 1938 Presidential Series. A bust displayed in the Rotunda of the Virginia
State Capitol inspired the image. The Postal Service issued the violet stamp in sheet form on
September 14, 1938.
A soldier for over forty years, 'Old Rough and Ready' supposedly never lost a battle. He became
a national hero during the Mexican War (1846-1848), and this fame swept him into the
presidency. He had served only sixteen months (March 1849-July 1850) when he died from
gastrointestinal illness. Vice President Millard Fillmore succeeded him.
The 12-cent stamp was widely used. Rates which could be paid with a single 12-cent stamp
included the following: special delivery for a local letter (in effect March 26, 1944, through
October 31, 1944); four times the domestic first-class rate (in effect July 1, 1932, through July
31, 1958); two times the 6-cent domestic airmail rate (in effect July 1, 1934, through March 25,
1944, and January 1949 through July 31, 1958); and two times the 6-cent WW II military airmail
rate. Half-ounce letters prepaid with this 12-cent postage could be sent by air to El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, with rates in effect December 1, 1937, through March 31,
1946.
13-cent Fillmore
Millard Fillmore (1800-1874), the thirteenth president of the United States, appears on the 13-
cent denomination of the 1938 Presidential Series. The Postal Service issued the stamp in sheet
form on September 22, 1938. A bust displayed in the Senate Gallery of the U.S. Capitol inspired
the stamp's vignette. This was Millard Fillmore's first appearance on a postage stamp.
Vice President Fillmore became president upon the death of John Tyler. He served out the term
(1849-1850) but was not elected to another term. Gold was discovered in California during his
presidency.
While the 13-cent value saw use in combination with other stamps, especially on fourth-class
mail. For instance, a first-class, special delivery cover could have been properly paid with a
combination rate in effect November 1, 1944, through December 31, 1948. Stamps having solo
usage are difficult to find.
14-cent Pierce
The likeness of Franklin Pierce (1804-1869), the fourteenth president of the United States,
appears on the 14-cent denomination of the 1938 Presidential Series. A medal produced by the
U.S. Mint inspired the image of Pierce. The stamp was issued on October 6, 1938.
A hero of the Mexican War, Pierce was elected to the U.S. Congress at age twenty-nine and then
to the Senate four years later. A compromise candidate, Pierce received a huge voter mandate but
served only one presidential term (1853-1857).
The Bureau produced the 14-cent dark blue Presidential issue only in sheet form. This was
Pierce's first appearance on a postage stamp. The Pierce stamp saw limited use and single
frankings are difficult to find. One example paid by a single 14-cent stamp would be the
international surface rate for four ounces (five cents for the first ounce and three cents for each of
the next three ounces), in effect October 1, 1907, through October 31, 1943.
15-cent Buchanan
The likeness of James Buchanan (1791-1868), the fifteenth president of the United States,
appears on the 15-cent issue of the 1938 Presidential Series. The image was inspired by a bust
displayed in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, District of Columbia.
Buchanan served in a number of high-ranking positions before being elected to his one term as
president, 1856-1861. Among the positions were congressman (1821-1831), senator (1834-
1845), minister to Russia (1832-1834), secretary of state (1845-1849), and minister to Great
Britain (1853-1856). After serving as president, he retired to his Wheatland, his country estate in
Pennsylvania. Wheatland appeared on a 1956 stamp. Buchanan was the only bachelor to serve as
president.
The 15-cent blue gray stamp was printed only as a sheet stamp and was issued on October 13,
1938. This was James Buchanan's first appearance on a postage stamp.
The 15-cent Buchanan was used extensively both in combinations with other stamps and as a
solo paying various rates. For example, a 15-cent stamp would pay the one-ounce airmail rate
to/from the territory of Hawaii (in effect January 15,1945, through September 30, 1946), the
half-ounce airmail rate to the Canal Zone (in effect December 1, 1937, through March 31, 1945),
the half-ounce airmail rate to Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Venezuela (in effect April 1, 1945,
through October 31, 1946), and the half-ounce airmail rate to Europe and North Africa (in effect
November 1, 1946, through April 30, 1967).
16-cent Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), the sixteenth president of the United States (1861-1865), appears
on the 16-cent value of the 1938 Presidential Series. A bust displayed in the Senate Gallery in
Washington, D.C., inspired Lincoln's likeness on this issue.
Much has been written about the life of the legendary Abraham Lincoln, from his birth in a log
cabin in Kentucky to his assassination at the beginning of his second term as president in 1865.
Honored worldwide as a symbol of justice and freedom, Lincoln has appeared on hundreds of
stamps around the globe.
Issued on October 20, 1938, this 16-cent value was printed in black and only in sheet form.
No single rate ever existed for this 16-cent stamp, but the stamp was used with other stamps to
pay a variety of postal rates. In addition, a solo 16-cent stamp paid for a variety of domestic
combination rates. When the stamp was issued, it would prepay two times the three-cent
domestic first-class rate and the ten-cent Special Delivery rate. This combination was in effect
July 6, 1932, through October 31, 1944. Also, at the time of the stamp's issue, the 16-cent stamp
would pay the six-cent-per-one-ounce domestic airmail rate plus ten cents for Special Delivery.
This combination was in effect July 1, 1934, through October 31, 1944.
The six-cents-per-ounce military airmail rate created another opportunity for solo usage when
added to the existing ten-cent Special Delivery fee. This combination was in effect December 25,
1941, through October 31, 1944.
When the Special Delivery rate increased to thirteen cents on November 1, 1944, the 16-cent
Lincoln could still be used, but this time on a one ounce 3-cent domestic letter. This combination
rate was valid until December 31, 1948. When the domestic airmail rate increased to eight-cents-
per-ounce on March 26, 1944, a 16-cent stamp could pay double the rate. This rate lasted until
September 30, 1946.
17-cent Johnson
The image of Andrew Johnson (1808-1875), the nation's seventeenth president, appears on the
17-cent value of the 1938 Presidential Series. Johnson's likeness was inspired by a bust displayed
in the Senate Gallery in Washington, District of Columbia.
A career politician, Johnson was the third vice president to become president after the death of
an elected president, in this case, Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was an unpopular president and
escaped impeachment by one vote. He finished Lincoln's term (1865-1869) but was not elected
to another.
This rose-red stamp was issued on October 27, 1938, as a sheet stamp. It marks the first
appearance of Andrew Johnson on a postage stamp.
The 17-cent stamp saw much use in combination with other stamps. The most common use for a
solo 17-cent stamp was for prepaying charges for a local letter (two cents) with minimum
registration (fifteen cents). This combination rate was in effect July 1, 1933, through March 24,
1944.
A more difficult challenge is to find this 17-cent stamp paying the international surface fee for
five ounces—five cents for the first ounce and three cents for each of the next four ounces. This
rate was in effect October 1, 1907, through October 31, 1953.
18-cent Grant
The image of Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), the eighteenth president of the United States,
appears on the 18-cent denomination of the 1938 Presidential Series. Grant's likeness was
inspired by a statue in the Rotunda of the United States Capitol.
Grant was a career military professional whose service in the Civil War made him a national
hero. This popularity eventually propelled him into two terms of the presidency (1869-1877).
This carmine brown stamp was printed as a sheet stamp and was released to the public on
November 3, 1938. When first issued, the 18-cent stamp paid for a three-cent domestic letter plus
fifteen cents for minimum registration (in effect July 6, 1932, through March 25, 1944). In
addition, a solo 18-cent stamp could have prepayed the three-cent fee for a letter to South
America and Spain plus the fifteen-cent fee for international registration ( in effect July 6, 1932,
through January 31, 1945).
Beginning on October 1, 1946, the 18-cent stamp prepayed the five-cent fee for domestic airmail
and a thirteen-cent fee for special delivery. This combination rate was in effect until December
31, 1948.
When postage rates were raised, an 18-cent stamp would still prepay the three-cent rate for a
domestic letter and thirteen-cent fee for special delivery. This combination of rates was in effect
January 1, 1949, through December 31, 1948.
Other ways to use the 18-cent stamp included paying six times the three-cents-per-ounce
domestic letter rate (in effect July 6, 1932, through July 31, 1958) and three times the six-cent
airmail rate (in effect July 1, 1934, through March 25, 1944, and again January 1, 1949, through
July 31, 1958, and for World War II military personnel, December 26, 1941, through September
30, 1946).
19-cent Hayes
The likeness of Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893), the nineteenth president of the United States,
appears on the 19-cent denomination of the 1938 Presidential Series. Hayes's image was derived
from a medal struck by the U.S. Mint.
Hayes, a lawyer, served as a three-term governor of Ohio and as a member of the U.S. Congress.
He served as president from 1877-1881. He chose to serve only one term.
This 19-cent violet stamp was printed only in sheet form and was released to the public on
November 10, 1938, along with the 20-cent Prexie denomination.
While this 19-cent stamp can be found paying for rates and postal fees in combination with other
stamps, there was no single rate applicable to the 19-cent stamp when issued. Complex
combination rates were possible, but any solo usage of this stamp is very hard to find. Examples
includes three times the three-cents- per-ounce domestic letter rate plus the ten-cent special
delivery fee (in effect July 1, 1928, through October 31, 1944), or two times the three-cent
domestic letter fee plus thirteen cents for special delivery (in effect November 1, 1944, through
December 31, 1948).
20-cent Garfield
The likeness of James A. Garfield (1831-1881), the twentieth president of the United States,
appears on the 20-cent denomination of the 1938 Presidential Series. Garfield's image was
inspired by a medal created by the U.S. Mint.
Garfield chose academia as a career early in life. He later turned to politics and served seven
terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was the first left-handed person elected president
and the second president to be assassinated. Garfield was shot by a disgruntled civil servant only
a few months into his presidency (1881).
This bluish green value was printed only as a sheet stamp and was issued to the public on
November 10, 1938, the same day as the 19-cent Presidential value.
When first issued, a variety of rates could have been paid with a single 20-cent stamp, including
a registered letter to most foreign countries—five cents for the one-ounce U.P.U. surface rate
plus a fifteen-cent international registration fee, in effect December 1, 1925, through January 31,
1945; the half-ounce airmail rate to/from Hawaii in effect April 24, 1937, through January 14,
1945; the half-ounce airmail rate between Hawaii and Guam in effect April 21, 1937, through
September 30, 1946; and the half-ounce airmail rate to British Honduras in effect February 4,
1938, through March 31, 1945.
A few years later, a 20-cent stamp would have paid to mail a half-ounce letter by air to South
America. This rate was in effect April 1, 1945, through October 31, 1946. With the reduction of
the South American airmail rate on November 1, 1946, the same 20-cent stamp would pay two
times the new ten-cent-per-half-ounce airmail fee. This rate was in effect until June 30, 1961.
21-cent Arthur
The image of Chester A. Arthur (1830-1886), the twenty-first president of the United States,
appears on the 21-cent value of the 1938 Presidential Series. The likeness was taken from a bust
on view in the U.S. Senate Gallery.
Arthur, a lawyer and a career politician, was the fourth vice president to ascend to the office of
president, serving the remainder of James Garfield's term after Garfield was assassinated in
1881.
The 21-cent greenish blue stamp was printed only in sheet form and was issued on November 22,
1938. This was Chester Arthur's first appearance on a postage stamp.
At the time of the stamp's release, this 21-cent stamp would have paid a number of postal fees—
a double-rate domestic letter (six cents) plus minimum registration (fifteen cents); a single-
weight domestic letter (three cents) with minimum registration (fifteen cents) and a return receipt
(three cents). Both these combinations of rates were in effect July 6, 1932, through March 24,
1944.
In addition, at the time the stamp was issued, a 21-cent stamp would pay for a one ounce airmail
