The United States SPECIALIST
for the Collector of Postage & Revenue Stamp Issues of the United States
WHOLE NUMBER 1135
The 1917 Playing Cards Tax Increase
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The Forgotten Post Offices of the Saint Louis Exposition
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The Great Americans Part IV: The Floating Plate Block Issues; FDR and the 1932 Washington Bicentennial Series, Part I, & more.
Encyclopedia of United States Stamps and Stamp Collecting Second Edition
Edited by Rodney A. Juell, Lynn R. Batdorf and Steven J. Rod
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A presentation of the United States Postal and Treasury Savings Stamp Systems, the stamps and their closely associated collection cards and booklets, and Official Mail stamps and stationery.
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The United States SPECIALIST
the journal of the United States Stamp Society
An association of collectors to promote the study of all postage and revenue stamps and stamped paper of the United States and US-administered areas produced by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and other contract printers. American Philatelic Society Affiliate No. 150
Prologue
406 Vintage Photo of the Month by Rodney A. Juell
Epilogue 429
by Kim D. Johnson
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388 FDR and the 1932 Washington Bicentennial Series, Part I by Paul M. Holland
408 The 1917 U.S. Playing Cards Tax Increase by Kristin Patterson
418 The Forgotten Post Offices of the Saint Louis Exposition by Terry Kurzinski
422 Great Americans Issue Part IV— The Floating Plate Block Issues by Jay Stotts
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The United States Specialist
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FDR and the 1932 Washington Bicentennial Series, Part I
by Paul M. Holland
USSS #16849 | m pholland.thorleaf@gmail.com
First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countymen…
—From the eulogy for George Washington by Henry Lee (1799)
The twelve-stamp Washington Bicentennial Series of 1932 had its origins in the December 2, 1924, Congressional Act establishing a Washington Bicentennial Commission signed by President Calvin Coolidge. This meant that there was period of seven years available for planning, resulting an unusually long and fascinating tale of stamp development, with numerous essays that ultimately led to the set of twelve George Washington portrait stamps (Scott 704–715). Presidents of the United States served as Chairmen of the commission, beginning with President Calvin Coolidge, and although the stamps themselves were issued during the administration of President Herbert Hoover, it was President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) who signed the Washington Bicentennial Commission’s final report.1 Also of the three men it was FDR , an avid stamp collector, who was especially familiar with these stamps. My present two-part article traces the long and complex history of the development of designs for the Washington Bicentennial Series, showing the final issued stamps on White House stationery, usage on covers sent to FDR , on covers from his personal stamp collection and on items related to
FDR’s 1932 presidential campaign. The present effort might be viewed as supplementing the recent series of articles by Marjory Sente on postal history items of the Washington Bicentennial Series that appeared from March 2021 through March 2022 in the United States Specialist.
Initially, it was reported that Postmaster General Walter F. Brown said that “there would be eighteen values, and it was believed that an entire new issue, up to and including the $5 value, would appear.”2 Astoundingly, this would have exceeded the long 1893 set issued for the Columbian Exposition. Furthermore, like the original plans for the 1898 Trans-Mississippi stamps, it was envisioned that these might be issued as bi-color stamps in a full-size commemorative format. Like the story of Columbus told visually in the Columbian series, this would allow the story of George Washington’s life to be told in a series of vignettes based on historical paintings and other images. The notion that these could be bi-color stamps was perhaps not so far-fetched, recalling that two of the three commemorative stamps issued in 1931 were also bi-colored. In any case, a preliminary series of essays for bi-color stamps ranging from one to twenty-five cents were apparently prepared as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Preliminary bi-color essays of Washington Bicentennial stamps (courtesy of Van Looy & Van Looy Auctions, Antwerp, Belgium).
The vignettes on these bi-color essays show respectively, the national Capitol in Washington DC, George Washington’s birthplace at Wakefield, portraits of George and Martha Washington, George Washington’s 1793 inauguration, Mount Vernon, George Washington crossing the Delaware, Washington resigning his commission in 1783, Washington’s tomb, the Washington Monument, another view of Wakefield, again George Washington’s 1793 inauguration, and a view of Washington’s home life. These would certainly have made for a spectacular commemorative set, however it was soon decided that due to the added difficulty and expense of bi-color flat plate printing of engraved stamps, it would be better to produce these in a single color. This would allow them to be rapidly and economically printed on a rotary press.
Although Max Johl mentions recommendations for a series of bi-color pictorial stamps up to a 10¢ value showing the Washington Monument, there is no explicit mention of the existence of bi-color essays in his book.2 On the other hand, monochrome
Figure 2. Monochrome pictorial photoessays for lower value Washington Bicentennial Series stamps (Smithsonian National Postal Museum).
photoessays of Washington Bicentennial Series pictorial stamps are well known, with lower values up through 6¢ from the collection at the National Postal Museum being shown in Figure 2. Similar to the bi-color stamps in Figure 1, these show the Capitol building in Washington, DC, George Washington’s birthplace at Wakefield, portraits of George and Martha Washington, George Washington’s 1793 inauguration, Mount Vernon, and George Washington crossing the Delaware, respectively.
Several monochrome photoessays of the 8¢ value in full-size commemorative format were developed. These show a scene of Washington resigning his commission with several variations, as shown in Figure 3. The scene in the first essay is unlabeled, the second and third have labels with different-sized lettering.
Higher value monochrome pictorial photoessays in full size commemorative format are shown in Figure 4. These show views of Washington’s tomb on the 9¢ and 13¢ values, and the Washington Memorial on the 10¢ stamp. Others repeat themes, with his birthplace at Wakefield, Washington resigning his commission, the 1793 inauguration, and Washington crossing the Delaware. Finally, an idyllic scene of George Washington’s home life is depicted on the 25¢ value.
However, concern arose about the historical accuracy of these depictions of George Washington’s life produced so long after his death in 1799. For example, the scene of Washington Crossing the Delaware by the German-American artist Emanuel Leutze was painted in 1851 and historians questioned whether such an event ever took place. Also, the large painting of General George Washington Resigning his Commission by Jean
Figure 3. Monochrome pictorial photoessays for the 8¢ Washington Bicentennial Series stamp (Smithsonian National Postal Museum).
4. Monochrome pictorial photoessays for higher value Washington Bicentennial Series stamps (Smithsonian National Postal Museum).
Leon Gerome Ferris is from his series of tableau illustrating American history entitled “The Pageant of a Nation,” and these were not actually painted until the 20th century.
Although the use of pictorial stamps had been much favored in the philatelic press, the Post Office Department came around to the notion of employing a series of George
Figure
Washington portraits painted from life as a solution to the historical dilemma. This became especially feasible when a younger looking portrait of Washington as a colonial officer at about the time of the Braddock campaign during the French and Indian War was found, leading to a search for other portraits. In November 1930, Postmaster General Brown stated, “[w]e hope to show in stamps Washington as a youth, as a civil engineer, as a commander-in-chief in the Army, and so on through life.” Curiously in January 1931, a bill was even introduced in the House of Representatives that during the year 1932 that all postage stamps sold “shall bear the portrait of George Washington.”2 It did not pass.
Thus, the design focus for Washington Bicentennial Series stamps at the BEP began to shift from pictorial stamps to portraits. Among early experiments with portrait designs was an essay in large vertical format as shown in Figure 5. This shows a portrait of George Washington on a 10¢ stamp.
