Month: June 2018

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 the production of imperforate, and later private vending coil stamps.

Varieties (Scott catalog number):

Common Uses:

• All 1st class mail
• Foreign destined postcards
• Make up multiple rates

Solo Uses:

• Foreign destined postcard

Star-in-diamond machine cancel

• 1st class letter (< 1 ounce)
• 2nd class (< 8 oz newspaper or magazine)
• 3rd class (< 4 oz printed matter )
• 4th class (< 2 oz samples or merchandise)

Favorite Covers:

• Booklet pane on cover
• Imperforate use on cover
• Columbia “star-in-diamond” machine cancel
• Double UPU rate to Norway

Common to most large denominations of stamps, the 5$ Marshall stamp found use on parcels. Uses on cover are difficult to find, and there is only one solo use recorded in the 5$ census. This stamp was issued on June 5, 1903.

Varieties (Scott catalog number):

Typical Uses:

• Registered mail
• Parcels
• Heavy international letters

Philatelic use

Common to most large denominations, the 1$ Farragut stamp found use on heavy letters and parcels. Uses on cover are difficult to find and solo uses are rare. This stamp was issued on June 5, 1903.

Varieties (Scott catalog number):

Common Uses:

• Registered mail
• Parcels
• Heavy international letters

Solo Uses:

• 20 times UPU 5¢ foreign letter rate.
• 50 times domestic 2¢ rate.

• Various combinations with special services.
  
  

  Solo $1 Farragut franking once tied to a bank tag. The tag was attached to a bag carrying $50 of fractional silver (coins). The postage paid the 8¢ registry fee plus 92 times the 2¢/ounce 1st class rate for up to 2.875 pounds. $50 of silver weighed 2.76 pounds.

Common to most large denominations, the 50¢ Thomas Jefferson stamp found use on heavy letters and parcels. Uses on cover are difficult to find. The stamp was issued on March 23, 1903.

Varieties (Scott catalog number):

Common Uses:

• Registered mail
• Parcels
• Heavy international letters

Solo Uses:

50¢ solo franking 

• 10 times UPU 5¢ foreign letter rate
• Heavy domestic mail (25 ounces)
• Various combinations with special services.

Favorite Covers:

• EDU on cover to Uruguay
• Solo use to Germany

The Henry Clay stamp was issued May 27, 1903, and primarily found use on registered mail, parcels, and heavy letters.

Varieties (Scott catalog number):

Common Uses:

• Registered mail
• Parcels
• Heavy international letters

Solo Uses:

• 3 times UPU 5¢ foreign letter rate
• 10¢ registry fee (effective Nov. 1, 1909) plus 5¢ foreign letter rate.

Favorite Covers:

• Registered mail
• Registered advertising cover
• Earliest Documented Use (EDU) on cover

Registered from Hawaii to Scotland

One of the two stamps issued in 1902 the 13¢ William Henry Harrison stamp found use on multiple rates and registered foreign destined mail. The stamp also saw use well into the 3rd bureau series (the Washington-Franklins) and was sold as late as 1911. Solo uses of the Harrison stamp are most commonly found on registered foreign destined covers.

Varieties (Scott catalog number):

Common Uses:

• Foreign registered mail

• Make-up multiple rates

Solo Use:

• Foreign registered mail (before Jan 1, 1909)

Registered from Puerto Rico to Italy.

Favorite Covers:

• From Puerto Rico to Italy
• Later use of stamp (1910 to Austria)

The 10¢ Webster stamp was issued in February 1903 and found use on registered and special delivery letters, multiple rates, and two times the UPU rate (pre-Oct. 1, 1907) of 5¢ per ounce.

Varieties (Scott catalog number):

Common Uses:

• Registered mail (1 oz)
• Double foreign letter rate

Solo Uses:

Registered to Turkey

• 1st class registered letter (pre-Nov. 1, 1909)
• 1st class 5 oz letter
• Two times the 5¢ per 1/2 ounce UPU foreign letter rate (pre-Oct. 1, 1907)
• Supplementary mail

Favorite Covers:

• Registered cover to Turkey
• Registered cover to Canada
• Registered and Special Delivery services
• 7 times UPU rate registered cover

The 8¢ Martha Washington stamp was the first US definitive or commemorative stamp to feature a woman. One of two 2nd Bureau stamps issued in November 1902, the 8¢ stamp primarily sought use on domestic registered letters. Solo frankings are uncommon but can be found on four times the 1st class 2¢ / ounce rate and the two ounce UPU rate (after October 1, 1907, the UPU rate changed to 5¢ for the first ounce and 3¢ for each additional ounce).

Varieties (Scott catalog number):

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  Common Uses:

• Registered mail (8¢ fee)

Solo Uses:

• 1st class 4 oz letter
  
  

  Registered to Barbados, West Indies.

• 2 oz UPU foreign letter (after Oct. 1, 1907)
• Registry fee on penalty envelope

Favorite Covers:

• Pair on cover
• Registered to Barbados

The 6¢ James Garfield stamp was issued in 1903. The stamp saw minimal use compared to the other lower denominations. The most common use for the Garfield stamp was to make-up the 8¢ or 10¢ registry rates. Solo frankings are challenging to find.

Varieties (Scott catalog number):

Common Uses:

• To make-up multiple rates

Solo Uses:

• 1st class 3 oz letter
• UPU letter rate (1¢ overpayment)
  
  

  Registered to Sumatra, East Indies.

Favorite Covers:

• Pair on cover
• Registered to Sumatra
• National Live Stock Commission Co. solo franking.