letter (six cents) with minimum registration (fifteen cents). This combination of fees was in
effect July 1, 1934, through March 24, 1944.
Years later, this 21-cent stamp would pay for additional combination rates, including the fees for
airmail, special delivery letters: from November 1, 1944, through September 30, 1946, a one
ounce domestic airmail letter (eight cents) plus special delivery (thirteen cents), and from
January 1, 1949, through December 31, 1951, a one ounce airmail letter (six cents) with special
delivery services (fifteen cents).
22-cent Cleveland
The likeness of Grover Cleveland (1837-1908) appears on the 22-cent value of the 1938
Presidential Series. Cleveland's image was derived from a medal produced by the U.S. Mint.
Cleveland, a lawyer and career politician, was the only person to serve two non-consecutive
terms as president of the United States (1885-1889, 1893-1897). Most people therefore consider
him both the twenty-second and twenty-fourth presidents. Cleveland was also the only president
to be married while in office.
This vermilion stamp was printed only in sheet form and was issued on November 22, 1938, the
same day as the 21-cent Garfield stamp.
While the 22-cent stamp was used in combination with other stamps, finding a solo 22-cent
usage to pay postal fees is extremely difficult. Examples include a special delivery (twenty cents)
postcard to the Pan-American Union and Spain (two cents) mailed between April 1, 1934, and
October 31, 1953, and a special delivery (twenty cents) domestic postcard (two cents) sent while
this combination rate was in effect, January 1, 1952, through June 30, 1957.
24-cent Harrison
The likeness of Benjamin Harrison (1833-1903), the twenty-third president of the United States
(1889-1893), appears on the 24-cent value of the 1938 Presidential Series. Harrison's image was
inspired by a bust on view at the John Herron Art Institute in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Harrison was born into a family of politicians. He was the son of John Scott Harrison (a two-
term U.S. Congressman) and the grandson of William Henry Harrison (the ninth president of the
United States, who appeared on the 9-cent value of the Presidential Series).
This gray black stamp was issued only in sheet form and was issued on December 2, 1938, the
same day as the 25-cent Presidential Series stamp portraying William McKinley.
The 24-cent stamp can be found alone or in combination with other stamps paying a variety of
postal fees. When the stamp was issued, this solo 24-cent stamp would pay 1) for two times the
three-cents-per-ounce domestic letter rate and fifteen cents for minimum registration plus three
cents for return receipt service (in effect July 6, 1932, through March 25, 1944); and 2) for three
times the two-cent local letter rate plus fifteen cents for minimum registration and three cents for
a return receipt (in effect January 1, 1933, through March 25, 1944); and 3) six cents for a one
ounce domestic airmail letter plus fifteen cents for minimum registration and three cents for a
return receipt (in effect July 1, 1934, through March 25, 1944).
25-cent McKinley
The likeness of William McKinley (1843-1901), the twenty-fifth president of the United States,
appears on the 25-cent value of the 1938 Presidential. The image was taken from a medal
produced by the U.S. Mint.
A career politician, McKinley was a six-term congressman and the governor of Ohio before
beating William Jennings Bryan for two terms in the White House (1897-1901). He was
assassinated early in his second term while attending the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo in
1901.
This red lilac stamp, printed only in sheet form, was issued on December 2, 1938, the same day
as the 24-cent Presidential Series value featuring Benjamin Harrison.
While this 25-cent stamp would pay a variety of rates in combination with other stamps,
collectors looking for a solo usage have many rates from which to choose, including: 1) a
domestic registered (twenty cents) one ounce airmail (five cent) letter (in effect October 1, 1946,
through December 31, 1948; and 2) a special delivery (twenty cents) one ounce surface letter to
foreign countries except South America and Spain (five cents) (in effect September 1, 1926,
through October 31, 1953); and 3) a half-ounce airmail letter to Asia (except the USSR and
Turkey), the Pacific Islands, and Africa except Mediterranean North Africa (in effect November
1, 1946, through June 30, 1971).
30-cent Roosevelt
The image of Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), the twenty-sixth president of the United States
(1901-1909), appears on the 30-cent value of the 1938 Presidential Series. Roosevelt's likeness
was taken from a bust on display in the Senate Gallery of the United States Capitol in
Washington, District of Columbia.
Roosevelt, a noted historian, naturalist, and explorer, was also a skillful politician who became a
national hero for his exploits with his Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War. As vice
president, Roosevelt assumed the presidency upon the assassination of William McKinley in
1901.
This ultramarine stamp, printed only in sheet form, was issued to the public on December 8,
1938, the same day as the 50-cent Presidential stamp featuring William Howard Taft.
This 30-cent stamp saw extensive use in paying fees alone or in combination with other stamps.
There are many opportunities for collectors to find solo usages of this stamp paying a variety of
rates, including a half-ounce airmail letter to Europe (in effect April 28, 1939, through October
31, 1946); a half-ounce airmail letter to South America (ten cents) plus special delivery (twenty
cents) (in effect November 1, 1946, through June 30, 1957); and a postcard sent to most
international countries (ten cents) plus special delivery (twenty cents) (in effect June 1, 1954,
through June 30. 1957).
50-cent Taft
The likeness of William Howard Taft (1857-1930), the twenty-seventh president of the United
States, appears on the 50-cent value of the 1938 Presidential Series. The image was taken from a
bust sculpted especially for the stamp. Existing busts were rejected for use because they
resembled President Grover Cleveland, who appeared on the 22-cent stamp.
Taft, a lawyer and judge, entered civil service at the request of his friend Theodore Roosevelt,
under whom he served as secretary of war. It is said that Taft reluctantly accepted the nomination
to the presidency because he preferred a position as justice of the Supreme Court, a job he
received after retiring after two terms as president (1908-1913).
The 50-cent lavender stamp was printed only as a sheet stamp and was issued on December 8,
1938, the same day as the 30-cent stamp portraying Theodore Roosevelt.
The 50-cent Taft issue saw extensive use in the domestic and foreign mails, and many
opportunities for solo usage exist. For example, when the 50-cent stamp was issued, it would
have paid the half-ounce airmail rate to the Philippines (in effect April 21, 1937, through June
30, 1946). A few years later, the same 50-cent stamp would have paid the half-ounce airmail rate
to West Africa (Gambia, Sierra Leone, Gold Coast, Nigeria, and Liberia, in effect December 2,
1941, through October 31 1946). A 50-cent stamp would have also paid two times the twenty-
five-cents-per half-ounce airmail rate to most counties in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific (in effect
November 1, 1946, through June 30, 1971).
1-dollar Wilson
The image of Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), the twenty-eighth president of the United States,
appears on the 1-dollar issue of the 1938 Presidential Series. Wilson's likeness was taken from a
medal struck by the U.S. Mint.
Woodrow Wilson, a former president of Princeton University and governor of New Jersey, led
the United States through World War I and earned the reputation as a peacemaker. He was the
first American president to win the Nobel Peace Prize (1920).
Elaine Rawlinson, the young artist who originally designed the Presidential Series, planned only
for mono-colored stamps. The Post Office Department rejected that concept for the high value
stamps, thinking the 1-dollar, 2-dollar, and 5-dollar stamps might be confused with the 1-cent, 2-
cent, and 5-cent stamps. The 1-dollar stamp, printed in violet and black, was issued to the public
on August 29, 1938, in sheet form.
Usages of the 1-dollar stamp in combination with other stamps are relatively easy to find,
especially on parcels, registered letters, and heavier international airmail covers. Collectors
looking for solo usages of the 1-dollar stamp will usually have to find specific multiple airmail
rate covers. For example, the 1-dollar stamp would have paid two times the 50-cents per half
ounce airmail rate via the Pacific to the Territory of the Philippines (in effect April 21, 1937 thru
June 30, 1946), or two times the 50-cents per half ounce airmail rate to West Africa via the South
Atlantic (in effect December 2, 1941 thru October 31, 1946), and four times the 25-cents per half
ounce airmail rate to most of Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands (in effect November 1, 1946
thru June 30, 1971).
2-dollar Harding
The image of Warren G. Harding (1865-1923), the twenty-ninth president of the United States
(1921-1923), appears on the 2-dollar issue of the 1938 Presidential Series. Harding's likeness
was taken from a medal struck by the U.S. Mint. The 2-dollar yellow-green and black stamp was
issued in sheet form on September 29, 1938.
Harding, a newspaper publisher before entering politics, was the sixth president to die in Office.
Harding died of heart disease twenty-seven months into his scandal-ridden first term. Vice
President Calvin Coolidge replaced him.
The 2-dollar stamp saw limited usage in combination with other stamps to pay a variety of parcel
post, registry, and international airmail fees. One of the most difficult presidential values to find
as a solo usage, this stamp could have theoretically paid a variety of fees, including four times
the fifty-cents-per-half-ounce airmail fee to the Philippines (in effect Aril 21, 1937, through
October 31, 1946), four times the fifty-cents-per-half-ounce airmail rate to West Africa (in effect
December 2, 1941, through October 31, 1946), and eight times the twenty-five-cents-per-half-
ounce airmail rate to most of Africa, Asia, and the Pacific islands (in effect November 1, 1946,
through June 30, 1971). In addition, this 2-dollar stamp would have paid five times the forty-
cents-per-half-ounce airmail rate to five countries in South America (in effect December 1, 1937,
through March 31, 1945).
5-dollar Coolidge
The image of Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), the thirtieth president of the United States (1923-
1929), appears on the 5-dollar value of the 1938 Presidential Series. His likeness was taken from
a medal struck by the U.S. Mint.
Coolidge, a career politician from Plymouth, Vermont, became president upon the death of
Warren G. Harding. "Silent Cal," as he was known, felt that the best government was the
government that governed the least, and he saw his role as president as that of a figure head.
Coolidge's 1923 State of the Union address was the first presidential speech ever broadcast on
the radio, and four days later he again addressed the American people, this time from the White
House. His speech paid tribute to Warren G. Harding.
No memorial stamp was ever created for this popular president because everyone involved
assumed Coolidge would be part of the 1938 Presidential Series, then in its early planning stage.
Therefore, the 5-dollar issue was Coolidge's first appearance on a postage stamp.
The carmine and black 5-dollar stamp was printed only in sheet form and was issued on
November 17, 1938. It is the most difficult of the series to locate on cover. Most of these stamps
can be found in combination with other stamps on tags, paying the postage and other fees to mail
negotiable securities between banks. Theoretically, a solo 5-dollar stamp could have been used to
pay for a variety of multiple rates and fees, but none has been discovered.
Events in 1938-1939 Europe were among the worst in modern history. Hitler’s armies marched
into Austria and Czechoslovakia in 1938. And by that November, in an act of vicious
intimidation known as Kristallnacht, Nazi thugs vandalized Jewish businesses all across
Germany. The genocide began as tens of thousands of Jews were sent to concentration camps.
During September 1939, Germany invaded Poland, starting the most horrific and bloody war in
the history of the world.
America in 1939 declared itself neutral in the European war. At the Post Office Department,
eleven commemoratives were issued that had a total printing of over 820 million stamps. Each
individual commemorative had total printings averaging over 74 million stamps.
0835 Constitution Ratification Issue
On June 21, 1938, a 3-cent violet stamp was issued to commemorate the 150th anniversary of
ratification of the U. S. Constitution. Ratification required the assent of nine of the original
thirteen states, which was achieved on June 21, 1788. The remaining four states ratified by 1790,
following assurances that the Constitution would be amended with a Bill of Rights. The stamp
depicts the Old Court House in Williamsburg, Virginia. In front of the building are two mounted
riders set to broadcast the news of the ratification.
0836 Sweden-Finnish Tercentenary Issue