Once the use of Washington portraits was settled, it was decided that “for purposes of economy, these stamps be of single colors, and of the same size as the ordinary issue.”2 Thus they could be rapidly printed on a rotary press at minimal cost, an important money saving feature during the Great Depression. Although initially values up to 15¢ in the portrait series had been contemplated as shown by the essays in Figure 6, it was decided to limit the scope of the series to eleven values ranging from ½¢ to 10¢. Then in late February 1931, it was announced by PMG Brown that a 1 ½¢ value would be added to make it a series of twelve stamps.2
6.
Numerous essays for Washington Bicentennial Series stamps with portraits were prepared at the BEP and in this article, I will show as many of these images as I have been able to find. Together they present a complex situation, with many different trial combinations of the same portraits and frame styles explored for various denomination stamps in the series. This makes it useful to consider Washington Bicentennial Series stamp design development as a whole, along with cropped Washington portrait artwork for comparison in a single article.
With the notion in mind that stamps of the 1932 Washington Bicentennial Series might be used replace regular issue postage stamps during the commemorative year, it
Figure 5. Essay for 10¢ Washington portrait stamp in large vertical format.2
Figure
Essays for higher value Washington portrait stamps.2
was initially contemplated to issue the 2¢ value in booklet form along with 1¢, 2¢, 4¢ and 5¢ stamps as vertically perforated coils, and 1¢ and 2¢ stamps as horizontally perforated coils. This was not to be, although printing plate numbers for these were assigned, and printing plates were actually prepared (but not used) for 2¢ coil and booklet stamps.2
Curiously, perhaps in a throwback to earlier pictorial designs, there exists a hand drawn pencil sketch (now in the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum) showing that the Washington Monument was originally considered as a possibility for use on the ½¢ stamp. This is shown in Figure 7 along with the BEP essay based on it.
Ultimately, a youthful looking portrait was selected for the ½¢ Washington Bicentennial Series stamp. Although this was said to represent Washington at age 25,2 it was based on a miniature, now in the collection of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, that itself was based on a 1777 painting by Charles Willson Peale. In fact, it’s believed that an engraving based on this miniature later published in a book was actually used by the BEP, and confusion about the original date of this Washington portrait arose from a error in the book.2 In any case, a progression of essays with different frame styles, the miniature, and the final stamp are shown in Figure 8. The stamp’s design is credited to Clair A. Huston at the BEP. The Washington vignette was engraved by J. C. Benzing, with the frame and lettering by D R. McLeod.
Figure 7. Sketch and essay for ½¢ Washington Bicentennial Series stamp showing Washington Monument (Smithsonian National Postal Museum).
Figure 8. Essays, portrait on miniature and final ½¢ Washington Bicentennial Series stamp.2
Essays, closeup view of the Houdon bust of Washington and final design of the 1¢ Washington Bicentennial Series stamp are shown in Figure 9. At first the 1772 painting known as the “Virginia Colonel” by Charles Willson Peale was considered for the portrait, but ultimately a stamp design by Alvin R. Meissner based on the 1785 Houdon bust of Washington in Mount Vernon was selected. Note that this utilizes one of the frames that had originally been developed for the 2¢ stamp. In any case, the vignette was engraved by J. Eissler, and the frame and lettering by E. H. Helmuth.
Figure 9. Essays, 1785 Houdon bust and final 1¢ Washington Bicentennial Series stamp.2
Figure 10. Essays and final 1½¢ Washington Bicentennial Series stamp.2
For the recently added 1 ½¢ stamp, the famous likeness of Washington by Gilbert Stuart from his unfinished 1796 painting known as the Athenaeum portrait was initially considered, but this became slated for the 2¢ stamp instead. Another essay employing the design used later for the ½¢ stamp was also prepared, before finally settling on Charles Willson Peale’s 1772 “Virginia Colonel” portrait for the 1 ½¢ stamp. These essays, cropped portrait image and the final stamp design by Clair A. Huston are shown in Figure 10. J. C. Benzing engraved the vignette, and W. B. Wells the lettering. Note that use of the “Virginia Colonel” portrait was also considered in essays for the 1¢ and 2¢ stamps.
The design of the 2¢ stamp paying the first-class letter rate was perhaps the most important single decision for the Washington Bicentennial Series. Six essays, cropped portrait image and the final stamp design are shown in Figure 11. Most of the initial essays were based on the based on using the 1785 Houdon bust of Washington with various frames including the one selected for the 1¢ stamp and another, later used for the 8¢ stamp. The “Virginia Colonel” portrait was also considered, but it was the famous likeness of Washington by Gilbert Stuart from the unfinished 1796 painting known as the Athenaeum portrait, that was selected. This is the same familiar portrait whose mirror image has long been used on the one-dollar bill. The original of this famous painting of George Washington by Stuart is now jointly owned by Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the National Gallery in Washington, DC. The die for the 2¢ stamp was engraved by J. Eissler and E. M. Hall, and it is considered to be the finest of the series.2
Unusually, no regular-stamp-sized Washington portrait essays appear to have been prepared for the 3¢ Washington Bicentennial Series stamp, although larger
Figure 11. Essays, cropped portrait from 1796 painting by Gilbert Stuart and final 2¢ stamp.2
Figure 12. Cropped portrait from painting by Charles Willson Peale with final stamp.
dual portrait essays with Martha Washington, exist (Figures 1 and 2). Perhaps this was considered to be fairly low in priority because at the time, there was little postal need for a 3¢ stamp. The stamp itself was designed by Clair A. Huston based on Washington ‘s image on a full-length painting by Charles Willson Peale. The vignette was engraved by J. C. Benzing, with the lettering and numerals by D. R. McLeod. A cropped image from this Washington portrait together with the final stamp, are shown in Figure 12.
The postage situation changed once the first-class letter rate increased to 3¢ on July 6, 1932, however already anticipating this need, a new regular issue 3¢ stamp with the same Gilbert Stuart portrait of Washington used on the 2¢ Washington Bicentennial Series stamp was released by the Post Office on June 16, 1932. This became a workhorse postage stamp of the 1930s, with various coils and booklets produced (more on this in Part II).
13. Essays,
Three essays were prepared for the 4¢ Washington Bicentennial Series stamp. These are shown along with a cropped portrait image and the final stamp in Figure 13. The first essay is based on a full-length portrait by John Trumbull, the others on a painting by Charles Willson Peale that was used for the final stamp. The stamp was designed by Alvin R. Meissner, the vignette engraved by J. C. Benzing, with the lettering and numerals by F. Lamasure.
Only a single portrait-sized essay for the 5¢ stamp is known. This is shown in Figure 14 along with a cropped portrait of Washington from a 1795 painting by Charles
14.
Figure
cropped portrait from painting by Charles Willson Peale and final 4¢ stamp.2
Figure
Essay, cropped portrait from painting by Charles Willson Peale and final 5¢ stamp.2
Willson Peale, and the final stamp. Designed by Alvin R. Meissner, the stamp’s vignette was engraved by J. C. Benzing with the lettering and numerals by H. S. Nutter.
As with the 3¢ Washington Bicentennial Series stamp, there are no known regular-stamp-sized Washington portrait essays for the 6¢ stamp, although rejected pictorial essays of Washington crossing the Delaware exist (Figures 1 and 2). A Washington portrait cropped from a 1792 painting by John Trumbull was used for the final stamp designed by Clair A. Huston. These are shown in Figure 15. The stamp’s vignette was engraved by L. S. Schofield, with the lettering and numerals by E. M. Hall.
Another Trumbull portrait was used for the 7¢ stamp, although at first two essays based on a 1795 Washington portrait by Adolph Ulrich Wertmuller were produced. These show slight differences in the frame line surrounding the portrait. Ultimately however, it was a 1780 full-length portrait by John Trumbull that was selected, and a cropped image of this together with the earlier essays and final stamp are shown in Figure 16. The stamp was designed at the BEP by Alvin R. Meissner, with the vignette engraved by L. S. Schofield and lettering by E. H. Helmuth.
