2¢ George Washington Shield Design
The Bureau of Printing and Engraving reacted quickly to the public's dislike of the original 2¢ stamp and produced a new 2¢ Washington stamp. The stronger more bold design replaced the ornate flag background with a shield and strengthened Washington's portrait. The replacement stamp was placed into circulation in November 1903, ten months after the first 2nd Bureau Washington debacle. Like its predecessor, the Washington shield was cut into booklet panes, saw further use in production of imperforate, and later private vending coil stamps.
Varieties [Scott number]
- Single [319,a,b,c,f,i]
- Booklet pane [319g,h,q] — pane on cover
- Imperforate [320] — pair on cover
- Coils [321, 322]
- Canal Zone overprint [5]
- Philippines overprint [227]
Common Uses:
Solo Uses:
- Foreign destined post card
- 1st class letter (< 1 ounce)
- 2nd class (< 8 oz newspaper / magazine)
- 3rd class (< 4 oz printed matter )
- 4th class (< 2 oz samples / merchandise)
Star-in-diamond machine cancel