The 300th anniversary of the first American colony of Swedes and Finns was marked by a 3-cent
red violet stamp issued on June 27, 1938. The colony, known as New Sweden, was established
near present-day Wilmington, Delaware. The Kingdom of Sweden was a European power with
expansionist goals in the seventeenth century. It included Finland and much of the rest of
Scandinavia.
A painting by Stanley M. Arthurs depicting the landing of the first Swedish and Finnish settlers
in America inspired the stamp's vignette.
0837 Northwest Territory Sesquicentennial
A 3-cent bright violet stamp was issued on July 15, 1938, to commemorate the 150th anniversary
of the settlement of the Northwest Territory under the Ordinance of 1787. The first permanent
settlement in the Territory was established in Marietta, Ohio. The Territory included Ohio,
Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota.
The stamp features sculptor Gutzon Borglum's statue "March Westward of the Nation', which
stands in Marietta. Burglum also designed South Dakota's Mount Rushmore.
0838 Iowa Territory Centennial Issue
On August 24, 1938, the Post Office Department issued a 3-cent violet stamp to commemorate
the centennial of the establishment of the Iowa Territory. These lands had earlier been part of the
Missouri, Michigan, and Wisconsin territories. The Iowa Territory included Iowa, parts of
Minnesota, and the Dakotas. Iowa achieved statehood in 1846. The stamp depicts the Old
Capitol in Iowa City, the territorial capital.
0839 Golden Gate International Exposition Issue
The Post Office Department issued a 3-cent bright purple stamp on February 18, 1939, to mark
the Golden Gate International Exposition, which opened in San Francisco on that date. The
design shows the 'Tower of the Sun', one of the outstanding architectural features of the
exposition, on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay.
0853 New York World's Fair Issue
The Post Office Department celebrated the 1939 New York World's Fair by issuing a 3-cent deep
purple stamp on April 1, 1939. The stamp features an image of the Trylon and Perisphere,
outstanding architectural features of the fair.
0854 Washington Inauguration Issue
George Washington arrived as a delegate from Virginia to the Second Continental Congress in
May of 1775. By the time Washington left public office for the last time almost a quarter century
later, he had been Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, presided over the
Constitutional Convention, and after unanimous election in the Electoral College twice,
President of the United States. Few other Americans have played such a pivotal role in our
history than this great man.
This issue celebrates the 150th anniversary of Washington’s inauguration on the steps of Federal
Hall in New York City on Thursday April 30th, 1789. For Washington though one would think a
day of great joy and satisfaction, his first words of his inaugural address were “Fellow-Citizens
of the Senate and of the House of Representatives: Among the vicissitudes incident to life no
event could have filled me with greater anxieties than that of which the notification was
transmitted by your order, and received on the 14th day of the present month.” New York City as
the location for the United States’ first capitol under the new Constitution is not well known. It
was only the capitol for one year 1789-1790, when it was moved to Philadelphia and finally to
Washington D.C. in 1800. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing produced 72,764,550 3-cent
Washington Inauguration Issue stamps
0855 Baseball Centennial Issue
A 3-cent violet stamp issued on June 12, 1939, commemorates the centennial of the game of
baseball. Abner Doubleday, career army officer, has long been credited with 'inventing' the game
— or at least of formalizing its rules — in Cooperstown, New York, in 1839. At that time,
Doubleday was a cadet at West Point. Evidence of his baseball prowess is spotty at best, but his
legacy persists. In any event, variations of the game were played several decades earlier.
The stamp has an appealing design showing a group of young boys playing baseball, a small
town panorama in the background. The vignette features a batter, who has taken his stance, and
the pitcher poised to deliver the ball.
0856 Panama Canal Issue
A 3-cent red violet stamp issued on August 15, 1939, commemorates the 25th anniversary of the
opening of the Panama Canal. The vignette features a steamship passing through the Gaillard
Cut, flanked by portraits of President Theodore Roosevelt on the left and General George W.
Goethals on the right. Roosevelt believed that America, an emerging global force, needed easy
access to both the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. Roosevelt appointed Goethals chief engineer
of the canal. He supervised the construction and opening and later served as first governor of the
Canal Zone.
There was a philatelic connection to the location of the canal. Some politicians and lobbyists
favored a route across Nicaragua; others favored Panama. In 1900 Nicaragua issued a series of
stamps showing Mount Momotombo as an active, smoking volcano. One of the Panama
lobbyists sent a letter to each U.S. senator with one of these stamps enclosed. The message was
clear, and the Senate quickly voted for the stable environment of Panama over the potentially
volcanic environment of Nicaragua.
0857 Printing Tercentenary Issue