For the 8¢ Washington Bicentennial Series stamp, a life portrait of George Washington from a 1798 crayon drawing by Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin that was later turned into a mezzotint engraving was used. Reversed to face to the left, a closeup image of this is shown in Figure 17 along with an essay and the final stamp. Designed
Figure 17. Essay, cropped 1798 portrait by Févret de SaintMémin and the final 8¢ stamp.2
Figure 15. Cropped portrait from 1792 painting by John Trumbull with the final stamp.
Figure 16. Essays, cropped portrait from painting by John Trumbull and final 7¢ stamp.2
by Clair A. Huston, the stamp was engraved by E. J. Hein, with numerals and lettering by W. B. Wells.2
The 9¢ Washington Bicentennial Series stamp essays originally employed Gilbert Stuart’s 1796 Athenaeum portrait. This was not approved and a 1795 Washington portrait by Rembrandt Peale, the son of Charles Willson Peale, was substituted.2 However, at the suggestion of Peter Gouled, a 1794 pastel portrait by William J. Williams of George Washington from life in his Masonic Lodge regalia, was used after removing all traces of the regalia in the final design.2 These essays, a closeup of the original pastel portrait and the final stamp are shown in Figure 18. Designed at the BEP by Clair A. Huston, the vignette was engraved by L. S. Schofield, with the numerals and lettering by E. M. Hall.2
For the 10¢ Washington Bicentennial Series stamp, another Gilbert Stuart painting was selected, this time of the 1795 Gibbs-Channing portrait. This is shown as an essay, cropped image of the painting and as the final stamp in Figure 19. The stamp itself was designed at the BEP by Alvin R. Meissner, with the vignette engraved by E. J. Hein, with numerals and lettering by H. S. Nutter.2
Ultimately, from these diverse George Washington portrait essays the final twelve stamp Washington Bicentennial Series of 1932 series emerged. Again of these, Clair
19. Essay, cropped 1795 portrait by Gilbert Stuart and the final 10¢ stamp.2
Figure 18. Essays, cropped portrait from pastel by W. J. Williams and final 9¢ stamp.2
Figure
Figure 20. Large die proofs, small die proofs and photoessays of Washington Bicentennial Series stamps in FDR’s collection.3
A. Huston designed the ½¢, 1 ½¢, 2¢, 3¢, 6¢, 8¢ and 9¢ values, and Alvin R. Meissner designed the 1¢, 4¢, 5¢, 7¢ and 10¢ stamps.
Franklin Roosevelt himself was an avid stamp collector, and he ultimately had an outstanding collection of Washington Bicentennial Series stamps, including both large and small die proofs, plus photoessays. His twelve large die proofs were apparently the only ones known, and are shown in the H. R. Harmer auction catalogue image from the 1946 sale of FDR’s collection in Figure 20.3 Also shown are detailed Harmer auction lot description for these, plus an additional description of FDR’s small die proofs and photoessays. Note especially that BEP control numbers stamped on the back of each of the large die proofs are listed, and with the small die proofs there is a further listing of rejected photoessays for each value. By the way, the 1946 hammer prices for these two auction lots from FDR’s collection were $1,200 and $1,000, respectively.
It might be pointed out that the Washington Bicentennial Commission was more than just about postage stamps. In early 1931, the Treasury Department proposed that a commemorative half dollar be issued, and the Treasury and Washington Bicentennial Commission cosponsored a design competition with the cooperation of the federal Fine Arts Commission. It was specified that the obverse design be based on the Houdon bust of
George Washington at Mount Vernon. However, Congress became involved and decided that the Washington Bicentennial should be honored on the quarter instead. The design ultimately chosen after some controversy was by John Flanagan.4 An example from my collection is shown in Figure 21. Although this was originally intended to be a oneyear only commemorative coin, it was decided to issue it at face value and continue its design as regular coinage, and this basic type is still in circulation today.
The first day of issue for the Washington Bicentennial Series stamps was January 1, 1932. Shown in Figure 22 is a full set of these on official White House stationery with Washington’s portrait. This is addressed to “Mr. W. T. Marshall” at the White House. Like Jules Rodier, the White House telegraph operator, Marshall was a longtime White House employee who served as clerk and personal librarian in every presidential administration from William McKinley through that of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Originally, he had worked for the US Government Printing Office, who had loaned him to the White House in 1899 where he then remained until 1938. Apparently, Marshall must have later gotten FDR to sign this cover above the Washington portrait. In fact, FDR was well known to have
Figure 21. 1932 Washington Bicentennial quarter dollar coin.
Figure 22. FDC for the Washington Bicentennial Series stamps on White House stationery (courtesy Cherrystone Philatelic Auctioneers).
Figure 23. FDC for the 2¢ Washington Bicentennial Series stamp on official White House stationery.
signed covers for others in his circle at the White House, and I’m fortunate in having a similar example of a signed transpacific flight cover on official White House stationery in my collection. This was signed by FDR for Paul M. Hart, a senior member of FDR’s Secret Service detail in the White House.5
Regarding Washington Bicentennial Series stamps, I do have an example of an FDC on official White House stationery in my own collection for the 2¢ stamp. This is shown in Figure 23, further suggesting that even in the Hoover White House, access to official White House stationery for special philatelic items was granted.
However, most philatelic attention was focused on the bicentennial of George Washington’s birthday on February 22, 1932. In fact for this, an official Washington Bicentennial Commission cachet was prepared.
I’m fortunate in having a partial set of seven Washington Bicentennial stamp covers on official White House stationery, self-addressed by Ray Z. Henle at the Press Room in the White House. Unusually, this is gold intaglio printed on very heavy stationery such as might be used for formal White House invitations. An example franked with the 8¢ Washington Bicentennial Series stamp is shown in Figure 24. Note the February 22, 1932 Mount Vernon, Virginia, cancellation and that the official Washington Bicentennial Commission’s cachet is simply stamped over the Henle’s hand-written address on the envelope. Wording at the top of the oval cachet says “United States George Washington Bicentennial Commission,” with the dates and “Washington’s Birthplace” underneath. The oval surrounds a vignette showing Wakefield House where George Washington was born on Feb. 22, 1732.
Raymond Z. Henle was Washington Correspondent for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from 1929–45, remaining throughout the FDR administration. He then moved to NBC
Figure 24. Washington Bicentennial 8¢ stamp on Washington Correspondent Raymond Henle’s self-addressed cover on official White House stationery.
25. Washington Bicentennial 3¢, 4¢, 5¢, 6¢, 7¢ and 9¢ stamps on official White House stationery.
News where he became anchorman of the radio news program “Three Star Express.” Henle reported on all US Presidents from Hoover through Kennedy. The other covers in Henle’s partial set for the Washington Bicentennial stamps are shown in Figure 25. According to the Washington Bicentennial Commission’s final report, only a single official type of Washington Bicentennial Commission cachet was produced, although more than 250 others were prepared by local Bicentennial Committees, Chambers of Commerce and other organizations during 1932. With the cooperation of the Post Office Department, more than 500,000 pieces of mail were canceled using this official cachet at Mount Vernon on February 22, 1932. Perhaps as a result, the cachet is often seen weakly applied, and even the example sent to President Herbert Hoover by the Commission itself (illustrated in the final report) is weakly printed.1 However, this same official cachet was also applied in Washington, DC, Alexandria, Virginia, and Wakefield, Virginia.
I was fortunate in finding an unusually clear impression of the official cachet on a cover franked with a 4¢ Washington Bicentennial Series stamp canceled in Wakefield, VA. This cover from the “George Washington Bicentennial Stamp Distribution Service” of Y. Souren is shown in Figure 26.
Y. Souren, whose real name was Souren Yohannasiants, was a colorful and famous stamp dealer in New York City. Some of his many quirks, exploits, and philatelic feats are recounted by “Pat” Herst in his book Nassau Street. 6 For example, during his time as
Figure
Figure 26. Cover from Y. Souren’s Bicentennial Stamp Distribution Service franked with 4¢ stamp showing unusually clear impression of official cachet.
a stamp dealer, Souren owned some of the greatest rarities in stamp collecting, including the unique plate block of four of the 24¢ inverted Jenny and the block of four 24¢ stamps of the 1869 pictorial issue with inverted centers from the famous Crocker collection.
In Part II of this article, I plan to discuss other Washington Bicentennial activities, including those from New York City’s George Washington Bicentennial Commission. Also, I’ll show a wide variety of usages of Washington Bicentennial stamps on covers sent to FDR , on covers from his personal stamp collection, and on items related to FDR’s 1932 presidential campaign.
The author would like to acknowledge Roger Kerby for his help, especially with the bi-color essays that appeared at a Van Loy and Van Loy auction in Antwerp, Belgium circa 2005.
References
1. Final Report of the United States George Washington Bicentennial Commission, United States George Washington Bicentennial Commission, Washington, D.C., 1932, pages 152–70 and 175–76.
2. Max G. Johl, The United States Commemorative Postage Stamps of the Twentieth Century: Volume I 1935–1947, H. L. Lindquist: New York, 1947, pages 221–26.
3. The President Franklin D. Roosevelt Collection: H. R. Harmer, Inc., New York, Part One: February 1946.
4. Walter Breen, Complete Encyclopedia of U. S. and Colonial Coins, Doubleday, New York, 1988, page 365.
5. Paul M. Holland, “FDR , Farley, Amon Carter and Transpacific First Flight Covers,” The American Philatelist, October 2022, pages 916–21.
6. Herman Herst, Jr., Nassau Street: A Quarter Century of Stamp Dealing, Philatelic Book Publishers: New York, 1960, pages 44–53.
If you collect Plate Blocks, Booklets, Coils, or Sheets, the above website, with hundreds of sets at Face Value, will be a great savings to you. Enjoy the hobby.
Armen Hovsepian (APS 150170)
P. O. Box 24222 Overland Park, KS 66283 info@USatFACE.com
Workmen’s Compensation Law Commemorative
by Rodney A. Juell
USSS #13852 | P.O. Box 3508, Joliet, IL 60434
On August 31, 1961, a ceremony was held at the White House unveiling the design of the forthcoming Workmen’s Compensation Law commemorative, which would be issued the following week, on September 4, in Milwaukee. Shown in the photo, from left to right, are President Kennedy, Wisconsin Governor Gaylord Nelson, Vice President Johnson, and Postmaster General J. Edward Day. Shown nearby is the program distributed that day, a copy of which appears to be in the hand of Vice President Johnson.
Also shown nearby is a plate block of the Workmen’s Compensation Law commemorative, signed by the designer, Norman Todhunter. Note the inverted plate block number. All bottom plate numbers are inverted on this issue.
Vintage Photo of the Month
The 1917 U.S. Playing Cards Tax Increase
by Kristin Patterson m kristin_email@yahoo.com
The US federal government first taxed playing cards in 1862 to raise money to support the Union during the Civil War. The tax was 1¢ to 5¢ per deck (of 54 or fewer cards) depending on the selling price, which continued until 1883 when it was repealed. (By 1883, the tax was 5¢ per deck regardless of price.) Then, on August 28, 1894, the playing cards tax was reinstated at 2¢ per deck for up to 54 cards. This rate continued until the need for more federal revenue resulted in efforts to increase the tax, as discussed in this article.
Raising the Tax on Playing Cards
In 1912, before the start of World War I, US government policymakers desired more revenue to defray anticipated war expenses. They thought that by raising the tax on luxury items like tobacco, narcotics, and playing cards, there would receive less resistance from the public and began planning to increase taxes on these goods. The initial plan was to increase the playing cards tax to 10¢, a 500% increase. This did not go unnoticed.
Revenue Stamps
Unissued Playing Card Tax Stamps
1913 Tariff Hearing
In January 1913, the American playing card manufacturers put up a united front against the proposed 10¢ federal tax on playing cards. Benjamin Rosenthal, Russell Playing Card Co. President; Andrew Dougherty, Andrew Dougherty Manufacturer President; John O. Omwake, United States Playing Card Co. (USPC) President; Benjamin C. Hawkes, Standard Playing Card Co. President; G.E. Baldwin, Kalamazoo Playing Card Co. President; and William H. Longley, American Playing Card Co. Secretary, wrote to the US Congressional Committee on Ways and Means1 in an effort to sway the tariff hearings. Their collective concern was that the increased tax would devastate the playing card industry.
Mr. Rosenthal stated: “The industry is a small one, the total annual sales being less than $3,000,000 after paying the internal-revenue tax. The average net price per pack received by the manufacturer is about 8¢ or 8 ½¢ per pack, so that the internal revenue tax of 2¢ is about 25% of the net price.” He continued with the difficulties that the playing card industry has when relying on the economics of scale:
The machinery required in the manufacture of playing cards is mostly special and useless for any other purpose. The labor employed is of special nature, requiring years of training to become skilled, and the industry thereby affords constant and steady employment to such labor, the average wage rate being even higher than the union rate. Labor (printing and lithograph) in the leading foreign countries averages about one-third of what it is here in this country, so that it would be impossible to compete with foreign countries.
The foreign manufacturers copy us closely in manufacture, and even literally copy our designs on the faces and backs. Our export business is very limited, because Russia, France, and other countries prohibit the importation of cards altogether on account of the industry being a Government monopoly in those countries. Again, Canada, England and its colonies discriminate against us.
Each of the playing card officers wrote similar letters and all ended with “[a]ll of these matters are subject to investigation and proof, and we sincerely hope, therefore, that the [playing card] industry will be allowed to continue as it is without change.” It should be pointed out, that at this time the USPC owned Andrew Dougherty, New York Consolidated Card, and Standard Playing Card Companies. Due to their collective efforts, no tax rate change was made in 1914.
1917 Congressional Committee on Finance
Two years into WWI and with an impending tax rate increase, the American playing card presidents made another plea to the Committee on Finance2 of the 65th Senate. Standard Playing Card Company President Hawkes, began the plea on May 14, 1917 with:
Figure 1. Benjamin Rosenthal
The proposed tax on playing cards is, in our judgment, in its effect unfair and unjust to the industry. We can conceive of no equitable basis upon which our industry should be subjected to such an enormous increase (several times that of any other business), when such industry is already paying the Government a tax equal to about 25% of the total volume of business done.
The following will illustrate clearly the effect of even a slight advance. Owing to the increase in cost of production, it became necessary during the latter part of 1916 to increase the selling price of our product about 1¢ per pack, and as a result of the said increase our business the first four months of this year shows an actual decrease of 33%, which speaks for itself.