The 300th anniversary of printing in colonial America was commemorated with a 3-cent violet
stamp. The stamp, issued on September 25, 1939, pictures the Stephen Daye Press, the first
printing press used in colonial America. The press was set up at Harvard College and printed the
Freeman's Oath in 1639.
0858 50th Anniversary of Statehood Issue
In November of 1889, four new states were admitted to the Union—North Dakota, South
Dakota, Montana, and Washington. A 3-cent rose violet stamp issued on November 2, 1939,
commemorates the 50th anniversary of their statehoods.
The stamp's design shows a map of the northwestern United States with the four new states in
outline. Three of the four states border Canada, and the United States—Canada border in that
area follows a line of latitude that is properly shown as a curve on the map. The appearance of
the states 'hanging' from this boundary like laundry items has led to the stamp being called the
'wash line stamp'.
Air Mail Issues (1918-1939)
The issue of early U.S. airmail stamps coincided with the pioneer and development period of
aviation and of airmail service. The post office depicted balloons, biplanes, zeppelins,
monoplanes, and seaplanes on the postage stamps that would frank letters carried by those very
same aircraft. As the aviation technology improved, the mail reached destinations farther and
faster. The stamp designs showcased the airmail routes that they served from the early 1877
Buffalo balloon mail that relied on the wind for direction to the first U.S. regularly-scheduled
airmail route in 1918 between Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York City to the
expansion of transcontinental, transatlantic, and transpacific routes. The stamps reflected the rate
structures as the post office sought to lower costs and increase airmail usage as well as the shift
from government operated services to contracts with private carriers.
First Airmail Issues
The public's fascination with flight spread quickly during the twentieth century's first decades.
Across the country, local air shows and exhibitions thrilled onlookers. The demand for these
aviation exhibitions inadvertently produced increasingly more capable pilots and improved
aircraft. They also expanded the public's enthusiasm for airmail because pilots carried souvenir
mail on their daring exposition flights, and souvenir cards or covers flown by air became very
popular.
World War I provided another, even greater, springboard for the expansion of airmail service.
When the United States entered the war in 1917, the nation trained more pilots and manufactured
greater numbers of aircraft for the war effort. New training facilities and airfields supported this
modern soldier. It soon became obvious that the new skills transferred readily to the commercial
sector, including mail transport. Conveying mail via the air, more time-effective than by rail,
appealed to not only bankers and other businessman but also to members of the general public,
who enjoyed the idea of cards, letters, or packages being delivered 'Via Aeroplane'.
By early 1918, plans were underway for airmail service, with Washington, D.C., Philadelphia,
and New York as the inaugural flight locations and May 15 as the launch date. A new postal rate
was set at twenty four cents per ounce (or fraction thereof), the fee including special delivery
service to the recipient. The new rate required a new postage stamp, and with full patriotism in
mind, the colors chosen were red (actually carmine-rose) and blue, to be printed on white paper.
The Curtiss Jenny biplane, modeled after the many thousands being produced for the war effort,
was selected for the vignette. The twenty-four cent rate was, however, a huge increase over the
three-cent surface rate, not including ten cents for special delivery.
The new Jenny stamp was hurriedly—but beautifully!—produced and went on sale May 13,
1918, just in time for the May 15th inaugural flights. Ceremonies were held at all three airfields,
and President Woodrow Wilson and First Lady Edith Bolling Wilson attended the Washington
departure. Flights took place every day thereafter, except on Sundays, and they were, at least
initially, financially successful.
Despite its efficiency and novelty, high postage rates soon constrained airmail's use. As postal
authorities watched the volume of airmail actually decrease, they dropped the rate to sixteen
cents (still with the ten-cent special delivery fee included), effective mid-July 1918. They needed
greater volume to justify expanding the fleet and to inspire pilots, who risked their lives
delivering the service. To meet that rate, a single-color Jenny stamp was produced in green,
identical in design to the twenty-four cent value. In an ongoing competition against surface
transportation, other airfields were also included to expand the delivery points, and flights
spanned increasingly longer distances. In December of 1918, the decision was made to reduce
the rate again, this time by eliminating the mandatory built-in ten-cent special delivery fee. On
December 10, the third and final Jenny was issued, this time being orange in color and the same
design as its predecessors.
C01 6-cent Curtiss Jenny
By late 1918, the Post Office Department decided to make optional the special delivery service
incorporated into the airmail rate. This rate reduction from sixteen cents to six cents benefited
both mail patrons and the airmail industry, which had grown steadily since additional service
points had been established, including airfields in the Midwest.
On December 10, 1918, the third and final Jenny stamp was placed on sale, with the reduced rate
taking effect December 15. Orange in color, the paper, perforation, and design were identical to
the earlier Jenny stamps. A single plate, no. 1955, eventually produced just over two million
copies. Stocks remained on sale until 1927. A second plate was prepared for production, no.
9164, but no sheets were printed for release.
All sheets had the right and bottom margins trimmed away, as before, to fit easily into current
folders. Customers desiring the special delivery service to the recipient added the necessary ten-
cent postage to the fee. In July of 1919, the rate for mail carried by airplane was reduced to two
cents an ounce or fraction thereof, equaling the domestic letter ground rate, virtually eliminating
the need for the third and final Jenny issue.
As with the excess stocks of all three values of the Jenny airmail stamps, many were used on
registered mail and packages sent by parcel post.
After only six weeks following the establishment of airmail service in May of 1918, postal
authorities decided to reduce the mandatory rate of 24 cents per ounce to only 16 cents, still to
include a 10 cent fee for special delivery service. Postmaster General Order 1617 called for the
new rate and new postal issue to be ready by mid-July.
The inaugural rate of 24 cents had been expensive compared to surface mail, even with the War
rate of 3 cents in force. Aggressive actions were being planned to expand the airmail service to
include other cities, little of which was to take place before September, but the new reduced rate
would offer savings.
Plate 8900 produced the entire run of nearly 3.8 million stamps in sheets of 100 subjects.
Guidelines and arrows were included, with all sheets sold having the right and bottom margin
selvedge cut away as a space saver. They went on sale July 11,1918, to be available for the
reduced rate flights beginning July 15. Various shades are known of the green color, primarily a
deep green variety. Perforated 11 on unwatermarked paper, the design is identical to the 24-cent
value, except for denomination.
Unlike the 24-cent airmail rate, which only lasted two months, the 16-cent Jenny covered the rate
period lasting five months, until mid-December of 1918, and stocks remained on sale until fiscal
year 1922. As with all Jenny issues, they were valid for any postal use except postage due.
This stamp represents the first postal issue of the United States with 16-cent denomination, and
the first single color issue with dual postal obligations.
The 24-cent Curtiss Jenny stamp enjoyed many distinctions: not only was it the first U.S. airmail
stamp, it was also the world's first definitive airmail stamp, the first bicolored airmail stamp, the
first airmail stamp printed with an error, the first airmail stamp produced for a regular service,
and the first letter postage issue with a twenty-four cent face value to be produced by the Bureau
of Engraving and Printing, to name but a few.
On May 6, 1918, the Post Office Department authorized airplanes to carry mail at twenty-four
cents per ounce. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing immediately rushed the first airmail issue
into production, and that stamp was the 24-cent Jenny. The issue's central design was based on
the U.S. Army's Curtiss plane, also to be used on the inaugural flights. Coincidentally, the Jenny
portrayed on the issued stamp had the identical fuselage #38262 as the Curtiss airplane carrying
the first mail from Washington, D.C., on May 15, l918.
The printing plates were ready by May 11, and sheet production using a hand-fed spider press
began. The spider press required separate operations to print the carmine frame and then the blue
vignette. Produced in sheets of one hundred stamps on unwatermarked paper with margins all
around and perforated 11, it was necessary to trim away two adjacent margins prior to sale. Daily
press runs averaged about three hundred and fifty sheets, and eventually just over three million
were printed. Also valid for non-airmail postal use, the twenty-four cent rate also included the
built-in special delivery service fee of ten cents. All copies were produced from single plates of
each color, with frame plate vertical and horizontal guidelines within the sheet stamps and
margin arrows of both colors in the top and bottom margins to assist in proper centering of the
airplane vignette during the second printing process.
Public use of the stamp for payment of the twenty-four cent airmail rate slowly diminished as the
novelty of flown mail faded. Further, a surface letter could be sent for much less, even with the
ten-cent fee for special delivery. Always considered a beautifully engraved issue, the stamp's
basic design would be used again in the July printing of a lower rate airmail issue.
Second Airmail Issues
The United States initiated the world's first airmail delivery service on May 15, 1918.
Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and New York City benefited from the service before other
cities. People soon realized, however, that the service did not necessarily surpass that offered by
railroad transport. A letter posted in Washington, DC, for instance, at 11:30 a.m. arrived in New
York City 4:30 p.m. or later, when the business day was over. Consequently, it would probably
not be acted upon until the next business day. It would then be carried from the airmail field to
the post office and delivered to the recipient. On the other hand, a letter sent by night train to or
from the same locations would be in the hands of the recipient the next morning at approximately
the same time at one-twelfth the cost (two cents surface mail vs. twenty-four cents airmail).
Two events between May 15, 1918, and July 1, 1924, made airmail competitive with surface
mail: 1) the reduction in the airmail postage rates from twenty-four cents per ounce to two cents
per ounce and 2) an increase in the distance planes could travel vis-a-vis the distance that surface
transportation could travel in a like amount of time and/or over night.
The first attempt to extend the airmail route to Boston in June 1918 ended in failure. The second
and third attempts, intended to reach Chicago via Lock Haven/Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, and
Cleveland and Bryan, Ohio, in September and December 1918, ended with increased knowledge
if not success.
The airmail route to Chicago was realized in May 1919. The quest to reach the west coast then
assumed priority. That transcontinental goal was first attained, east to west, on a September 8-11,
1919, flight. The name of the route was the 'Woodrow Wilson Airway' to honor Wilson, who
was president when the first scheduled airmail service began on May 15, 1918. By October 1919
a schedule was published for transcontinental airmail service which offered the public coast-to-
coast service in three days rather than the five days required by an all surface system. The route
was New York-Chicago, Chicago-Cheyenne, and Cheyenne-San Francisco-the three
Transcontinental Air Mail Route zones. With the service's success, airmail became a 'premium'
service and could command higher fees. The airmail postage rate for each zone (or portion of a
zone) was eight cents per ounce (or fraction thereof) in which the item was carried.
A series of three airmail stamps was issued for use on the Transcontinental Air Mail Route
involving night flying between New York City and San Francisco. Each of the stamps is about
7/8" in width by 3/4" in height, arranged horizontally in sheet format. The sheets consisted of
four hundred stamps each, divided into four panels of one hundred by horizontal and vertical
guidelines. None of the three stamps in the series were issued to postmasters in the sixteen post
offices selected as mailing points on the airmail route until August 24, 1923.
The mailing points were the fifteen stops along the Transcontinental Air Mail Route:
New York City; Bellefonte, Pennsylvania; Cleveland, Ohio; Bryan, Ohio; Chicago; Iowa City,
Iowa; Omaha, Nebraska; North Platte, Nebraska; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Rawlins, Wyoming;
Rock Springs, Wyoming; Salt Lake City, Utah; Elko, Nevada; Reno, Nevada; San Francisco; and
Washington, District of Columbia.
Since the Transcontinental Air Mail Route was not officially opened until July 1, 1924,
postmasters were instructed to withhold sale of the new stamps until directed by the Post Office
Department. Once the inaugural date of the Transcontinental Air Mail Route was determined, the
airmail stamps were placed on sale to the public on June 16, 1924.
The second issue of airmail stamps was issued on unwatermarked paper stock with 11
perforations per inch. Five large die proofs are known to exist of each of the three
denominations.
C04 8-cent Radiator & Wooden Propeller
This 8–cent issue was the first United States stamp intended for airmail use issued without an
airmail biplane as the central design. The central design of the deep green/dark green 8–cent
airmail stamp is a mail plane radiator with a propeller horizontally attached. A letter dated July
28, 1923, from the Post Office Department’s superintendent of the Division of Stamps stated that
the intended color was olive green.
Referring to a photograph of a DeHavilland biplane, C. A. Huston designed the stamp. H.