New York Consolidated Card Co. President Stanley A. Cohen wrote a letter of appeal to the committee demonstrating economies of scale that would benefit the government:
We believe that our industry should contribute its proper proportion of the revenue to be raised for war purposes. Having been in the business since 1826 we have experienced the effect of every war measure taxation in playing cards since that date. The highest tax ever imposed was 5¢ per pack, and under that tax the volume of business largely decreased. This was approximately from 1870 to 1884. Our sales then were from 7,000 to 8,000 gross per annum, yielding a tax of from $35,000 to $40,000. The lowest priced card then was 15¢ per pack and the highest 45¢. In 1916, we sold 75,419 gross, which averaged [price] 8 ½¢ per pack, and which paid a tax of $218,334.24. This shows that the lower the card can be sold the greater the revenue to the Government will be.
The U.S. Playing Card Co. President John Omwake, representing the largest US playing card manufacturer, gave examples of their past sales and the adverse effects of increased prices.
Last year [1916] our factory used $579,103.86 worth of 2¢ stamps on playing cards, which stamped up 201,077 gross, or 28,955,088 packs of cards for sale. The $579,103 paid the government was nearly 30% of the total net sales.
On December 1 last year, we advanced prices nearly 1¢ per pack to cover the increased cost of manufacture. The first three months of this year our output was 35,355
Figure 2. Benjamin C. Hawkes
Figure 3. Stanley A. Cohen
Figure 4. John O. Omwake
gross against 48,737 gross during the same period last year, showing that the sales fell off practically one-third, due to the 1¢ per pack increase in price.
If the present tax of 2¢ were doubled we feel sure it would curtail the sale still more. But we want to do our part in raising taxes, and we believe if your committee can fix our rate at 4¢ per pack it will yield more income than a higher rate.
The Russell Playing Card Company President Benjamin Rosenthal in a supplemental brief wrote:
The war taxation bill now before Congress provides for a tax of 10¢ per pack on playing cards instead of the tax under existing law of 2¢ per pack. This is so drastic, so utterly inconsistent and unfair; the Ways and Means Committee could not possibly have been informed of conditions in our industry when they incorporated it in the bill.
The present levy of 2¢ per pack on playing cards represents a tax of about 25% on the value of the output of our Industry. To increase it to 10¢ per pack, the business, the total volume of which is only about $3,000,000 annually, would pay a tax to the Government of 125% on the value of its output. This tax, representing an increase of 500% on the present tax on our goods is out of nil proportion to that on other articles used for amusement, etc.
For instance, the bill provides for a 5% tax on the following: all games, dice, chess and checker boards, billiard balls and tables, baseballs and bats, tennis racquets, golf clubs, perfumes, toilet water and various other toilet articles, musical instruments of various kinds, talking machines, etc. Why, then, should the playing-card industry, which already pays a 25% tax on its product, be so unfairly discriminated against and assessed 125%?
Even such articles as cigars, cigarettes, smoking tobacco, liquors, wines, etc., which have always been regarded as proper items of taxation, are to pay less than double the tax now levied on these items, while playing cards are to be increased 500%.
Another persuasive measure was to use the US President’s own comments. “President Wilson has said only recently in addressing Congress on the subject of taxation: ‘In a country of great industries like this it ought to be easy to distribute the burdens of taxation without making them anywhere bear too heavily or too exclusively upon any one set of persons or undertakings.’ The logic of this reasoning must certainly be apparent and surely applies in our case.”
War Revenue Act of October 3, 1917
The playing card manufacturers’ arguments seemed very convincing; yet, the end result was the tax rate on playing cards was increased an additional 5¢ to a total of 7¢ per pack. In fact, the War Revenue Act of October 3, 1917, created a tax-gathering task of
Figure 5. President Woodrow Wilson
greater magnitude than had ever before been undertaken by any nation. The amount of money the act was estimated to yield was $3,400,000,000. The amount actually collected was $3,694,619,638.72.4
Playing Cards Tax Stamps Used in 1917
With the passing of the Revenue Act of October 3, 1917, the tax on playing cards increased to 7¢ effective October 4, 1917. At that time, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) did not have a 7¢ stamp ready. So instead, all major playing card manufacturers continued to use the BEP’s 2¢ rouletted seven playing cards tax stamps but instead of canceling the stamps with the required initials, date, and year, they surcharged the stamps. Shown below in Figures 6 to 10 are seven examples on playing card manu-
facturers’ cancel.
For smaller playing card manufacturers and imported decks, the main IRS collection offices issued the same 2¢ playing cards tax stamps but with local Internal Revenue Office handstamped precancels. Figure 11 shows New York IRS Office issued tax stamp with their cancel.
Figure 6. New York Consolidated Card Co.
Figure 7. Standard Playing Card Co.
Figure 8. Russell Playing Card Co.
Figure 9. One of three used by the U.S. Playing Card Co. with combined 7¢ surcharge and cancel
Figure 10. Russell Playing Card Co.
Figure 11. New York IRS Office cancel (at left) on stamp at the right.
BEP Creating New Playing Cards Tax Stamps
The BEP’s process of creating a stamp takes many months and requires numerous steps: the stamp design, creation of the engraving, production of dies, printing of the stamps, applying gum, and perforating the paper. At this time, when an act was passed, it typically went into effect the next day. That meant the BEP had to be ready before the act passed with the required tax stamps including the correct face values. While the government discussed raising the tax rate to 5¢, the BEP designed and created a die for a 5¢ playing cards tax stamp (Figure 12). But, as the tax rate was ultimately increased to 7¢, The BEP had to work on making a 7¢ tax stamp. The BEP first used the 5¢ stamp design and simply replaced the 5 with a 7 (Figure 13). At the same time, the BEP began designing a larger 7¢ stamp (Figure 14). According to BEP records, it assigned plate numbers in 1917 and 1918 (no dates given) to both the small 7¢ stamps (#56,836 to #56,839) and large 7¢ stamps (#61,105 to #61,108), respectively.
Figure 12. 5¢ Playing Cards
Stamp, Series 1917. Misc. Die #9331
Figure 13. 13: 7¢ Playing Cards Stamp, Series 1917. Misc. Die #9454
Figure 14: 7¢ Playing Cards Stamp, Series 1918. Misc. Die #9751
But these stamps were never issued. This is likely due to the fact that the BEP was busy and stamp production was taking longer than the three to four months it normally took to finish production. And, on February 24, 1919, the Revenue Act of 1919 was passed which levied a new 8¢ tax effective April 1, 1919. So, with no need for the 7¢ stamps in 1919, the above mentioned 7¢ plates were canceled and destroyed on December 3, 1918, and August 29, 1918, respectively.
Proof that the 5¢ and 7¢ Playing Cards Tax Stamps Exist
How do we know about these three unissued tax stamps? Since 1969, the BEP has issued souvenir cards for philatelic and American Numismatic Association (ANA) events. By 1971, the BEP began printing money on the cards. The American Numismatic Association and the Las Vegas Coin Club sponsored the Las Vegas Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Show held October 28–30, 2005. The BEP included this show in its annual schedule for souvenir cards, exhibits, and sales. This was followed by a second show on October 26–29, 2006. The theme used for the respective souvenir cards (Figures 15 and 16) were engravings related to Nevada and gaming.
The center of the ANA Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Show 2005 Intaglio Print Card (Figure 15) depicts an image of “Boulder Dam” (Misc. Die #16564) which is now called Hoover Dam named for Herbert Hover, the nation’s 31st President, by a House resolution passed on April 30, 1947. The other images on the card are:
Figure 15. 2005 BEP Intaglio Print Card
Figure 17. 2006 BEP Intaglio Print Card
• Top left “U.S. Playing Card, Class A” Series 1918 (Misc. Die #9803)
• Top right (Figure 14) “7 Cent Playing Card Stamp” Series 1918 (Misc. Die #9751)
• Center left “One Pack Playing Card Stamp” Series 1940 (Misc. Die #14970)
• Center right (Figure 12) “5 Cent Playing Card Stamp” Series 1917 (Misc. Die #9331)
• Bottom left “5 Cent 100th Anniversary of Nevada Statehood Commemorative U.S. Postage Stamp” Series 1964 (Die #1610)
• Bottom center “2 Cent Playing Card Stamp” Act of August 1894 (Misc. Die #4065)
• Bottom right “3 Cent 100th Anniversary of the Settlement of Nevada Commemorative U.S. Postage Stamp” Series 1951 (Die #1238)
The Commemorative Intaglio Print Card was sold by the BEP for $20. Sales must have been profitable since the BEP created a second card (Figure 16) for the ANA Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Show held in 2006. The center of the 2006 Intaglio Print Card depicts an image of “U.S. Post Office Department” (Misc. Die #1819), engraved by Charles Burt in 1874 which was used for a number of items including Post Office Department drafts, collection drafts, warrants, and transfer drafts. The other images included are:
• Top left “U.S.I.R. Playing Cards, Class A” Series 1922 (Misc. Die #10610)
• Top right (Figure 13) “7 Cent Playing Card Stamp” Series 1918 (Misc. Die #9454)
• Bottom left “U.S.I.R. Playing Cards – 1 Pack” Series 1940 (Misc. Die #14971)
• Bottom right “U.S.I.R. Playing Cards – 10” Series 1929 (Misc. Die #11643)
Philatelists came out the clear winner with these souvenir cards because playing cards tax stamps were prominently featured. Consistent with other souvenir cards, the Bureau selected a number of unissued tax stamps designed to whet collectors’ appetites. These three unissued stamps would have remained unseen and hidden if not for the ANA’s inspiration to hold a new show, the BEP’s willingness to create a souvenir card, and the BEP workers who located the long moribund dies. The end result was striking images for those attending the ANA show. Yet at the time, they were unaware that some of the stamp designs had never been issued.
Effect of 1917 Playing Cards Tax Increase
As of June 30, 1917, the BEP had issued 44,800,000 playing card tax stamps during the year to revenue collector’s offices. But, by June 30, 1918, the BEP had distributed only 19,240,000 stamps—a 57% decrease. However, with the rate increase from 2¢ to 7¢, the net gain in revenue over the previous year was $455,608—a 36% increase. Remember also, that the same 2¢ stamps were used for both 1917 and 1918, as no new designs or stamps were issued.
The ultimate effect of 57% fewer playing cards decks being sold was shrinkage of the playing card work force. Not only did it lower the number of employees, it also lowered the demand for paper and ink and commissions that third-party sellers received.
A New Business Plan
Starting in 1917, the playing card industry was dealing with a 250% increase in taxes which was one of highest in the gaming industry. Board games, chess and checker boards, baseball and bats, billiard balls, golf balls, and more were taxed at 5% on gross sales. Most certainly, the selling price of each deck must increase above the tax in order for the company to achieve a profit. Through the examples mentioned in the hearings and quoted earlier in this article, the price increase would decrease the quantity sold and make it difficult to realize a sizable profit. It was feared that this could ultimately put some companies out of business.
Most of the playing card companies had been in business since the 19th century and took pride in the quality and longevity of their products. The companies had survived tough times during the Civil and Spanish-American Wars and, with shrewd thinking, were determined to succeed now.
Small companies like Logan Printing House of Chicago diversified their business by printing advertising and literature for automobile manufacturers. Rather than specializing only in playing cards, they broadened their horizon so their printing business could be profitable.
The difficulties of the playing card printers contrasts markedly with the BEP: on November 7, 1918, the number of BEP employees peaked to 8,432 due to the dramatic increase in production resulting from war finance measures instituted upon America’s entry into World War I.3
This is a Playing Card Year!
In the September 21, 1918, issue of The American Stationer and Office Outfitter, the USPC announced its new campaign to promote playing card sales. The campaign promised to be one of the most effective advertising operations ever launched. The USPC intended to increase the demand for playing cards to guarantee that a large enough volume of cards were sold to keep the business lucrative.
Figure 17: USPC’s first ad in a 6-month playing card year campaign.
The six-month campaign was opened by a series of six dealer advertisements, intended to convince retailers that they should handle the advertised line. These advertisements appeared in eight of the leading trade publications and were read by nearly seventy-five thousand readers. The advertising schedule was a new ad every month, starting in October and concluding in March issues.
In October, 1918, the U.S. Playing Card Company advertisement campaign (Figure 17) promoted 1918 as a Playing Card Year; because of the increased price of admission to the movies and theater; they expected playing cards to be more popular. The USPC told distributors that now is a good time to attract customers to their stores by stocking and displaying USPC’s nationally known brands like Bicycle and Congress.
An ad that followed in November emphasized the thousands of families that would spend their nights at home that winter, playing cards and saving money. The ad stated: “Card Playing Increases with Each Additional Tax on Amusements and Necessities. There never was so good a time to push [playing cards.]” The USPC was persuading dealers that taxes and the increased cost of everything will keep thousands at home this winter. At home, people turn naturally to cards. Dealers who haven’t stocked Bicycle and Congress playing cards should do so at once. They are the easiest cards in the world to sell because everybody knows them by name and reputation. The investment is small and the turnover quick.
Contrary to the practice of many companies which give away their educational material, none of the USPC books or pamphlets were supplied gratis. They were sold, instead at cost, meaning that they went into the hands of someone who was actually interested in card playing or in some other use of playing cards. The USPC also began publishing the rules in condensed forms which gave fresh stimulus to the demand for playing card rule books. The ads did increase demand for playing cards but also had a notable influence on the increased orders for rule books.
Conclusion
The playing card industry survived the tax hike during this financially difficult time by diversifying and through consolidations. As the small companies were driven out, the major players gained monopolistic advantage that allowed them to better control both marketing and pricing. Some, like the USPC, did it by increasing the price and quantity of cards they produced and sold. Also, they absorbed smaller companies that experienced financial troubles due to the increased taxes and cost of doing business. The public might not have been aware of the demise of the small companies as many of the smaller company brand names continued to be produced by USPC.
References
1. Congressional Serial Set by United States. Government Printing Office. 1913 Tariff Hearings. p. 4, 980.
2. Revenue to Defray War Expenses: Hearings and Briefs before the Committee on Finance, United States. Senate. 65th Congress. Committee on Finance. 1917 Washington, D.C. p. 400.
3. A Brief History of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Prepared by the Staff of the Historical Resource Center Bureau of Engraving and Printing. June 2004. p. 13.
4. Annual Report of Commissioner of Internal Revenue for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1918. Washington, D.C. p. 3–4.
The Forgotten Post Offices of the Saint Louis Exposition
by Terry Kurzinski USSS # 13670 | m tkurzinski2002@yahoo.com
Figure 1, Registered Cover from Sub-Station No. 7, located on the grounds of the Saint Louis World’s Fair.
I recently purchased a registered cover canceled “REGISTERED, 22 Oct (1904) SubStation 7, St. Louis, Mo.” shown in Figure 1. I thought the cover might be connected to the St. Louis World’s Fair given the date that it was canceled, the location, and the use of the “station” registry marking—in 1904, “stations” were operated by private contractors. However, I was left with a puzzle. The only reference book for the 1904 Saint Louis World’s Fair is Postal Markings of United States Expositions by William J. Bomar. Bomar refers to only one registry mark related to the Fair: “a rubber registry handstamp inscribed
in 4 lines ‘World’s Fair Sta’”. Moreover, the third edition of Bomar’s book, revised and updated by David Savadge in 2007, asserts that although the Fair had “a series of branch postal stations,” “[n]one of these canceled outgoing mail.”