Dawson and E. M. Weeks did the engraving. Approved on August 1, 1923, the design was put
into press production on August 13, 1923.
Four plate numbers were used (14824–14827) for this design. The plate numbers appear eight
times on each four hundred-subject sheet adjacent to the fifth stamp from each outside corner so
that each pane of one hundred stamps has two plate number blocks of six.
The 8-cent stamps were first issued at the Post Office Department’s Philatelic Agency in
Washington, D.C., on August 15, 1923, during the American Philatelic Society Convention.
However, the distribution to other post offices was delayed until August 24, 1923, with
instructions to the postmasters that they would be instructed to place them on sale at a later date.
The sale of the stamps to the general public began on June 16, 1924, just ten days before the
inauguration of the Transcontinental Air Mail Route.
This stamp was good for payment of airmail postage on an item of one ounce or less across any
one zone of the Transcontinental Air Mail Route eastbound or westbound (New York–Chicago,
Chicago–Cheyenne, Cheyenne–San Francisco).
C05 16-cent Air Service Emblem
This 16-cent issue was the first United States stamp designated for airmail purposes that had the
words 'Air Mail' in its design. Originally scheduled to be issued in black, when the design was
approved on August 6, 1923, it was decided to print it in deep blue. The Post Office Department
first issued the stamp in Washington, D.C., on August 17, 1923.
The stamp's central design is the official insignia of the Air Mail Service-a circular center with
spread wings. The meaningful design and rich color of this stamp make it one of the most
popular single-color airmail stamps ever produced. C.A. Huston designed the stamp, which was
engraved by H. Dawson and E. M. Hall.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing used four plate numbers (14828-14831) for this design.
The plate numbers appear eight times on each four hundred subject sheet adjacent to the fifth
stamp from each outside corner, so that each pane of one hundred stamps has two plate number
blocks of six. The Post Office Department issued 5,309,275 of the 16-cent stamps.
This stamp was good for payment of airmail postage on an item of one ounce or less across two
zones of the Transcontinental Air Mail Route (westbound, New York-Cheyenne, Chicago-San
Francisco; eastbound, San Francisco-Chicago, Cheyenne-New York) or a double-weight letter
over one zone.
C06 24-cent DeHavilland Biplane
The 24-cent stamp featuring the deHavilland 195 biplane in flight was first issued at the Post
Office Department’s Philatelic Agency in Washington, D.C., on August 21, 1923. Originally
scheduled to be printed in dark brown, the stamp's color was changed to carmine/deep carmine
when the design by C. A. Huston was approved on August 14, 1923. The stamp was engraved by
J. Eissler and E. M. Hall.
Four plate numbers were used (14840–14843) for this design. The plate numbers appear eight
times on each four hundred-subject sheet adjacent to the fifth stamp from each outside corner, so
that each pane of one hundred stamps has two plate number blocks of six.
The 24-cent stamp paid the airmail postage on an item of one ounce or less across all three zones
of the Transcontinental Air Mail Route (New York-San Francisco and San Francisco–New York)
or a triple-weight letter over one zone.
C07 10-cent Planes & Map