I would like to dispute that information. My research—review of the Post Office Daily Bulletins and covers from my collection—demonstrates that World’s Fair Post Offices were authorized to and did cancel registered outgoing mail.
Post Office Daily Bulletins were mailed to each Postmaster in the United States, informing them of post offices established, discontinued, or moved, the commissioning of postmasters, Postmaster General orders, and much else. Today, these bulletins are available at www.uspostalbulletins.com.
My first tidbit of information about the cover in Figure 1 comes from Daily Bulletin No. 6753, dated April 28, 1902. Under the section headline “POST OFFICE SITE CHANGE,” it reports that station No. 7, at 6th Street and Washington Avenue, relocated to 423 Washington Avenue on April 26, 1902. My next discovery was Daily Bulletin No. 7375, dated May 10, 1904. It reported that “Station No. 7, Saint Louis, Mo., is today changed to the Manufactures Building, Louisiana Purchase Exposition.” This demonstrates that Station 7 was on the grounds of the Saint Louis Fair when my cover was canceled.
My next find was Daily Bulletin No. 7544, dated Monday, November 28, 1904. Under the section headline “ORDER OF THE POSTMASTER GENERAL,” I saw that on December 1, 1904, Station 7 (Manufactures Building) was discontinued. These Daily Bulletins show that Figure 1 cover dated October 22, 1904, was postmarked inside the Manufactures Building during the St. Louis World’s Fair.
Figure 2 is an example of a non-registered use, possibly from within the Expo. This five-cent stamp pays the UPU rate of five cents per ounce to Paris, France. The return address is the Manufactures Building, French Section, World’s Fair. This cover is canceled
Figure 2. Cover with Manufacturers Building corner card, with St. Louis cancel and killer. It is unclear whether this was canceled at the Fair.
with a circular date stamp with a standard killer in black ink. Although this was evidently mailed from the World’s Fair, it is unclear whether this was canceled at the Fair.
In my research of Daily Bulletins, I have found the following stations and their locations during the St. Louis World’s Fair.
Name Location
Opened/DB #
#
Station 5 Education Building 5-10-04 #7375 03-31-04 #7336*
Station 7 Manufactures Building 5-10-04 #7375 12-01-04 #7544
Station 8 Varied Industries Bldg. 5-10-04 #7375 12-01-04 #7544
Station 9 Inside Inn 5-10-04 #7375 12-01-04 #7544
Station 13 Mines & Metallurgy Bldg. 5-10-04 #7375 03-31-04 #7336*
Station 15 Liberal Arts Bldg. 5-10-04 #7375 04-20-04 #7353
Station 23 Transportation Bldg. 5-10-04 #7375 03-31-04 #7336*
Station 24 Philippine Reservation 4-14-04 #7353 04-20-04 #7353
Station 28 Machinery Bldg. 5-10-04 #7375 12-01-04 #7544
Station 29 Electricity Bldg. 5-10-04 #7375 12-01-04 #7544
Station 30 Agriculture Bldg. 5-10-04 #7375 12-01-04 #7544
Station 33 Fraternity Bldg. 5-10-04 #7375 03-31-04 #7336*
Station 37 Fraternity (outside Hotel) 4-14-04 #7353 04-20-04 #7353
*Daily Bulletin No. 7336 states that these stations were discontinued on March 31, 1904, about two months before they opened per Daily Bulletin 7375. I have no explanation for this temporal impossibility.
Figure 3. Registered letter sent from Station 15 in the Liberal Arts Building at the World’s Fair (above) and a cropped view of the markings on the reverse (at right).
These Fair Post Offices were, per the Daily Bulletin 7375, “… facilities for the transaction of money-order and registry business and the sale of postal supplies.” This explains the registered cover in Figure 1, and might also explain why covers from these post offices are scarce. Armed with this information, I identified two other registered covers that were canceled at Fair Post Offices, depicted in Figure 3 and Figure 4.
Figure 4. Registered letter sent from Station 28 in the Machinery Building at the World’s Fair (above) and crop of the markings from reverse (right).
The author would appreciate reports of other covers like the ones discussed in this article.
2024 HEBERT’S
All New and Revised Mint and Used Plate Number Single Catalogue $36 postpaid
Expanded pricing, back-of-the-book, tag/paper varieties, PN/ZIP/ME types
Rick Burdsall / APNSS P.O. Box 1023 Palatine, IL 60078-1023
Great Americans Issue Part IV— The Floating Plate Block Issues
by Jay Stotts USSS #10921 | m stottsjd@swbell.net
In September 1983, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) successfully transitioned the Great Americans Issue (GA) from the fire-damaged Cottrell presses to the A Press with the introduction of the 1¢ Dorthea Dix stamp as discussed in the previous article, Part III of the series.
Only one snag, the breakdown of the A Press’s inline perforator, was encountered during the Dix stamp’s early production. With the switch to the BEP’s L perforator, the Bureau was ready to continue releasing new issues in the series.
The next 10 stamps were all printed on the A Press with the same characteristic floating marginal markings as described in Part III of this series. Plate blocks of either 20 subjects or 6 subjects were saved by plate block collectors and both size configurations are listed and priced in the Scott Specialized Catalogue.
The Great Americans
Figure 1. The First Four Great Americans Issues of 1984
The Four Issues of 1984
The four issues of 1984 are overlapped in Figure 1. The first issue of the year was released on January 26 and featured former president Harry S. Truman on a 20¢ stamp. The reason for the issue was two-fold. First, the printing plates for the two previous GA 20¢ values, featuring Bunche and Gallaudet, were made for the now-incapacitated Cottrell presses, so a new subject might as well have been chosen for this value and the former subjects were retired from the series. The domestic letter rate was 20¢ for the first ounce, so stamps for this value still had to be produced. Second, there was tremendous political pressure in Washington to honor Truman on the upcoming 100th anniversary of his birth in 1984.
The next issue, a 40¢ stamp, was released on February 24, and featured a likeness of Lillian Gilbreth, an industrial psychologist. There was no rate fulfilled by a 40¢ stamp, but the last 40¢ stamp issued was the Thomas Paine stamp (Scott 1292) of 1968. There was no 40¢ value included in the Americana Series.
On May 31, a 10¢ stamp was issued in the series. Richard B. Russell, Jr., former Georgia governor and senator, was pictured on the stamp. He was, for decades, a leader of Southern opposition to the civil rights movement.
The last of the Great Americans stamped produced in 1984 was a 30¢ value featuring Frank C. Laubach, an international linguist and teacher. This stamp was released on September 2.
The Six issues of 1985
Figure 2. shows three of the 1985 stamps. First came a 7¢ stamp which was released to continue the range of lower values that were offered. This stamp, released on January 25, pictured Abraham Baldwin, a little-known founding father and early senator who signed the United States Constitution.
Effective February 17, 1985, the domestic letter rate was again increased by 2¢, from 20¢ to 22¢, for the first ounce. This provided the impetus for a new stamp in the series. On April 23, a 22¢ stamp honoring John James Audubon was released. Audubon, one of the more familiar personages featured in the series, was a naturalist and artist.
2. Three of the six Issues of 1985
Figure
For domestic letters, the second ounce continued to be charged 17¢, so a new 39¢ stamp was issued to prepay the charge for letters weighing between an ounce and two ounces. An image of Grenville Clark, a Wall Street lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, was placed on this value. The stamp was released on March 20.
Three more issues released in 1985 are overlapped in Figure 3. When the letter rate was increased, effective February 17, the postcard rate was also increased, going from 13¢ to 14¢. The new 14¢ stamp, featuring well-known novelist and Nobel Prize winner Sinclair Lewis, replaced the previous 13¢ Crazy Horse stamp in paying the card rate. The Lewis stamp was released on March 21.