On February 13, 1926, a new airmail stamp design featuring two planes and a map was issued
for airmail service (although it was valid for regular usages as well ). A new contract airmail
service began February 15 with the new stamp intended for one ounce letters flown on those
routes up to 1,000 miles (first zone). To help postal clerks spot airmail as they sorted letters, the
Bureau of Printing and Engraving designed this stamp in a new format and with a new color: a
horizontal rectangle in dark blue.
The central design depicts a topographical map of the United States, provided by the U.S.
Geological Survey of the Department of the Interior, showing the rivers and mountain ranges
that guided airmail pilots across the country. On each side is a de Havilland DH-4 single-engine
biplane in flight, one traveling west and one east. The DH-4 had served as a bomber and
observation airplane during World War I. After the war, the Post Office Department requested
one hundred of the planes. The front cockpit was covered and used for added payload. The rear
cockpit, unfortunately, too easily trapped the pilot in an emergency situation and resulted in
some pilot deaths. This 'workhorse' of the postal service had twice the range of the Curtiss Jenny,
which it had replaced.
C. A. Huston designed the stamp. It was printed by flat plate press in plates of two hundred,
which were cut into panes of fifty. The first day of sales took place in Detroit and Dearborn,
Chicago, Cleveland, and Washington, in the District of Columba. The first contract routes
operated from Detroit to Chicago and Cleveland and back by Ford Motor Company. With
contract airmail service, the post office simply delivered mail to and from the airfields.
The second Planes and Map airmail stamp was issued on September 18, 1926, in Washington,
D.C., for use on one-ounce letters traveling up to 1,500 miles on contract airmail routes. Like the
first issue in this series, it featured a topographical map and two de Havilland DH-4 mail planes.
The olive brown color and horizontal rectangle shape made it easy for postal clerks to distinguish
the letters franked for airmail.
The postage rates for domestic airmail from February 15, 1926, to January 31, 1927, confused
many users. Rates had to be determined based on the combination of contract routes, zones, and
types of airmail routes. By January 1927, only one contract route—CAM 8—provided the
service that used the fifteen-cent rate stamp for distances exceeding 1,000 miles but under 1,500
miles (between Los Angeles and Seattle). As a result, the 15-cent stamp had a short period of
expected use because on February 1, 1927, a uniform ten-cent rate per half-ounce went into
effect to eliminate the complicated route and distance calculations. The stamp did find use on
foreign airmail routes (FAMs) and could have been used to pay the triple-rate (one-and-a-half)
under the new domestic airmail rate structure.
The third Planes and Map airmail stamp was issued January 25, 1927, at Washington, D.C., and
New York City. The format and design remained the same as the previous issues with a
topographical map and two de Havilland DH-4 mail planes (see C7 and C8). This 20-cent stamp
in yellow green paid the double-rate for one ounce for the new airmail rates effective February 1,
1927. The elimination of the complicated zone rate system allowed patrons to send a half-ounce
letter across the country for only ten cents and also helped increase the use of the airmail service.
The de Havilland mail planes continued to fly although their manufacture was discontinued in
1926. Many were sold as surplus to barnstorming pilots, who flew them at county fairs and
exhibitions, or transferred to other government departments. By December 31, 1927, the Post
Office Department had eliminated most of its aviation material and equipment as private
companies took over the airmail routes on contract.
C10 10-cent Lindbergh
Shortly after Charles A. Lindbergh flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean from New York to Paris,
the post office decided to break tradition and issue a stamp that honored a living American.
Because the law prohibited the use of the portrait of a living person, the central design
represented Lindbergh’s airplane, The Spirit of St. Louis. The plane was later suspended in the
main entrance hall of the Smithsonian Institution’s Arts and Industries Building (later moved to
the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum).
The 10-cent design in dark blue shows the start and finish points of the solo, non-stop flight and
the 3,600-mile route, which Lindbergh flew in thirty-three and a half hours on May 20-21, 1927.
The stamp was issued less than a month later, on June 18.
The postmaster general requested first impressions of the stamp for presentation to Lindbergh
and his mother. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing prepared two leather-bound booklets: one
with the first impression and one with the second impression. The postmaster general presented
the booklets on the evening of June 11 at a reception for Lindbergh at the Washington
Auditorium by the National Press Club.
A. W. Hall, director of the Bureau, believed that the engraving of this stamp and the making of
the printing plates were accomplished in a shorter period of time than any similar printing job by
the Bureau. The model was approved on June 3 and engraving began the same day. On June 6 a
proof was made, on June 8 the die was hardened, and on June 9 rolls and plates were made so
that the next day the issue went to press.
The Lindbergh stamp replaced the previous 10-cent airmail stamp, and the first sale took place in
St. Louis, Missouri; Detroit, Michigan; Little Falls, Minnesota; and the District of Columbia.
Because of demand for airmail stamps in booklet form, the post office issued booklets with six
Lindbergh stamps in panes of three on May 26, 1928. A couple of months later, on July 31, the
airmail rate changed, creating a very short time of usage for the booklets.
C11 Beacon Stamp Issue
In 1928 the Post Office Department made plans to significantly lower airmail rates and to issue
an impressive-looking airmail stamp, both efforts designed to promote the use of the fast-
growing service. The result was the issuance of what became known as the 'Beacon Air Mail
Stamp' on July 25, 1928, and the lowering of the domestic airmail rate from ten cents per half-
ounce to five cents for the first ounce on August 1.
The stamp was printed in two colors, red and blue—the first bi-color airmail stamp since the 24-
cent 'Jenny' of 1918. The Beacon airmail stamp pictured the airmail beacon light on Sherman
Hill in Wyoming's Rocky Mountains. Such lights were placed across the country to provide
nighttime navigation assistance for the mail planes in the time before radio navigation.
In 1924 the person who maintained the beacon on Sherman Hill was asked to take a photograph
of the tower for publicity purposes. When the film was developed, the top of the tower was
missing. The Post Office Department asked Omaha photographer Nat Dewell to photograph a
beacon light at Wann, Nebraska, and sent pilot Slim Lewis to fly around it in a biplane. Back at
his studio, Dewell combined the photos for a composite that showed a complete Sherman Hill
beacon with a plane in flight. When Bureau artist A.R. Meissner designed the Beacon airmail
stamp, using the Dewell photo composite as a source, he changed the biplane to a monoplane,
apparently because a monoplane would look more 'modern'.
The original photograph enjoyed several publicity and advertising uses prior to the issuance of
the stamp, including the cover of Aviation magazine in December 1924, the cover of the U.S.
Postal Guide for April 1925, and in an advertisement for Goodyear Aviation Equipment
published in the February 1926 Aero Digest.
Following the Beacon stamp's issue there was a dramatic increase in the use of the airmail, and
many new routes were inaugurated. Because bicolor stamps were produced by the much slower
flat plate printing method, in 1930 a single color stamp replaced the Beacon airmail.
Graf Zeppelin Issues
Stamp collectors financed many special flights of the German airship LZ127 Graf Zeppelin,
including a flight around the world and a flight to the Arctic. The United States Post Office
Department issued four zeppelin stamps to subsidize flights of the Graf Zeppelin, three in 1930
and one in 1933. Zeppelin airships were instrumental in establishing air postal routes over long
distances while demonstrating the public’s enthusiasm and need for flown mail. They provided
the fastest link over oceans and continents for passengers, mail, and freight from 1924 to 1937.
In 1930, when the German airship firm Luftschiffbau Zeppelin G.m.b.H (Zeppelin Company)
planned a special flight to South America and to the United States, it sought special postage
stamps to support its operating expenses. In addition to stamps issued by Germany, Brazil,
Argentina, and Bolivia, the United States issued three zeppelin stamps in denominations of 65¢,
$1.30, and $2.60. The triangular flight, known as the Pan American flight, included stops in
Spain and Brazil before a layover at the naval station at Lakehurst, New Jersey, and the return to
Friedrichshafen, Germany.
In 1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt initially rejected the post office design for a zeppelin
stamp to subsidize the Graf Zeppelin Chicago flight. He had been unaware that National
Socialist Germany had also announced a special stamp issue subsequent to the United States Post
Office Department’s announcement of a zeppelin stamp. To avoid a political crisis, the President
reversed his position and approved the zeppelin stamp for the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, 'A
Century of Progress'.
C13 65-cent Zeppelin Over Atlantic Ocean
The green 65-cent Graf Zeppelin stamp of 1930 depicts the German rigid airship flying eastward
over the Atlantic Ocean. The Graf Zeppelin was 775 feet long—much longer than two football
fields placed end to end. Silver fabric covered its lightweight duralumin girder framework, and,
inside, gas cells were filled with flammable hydrogen. The Graf Zeppelin flew safely from 1928
to 1937 under the command of Dr. Hugo Eckener, and was dismantled in 1940.
This stamp paid postcard rates, combining the regular postage and the zeppelin fee, for flight
legs on the May 1930 Pan American flight from Germany to Brazil and the United States. The
stamp could be used as a single franking, with another example, or in combination with the $1.30
stamp. The Pan American flight departed from Friedrichshafen, Germany, on May 18, 1930, and
returned there on June 6.
The first day of issue for the Graf Zeppelin set was April 19, 1930, in the District of Columbia.
These stamps were available on April 21 at selected post offices throughout the country. The
post office withdrew them from sale on June 30, 1930, and destroyed all remaining copies. The
$4.55 cost of a mint set during the Great Depression was so high that many stamp collectors
could not afford to add them to their collections at that time. As a result, they are treasured today.
C14 $1.30 Zeppelin Between Continents
The brown $1.30 Graf Zeppelin stamp of 1930 depicts the German rigid airship flying westward
between the continents of Europe and both South and North America. The Bureau of Engraving
and Printing created plates of two hundred subjects in four panes of fifty each.
This stamp paid postcard and letter rates on the May 1930 Pan American flight from Germany to
Brazil and the United States. Fees depended on the distance between stops along the route. It
could also be used in combination with the 65-cent and $2.60 zeppelin stamps to fulfill rates up
to $3.90.
The first day of issue for the Graf Zeppelin set was April 19, 1930 in the District of Columbia.
C15 $2.60 Zeppelin Passing Globe
The blue $2.60 Graf Zeppelin stamp of 1930 depicts the German rigid airship emerging from the
clouds, passing a globe representing the earth, and traveling toward the west. C.A. Huston and
A.R. Meissner designed the issue.
This stamp paid letter rates as a single frank for some destinations or was combined with a $1.30
to make the roundtrip letter rate of $3.90.
The first day of issue for the Graf Zeppelin set was April 19, 1930 in the District of Columbia.
C16 5-cent Winged Globe Design 46.5x19mm
On February 10, 1930, the Post Office Department issued a violet 5-cent airmail stamp to replace
the bi-colored stamp issue of 1928. Further, the stamp was printed in a single color to help cut
production costs. Five cents paid the one ounce domestic airmail letter rate.
The central design, a globe with extended wings, replicated the insignia of the pilots who had
carried the mail. This tribute to airmail pilots is also found in the designs of C16, C17, C19, and
C24.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing printed the stamp on a flat plate press. The first eight
plates had two plate numbers for each pane, but within a short time the side plate numbers were
eliminated for economic reasons, leaving only plate numbers at the top and bottom. The first day
of issue was Washington, D.C., for this perf 11 issue.
C19 6-cent Winged Globe
On July 1, 1934, the airmail rate dropped to six cents per ounce, requiring a new stamp issue.
Alvin R. Meissner designed this issue, which was printed on a rotary press in plates of two
hundred and cut into panes of fifty with perforations 10.5 x 11. The only changes from the
previously issued winged globe airmail stamps were the color and denomination (see C12, 16,
17, and 24). The 6-cent dull orange issue was available the day before the new rate became
effective. Although the post office did not authorize a first day of issue, the stamp was available
at Baltimore, Maryland, on June 30.
C17 8-cent Winged Globe
The third Winged Globe airmail stamp was olive bister in color and issued September 26, 1932,
(see also C12, 16, and 24). The 8-cent stamp paid the new airmail rate of eight-cents-per-ounce,
effective earlier that year on July 6.
The only design changes were color and the denomination. Third Assistant Postmaster General
F. A. Tilton notified A. W. Hall, director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, that the die
and hub could be made from the 5-cent air mail die by drilling out the numeral "5” and then
plugging and cutting in the numeral “8.” He requested die proofs in several different colors that
would not conflict with airmail, special delivery, or special handling stamps already in use. He
specifically requested a red that had been used on the 24-cent airmail stamp, a color that was
rejected later.
The first day of issue in Washington, D.C., coincided with the laying of a cornerstone by
President Herbert Hoover for a new post office building. It was also the 143rd anniversary of the
establishment of the United States post office.
C18 50-cent Century of Progress Issue
In 1933 the German airship firm Luftschiffbau Zeppelin G.m.b.H (Zeppelin Company) agreed to
fly the LZ127 Graf Zeppelin to Chicago if the United States Post Office Department would issue
a special postage stamp to help finance the flight. On August 18 postal authorities agreed to issue
a 50-cent zeppelin airmail stamp, 42 cents of which would help offset the Zeppelin Company's
expenses.
Victor S. McCloskey, Jr., designed the stamp, which features the Graf Zeppelin over the Atlantic
Ocean, its destination of the Chicago World’s Fair represented by the Federal Building at left
(see also Scott 729 and 731) and a zeppelin hangar at right to represent the origin of the flight
from Friedrichshafen, Germany. The text “A Century of Progress” refers to the name of the
world’s fair.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing had only six weeks to design, print, and distribute the
issue in order for the post office to forward mail to Germany in time for the special flight. First
day of issue took place in five cities: New York on October 2, Akron on October 4, Washington
D.C. on October 5, Miami on October 6, and Chicago on October 7. The Graf Zeppelin departed
from Germany, flew to Brazil, and then headed north for stops in Miami, Akron, and Chicago
before returning to Germany. Combinations of one to four stamps allowed collectors to prepare
mail for the rates of various legs of the flight.
Transpacific Issues
The three Transpacific issues (Scott C21-C23) offer a head-on view of the Martin M-130 flying
boat, the China Clipper. In the early 1930s, seaplanes became the preferred mode of
transportation to the Caribbean and South Carolina for both mail and passengers. Not long
afterwards, the same was true for transport across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Payloads
steadily increased, as did the distances traversed, and these advances demanded greater fuel
capacities and larger airplanes. For land planes, this meant long, hard-surfaced runways, a
resource available primarily in large cities. Seaplanes needed only water to land . . . an ocean, a
bay, or a lake.
Pan American Airways operated the first transpacific mail and passenger service, which linked
San Francisco with Manila, with stops at Honolulu, Midway, Wake, and Guam. The China
Clipper's scheduled flights began on November 22, 1935, and Capt. Edwin C. Musick oversaw a
crew of seven. The flight's critical segment was the 2,400-mile span between California and
Hawaii. Although the M-130 had a seating capacity of forty-one, weight restrictions limited the
number of passengers to eight or less. Most often the crew outnumbered passengers.
A blue 25-cent airmail stamp (Scott C20) was issued to pay postage on mail carried on the route.
The rate was based on twenty-five cents per leg—that is, a segment that had a post office at each
end. With no post offices, the refueling stops at Midway and Wake didn't count as legs. On April
21, 1937, service was extended to Macao and Hong Kong. Two new stamps, a 20-cent green and
a 50-cent carmine, similar to the 1935 issue but without the wording "NOVEMBER 1935," were
issued on February 15, 1937. The U.S. Post Office Department listed rates in its March 9, 1937,
announcement.
C20 25-cent China Clipper
A 25-cent blue airmail stamp showing a head-on view of the Martin M-130 China Clipper with
the date "NOVEMBER 1935" was issued on November 22, 1935, to pay postage on mail carried
on the inaugural Pan American Airways transpacific air mail route—San Francisco, Honolulu,
Midway, Wake, and Guam. The head-on view of the Martin M-130 China Clipper shows its 'sea
wings', which were used for lateral buoyancy on water in place of conventional floats usually
attached near a seaplane's wingtips. The seaplane is in flight over the ocean with rays of the
morning sun rising from America behind it. Four types of sailing and steam vessels below
represent the progress in ocean transportation during the previous century: a Chinese junk, a
three-masted sailing ship, a nineteenth century vessel, and an ocean liner. Designer A.R.
Meissner also included the shields of the United States and the Philippines in the stamp design.
The first day of sale took place in San Francisco and Washington, District of Columbia. In
connection with the inauguration of the transpacific airmail service, the first day sales of
$69,432.00 set a new first-day sales record. There were 222,294 pieces of mail carried on the
flight, including 110,000 sent from San Francisco and 34,516 returned from Manila.
The rate was based on twenty five cents per leg. A leg was defined as a segment that had a post
office at each end. Stops at Midway and Wake did not count as legs because they had no post
offices. The new service reduced the time for mailing a letter to Asia and receiving a reply from
six or eight weeks down to only two weeks.
A 20-cent green airmail stamp showing a head-on view of the Martin M-130 China Clipper was
issued on February 15, 1937, in Washington, D.C., to pay postage on mail carried on the
expanded transpacific air mail route. A 50-cent stamp (C22) of the same design was also issued
on that date. Both replicated the design of the earlier China Clipper airmail stamp (C20) except
that the inscription "November 1935" was deleted.
The expanded transpacific route now included Macao and Hong Kong in addition to San
Francisco, Honolulu, Midway, Wake and Guam. Rates were listed in the USPOD announcement
dated March 9, 1937, and varied from twenty cents for the U.S. mainland to Honolulu for twenty
cents up to seventy cents to Hong Kong. The two issues of 20-cent and 50-cent could be used to
make up the new rates of twenty, forty, fifty, and seventy cents. While the two new stamps were
issued for use on the transpacific service, they were valid for all airmail purposes.
A 50-cent carmine airmail stamp showing a head-on view of the Martin M-130 China Clipper
was issued on February 15, 1937, in Washington, D.C., to pay postage on mail carried on the
expanded transpacific air mail route. A 20-cent stamp (C21) of the same design was also issued
on that date. Both replicated the design of the earlier China Clipper airmail stamp (C20) except
that the inscription "NOVEMBER 1935" was deleted.
The expanded transpacific route now included Macao and Hong Kong in addition to San
Francisco, Honolulu, Midway, Wake, and Guam. Rates were listed in the USPOD announcement
dated March 9, 1937, and varied from twenty cents for the U.S. mainland to Honolulu for twenty
cents, and up to seventy cents to Hong Kong. The two issues of 20-cent and 50-cent could be
used to make up the new rates of twenty, forty, fifty, and seventy cents. While the two new
stamps were issued for use on the transpacific service, they were valid for all airmail purposes.
C23 Eagle Stamp Issue
The day before National Air Mail Week began—May 14, 1938—the Post Office Department
issued a 6-cent bi-colored airmail stamp in dark blue and carmine. The stamp size was larger
than the previous airmail issues, more the size of special delivery stamps. Following criticism
that the winged globe airmail stamps were unattractive, Postmaster General Jim Farley had
requested models for a new design that would still retain the symbol of flight.
The new, distinctive design featured a bald eagle with outstretched wings and a striped shield,
bearing in its talons a shield, olive wreath, and bundle of arrows. This eagle had been extensively
used previously on government bonds and fiscal issues plus as an adaptation for the Library of
Congress bookplate. The eagle symbolized freedom, the olive wreath peace, and the bundle of
arrows, protection. The elements of the stamp are also included in the official Great Seal of the
United States.
The first day of issue took place at Dayton, Ohio, home of the Wright Brothers, and at St.
Petersburg, Florida, the location of the first passenger flight in 1914 and the site of the 1938
American Air Mail Society convention. An effort was made to make the new stamp available at
all post offices participating in National Air Mail Week, May 15-21.
Because the flat plate printing method required separate operations in completing the vertical and
horizontal perforations, some sheets with missing perforations escaped detection by the Bureau
of Engraving and Printing. Forty sheets imperforate horizontally reached a Brooklyn, New York,
post office. The stamp dealers who acquired the entire supply charged such inflated prices that
stamp collectors campaigned unsuccessfully for a reissue at face value of the error. Later one
sheet partially imperforate vertically was discovered. However, no inverts reached circulation
due to new cross markings in the margins designed to alert printers of an error.
C24 30-cent Transatlantic