Figure 2. The other three of the six issues of 1985
A 9¢ stamp was issued on June 7. This value pictured Sylvanus Thayer, popularly referred to as the “Father of West Point.” He was an early superintendent at the Military Academy.
Another convenience stamp, a 6¢ value, was released on September 19. This stamp honored Walter Lippman, a Pulitzer Prize winning political commentator. This group of eleven values (including the 1¢ Dix stamp) completed the group of Great Americans stamps with floating marginal markings.
A US Stamp Design Change
Throughout the first 17 issues of the Great Americans a “c” symbol appeared following the numerical value, indicating that the stamp was valued in cents. This symbol had consistently been used since 1975 on all US postage stamps denominated less than one dollar. Starting in 1985, the “c” disappeared from US stamp designs. Figure 4. shows the 30¢ Laubach stamp, the last GA stamp where the symbol appeared. Figure 5. illustrates the 7¢ Baldwin stamp, the first GA stamp printed without the “c” symbol.
Gerald H. Gamm, in his article “Elements of United States Postage Stamp Design, 1847–1991,” pp. 467–87 of the September 1991 The United States Specialist, offers a reason for the change. He reports that the influence of Bradbury Thompson on the Citizens
Figure 4 (left). The last Great Americans stamp with a “c” in the denomination. Figure 5 (right). The first Great Americans stamp without the “c”.
Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC) was the cause. Per Gamm, Thompson argued that “USA 29”was more elegant than “USA 29c,” referring to the “c” as a dangler that offended the eye. So, in 1985, the offensive dangler was removed in favor of a more elegant design. Note that 29¢ was the domestic first class letter rate in 1991, at the time that Gamm’s article was published, so Thompson’s argument may have actually been that “USA 20” is more elegant than “USA 20c,” since the domestic letter rate was 20¢ at the time the change was made.
Block Phosphor Tagging Change
Part III of this series explained that the Dix stamp was tagged with a 16 x 19 millimeter block tag on the face of each stamp. Tagging stamps with phosphor was the technique for helping automatic canceling and sorting machines to find which corner of an envelope to cancel. The printing mat that applied the 16 x 19 phosphor block deteriorated with time and the “block” tags printed from decaying mats were best described as “blobs” of phosphor taggant. A representative group of small block “blob” tags is shown in Figure 6 as they might appear under shortwave ultraviolet light. The 16 x 19 tags were called small block tags because they were smaller than the new, larger block tags.
The Bureau decided to enlarge the block size to 19 x 21 millimeters (termed a large block tag in the philatelic community). The thought process seemed to be that the larger mats would take more time to deteriorate to the point where the blob-like phosphor taggant spots printed on the face of each stamp became too small to trigger the mail sorting and canceling machines. Today, this doesn’t seem to be a solution as much as a situation of delaying the inevitable. Figure 7 depicts a block of stamps with “fresh” large block tags.
The Scott Specialized Catalogue uses the terms “small block tagging” and “large block tagging,” but collectors can expect, when
6. Illustration of small block “blob” tagging.
7. Illustration of “fresh” large block tagging.
Figure
Figure
examining their stamps under short wave ultraviolet light, to see anything from fresh, square 16 x 19 or 19 x 21 millimeter blocks of taggant, to smaller blobs.
Small Block 16 x 19 mm Large Block 19 x 21 mm
1¢ Dix
20¢ Truman
40¢ Gilbreth
10¢ Russell
30¢ Laubach
7¢ Baldwin
39¢ Clark
14¢ Lewis
22¢ Audubon
9¢ Thayer
6¢ Lippman
Table 1. Block Tagging Sizes on A Press floating plate block printings.
We can’t state exactly when the large block taggant mat was installed on the A Press, but most likely it was between midJune and early September, 1985, because the 9¢ Thayer stamp is only known with small block tagging and the 6¢ Lippman stamp is only known with large block tagging. Some sources report that the change occurred in July 1985. It is important to understand that if a printing sleeve went back to press for a second printing session after the printing mat change, the first printing will have small block tags while subsequent printings will have large block tags. Table 1 provides a list of the A Press floating markings printings, showing which values had which size of tagging. Note that the 1¢ Dorthea Dix sleeve went back to press, creating yet another variety for that value, the large block tag version.
L Perforator Perforations
All of the issues in this discussion contained electric eye markings and were perforated on the Bureau’s off-line L perforator which was explained in the last article. These perforations were gauge 10.9. Listings in the Scott catalog for large block tagging and gauge 11.2 perforations are for later products which we will discuss in an upcoming article, so keep in mind, when you are reading the listings, that large block tagging with 10.9 gauge perforations are the issues that we are discussing in this article.
8.
The L perforator typically perforated the vertical perforations first and, after the sheet turned a 90-degree corner, added the horizontal perforations. Because the two perforating operations were separate, opportunities for paper shifting between the operations could produce interesting freaks. Figure 8. shows a block of 22¢ Audubon stamps where the paper shifted between applying the vertical and horizontal perforations.
Figure 9. illustrates a shift of the horizontal perforations and Figure 10. shows an example where
Figure
Perforation freak caused by a paper shift between horizontal and vertical perforation.
the vertical perforations were shifted but the horizontal perforations came out correct.
At times, a male perforating wheel may have been missing when a sheet was perforated. Figure 11. shows the Lewis stamps with the horizontal pair, imperforate between, variety, Scott 1856c. The most likely explanation for this variety is that the perforator may have previously been configured to perforate commemorative-sized stamps. When it was reconfigured for perforating the smaller definitive-sized stamps one of the male perforating wheels was inadvertently left off the machine, creating a column of missing perforations.
Other varieties exist where one of the two perforating passes, either the vertical or horizontal pass, was completely missed, creating a major variety without perforations in one direction. Figure 12. shows a vertical pair of the 39¢ Clark value, Scott 1867a, with missing horizontal perforations. Another possible explanation could have been the existence of a pre-perforating paper fold, but such a fold was more likely to catch the attention of an inspector than the more subtle missing perforations scenario.
A Production Process Change
As explained in Part III, the perforations were added to sheets of 400-subject stamps and then the sheets were quartered into panes of 100 subjects. This meant that the separation cuts were literally on top of rows and columns of perforations, often creating ragged edges where the perforations and the cut edges were just out of sync. An example is shown in Figure 13.
Figure 10. Vertical perforations shifted horizontally.
Figure 11. Horizontal pairs, imperforate between.
Figure 12. Vertical pair, imperforate horizontally.
Figure 9. Horizontal perfs shifted vertically.
For Great Americans, effective with the 10¢ Russell stamp, the BEP suspended punching the perforations in the areas where the cuts were to be made for separation of the sheet into panes. That meant that the middle column of vertical perforations and the middle row of horizontal perforations for a 400-subject sheet of stamps were not punched. The straight edges of a pane of Russell stamps can be seen in Figure 14.
Figure 13. Haphazard pane edge from cuts across perforations.
Figure 14. Clean cuts after the Bureau stopped punching perforations where sheets would be cut.
The End of the Line
Six of the values came to the end of the line here. They were the 1¢ Dix, 6¢ Lippman, 7¢ Baldwin, 9¢ Thayer, 10¢ Russell and 14¢ Lewis stamps, all lower values of the group.
Five values, the 20¢ Truman, 22¢ Audubon, 30¢ Laubach, 39¢ Clark and 40¢ Gilbreth, would reappear in another format with the next group of A Press production changes at the Bureau.
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