On May 16, 1939, the Post Office Department issued a stamp for the inauguration of
transatlantic airmail service. The 30-cent issue featured the winged globe design (see C12, C16,
C17, and C19) but with changes. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing submitted two models
for consideration: one in blue and one in bi-color, red and orange. The post office chose the dull
blue. In addition to the change of denomination and color, two ships were added to the
background and “Trans-Atlantic” was added above the insignia of airmail pilots. Alvin R.
Meissner designed this issue, which was printed on a flat plate press.
The inaugural flight on FAM 18 (foreign airmail route 18) took place May 20, just four days
after the stamp was issued. The first eastbound flight of this transatlantic service carried 112,574
first-flight covers, all receiving a cachet prepared by the post office as evidence of being flown.
Pan American Airways, Inc.’s Yankee Clipper flew the mail to Horta (Azores), Lisbon
(Portugal), and Marseille (France). No passengers flew on the inaugural flight. After departing
Long Island, the plane flew over the 1939 New York world’s fair, where it dipped in salute over
the dedication of the Aviation Building. This first regularly scheduled eastward mail flight
between the U.S. and Europe took place twelve years after Charles Lindbergh flew from New
York to Paris.
First day sales totaled 166,671 stamps, with 63,634 covers cancelled. The 30-cent stamp was
issued for use in franking mail to be flown on regular airmail service across the Atlantic Ocean
and paid for up to a half ounce to any point in Europe.

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Stamps of the United States

These landmarks in philately coincided with other advances in communication. Christopher

Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson (1847-1851)

0001 5-cent Franklin

0002 10-cent Washington

Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co. (1851-1861)

0009 1-cent Franklin Imperforate

0011 3-cent Washington Imperforate

0012 5-cent Jefferson Imperforate

0014 10-cent Washington Imperforate

0017 12-cent Washington Imperforate

0018 1-cent Franklin Perforated

0025 3-cent Washington Perforated

0030 5-cent Jefferson Perforated

0035 10-cent Washington Perforated

0036 12-cent Washington Perforated

0037 24-cent Washington

0039 90-cent Washington

National Bank Note Company (1861-1872)

Grill Issues (1867-1868)

Continental Bank Note Company (1873-1878)

American Bank Note Company (1879-1893)

0063 1-cent Franklin

0064 2-cent Jackson

0065 3-cent Washington

0067 5-cent Jefferson

0068 10-cent Washington

0069 12-cent Washington

0070 24-cent Washington

0071 30-cent Franklin

0072 90-cent Washington

Pictorial Issues (1869-1870)

0112 1-cent Franklin

0113 2-cent Post Rider & Horse

0114 3-cent Locomotive

0115 6-cent Washington

0116 10-cent Shield & Eagle

0117 12-cent S.S. Adriatic

0119 15-cent Landing of Columbus

0120 24-cent Signing of The Declaration of Independence

0121 30-cent Shield, Eagle & Flag

0122 90-cent Lincoln

Large Bank Note Issues (1873)

Large Bank Notes Issues (1875)

Re-Engraved Bank Note Issues (1881-1882)

0134 1-cent Franklin

0135 2-cent Jackson

0136 3-cent Washington

0185 5-cent Taylor

0137 6-cent Lincoln

0138 7-cent Stanton

0139 10-cent Jefferson

0140 12-cent Clay

0141 15-cent Webster

0142 24-cent Scott

0143 30-cent Hamilton

0144 90-cent Perry

New Bank Note Issues (1882-1890)

0212 1-cent Franklin