# 1897A - 1982 2c Transportation Series: Locomotive, 1870s

U.S. #1897A
1982 2¢ Locomotive, 1870s
Transportation Series

• 7^th stamp in the Transportation Series
• Issued during National Transportation Week 

Stamp Category:  Definitive
Series:  Transportation
Value:  2¢; make-up postage and vending machine change maker
First Day of Issue:  May 20, 1982
First Day City:  Chicago, Illinois
Quantity Issued:  184,000,000
Printed by:  Bureau of Engraving & Printing
Printing Method:  Engraved
Format:  Coils of 500 and 3,000
Perforations:  10 Vertical
Color:  Black

Why the stamp was issued:  This stamp didn’t pay any specific rate, rather it was intended for make-up postage and as a change-maker in vending machines.

About the stamp design:  David K. Stone provided the artwork for this stamp.  He based his stamp image on two Currier and Ives prints by Fanny Palmer titled The American Express Train (1864) and The Express Train (1870). 

First Day City:  The First Day ceremony for this stamp was held at Union Station in Chicago, an important central railroad hub.

Unusual fact about this stamp:  Imperforate error pairs (1897Ac) have been found.

About the Transportation Series:  On May 18, 1981, the USPS issued the first stamp in the Transportation Series, US #1907, picturing the Surrey, a doorless four-wheeled carriage. For the first time in US history, a coil stamp featured its own unique design rather than simply copying that of the current definitive stamp. Over 50 more coil stamps would be issued over the course of the next 15 years, each picturing a different mode of transportation. All of these types of transportation were used since American independence.

The various denominations provided face values to exactly match the rates for several categories of Third-Class mail (bulk rate and quantity-discounted mail). As the rates changed, new stamps with new values were added. Never before had a stamp series included so many fractional cent values.

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing printed most of the stamps in the Transportation Series, although private contractors printed a few. All but a few of the later stamps were produced by engraved intaglio. Differences in precancels, tagging, paper and gum provide a large number of varieties.

Scott Catalog separates the Transportation stamps into four groups. The stamps in the first group (#1897-1908) generally have the denomination in small type with a “c” next to it. These stamps were printed on the Cottrell rotary press, which joined together two plates to make a sleeve. The gaps between these plates created depressions where ink would collect and create joint lines on the stamps. Later issues were printed on a different press and didn’t have these joint lines.

The second group (#2123-36) had larger numbers with no “c.”  The third group (#2252-66) was similar in appearance to the second group, but service inscriptions were added to the designs. These stamps also used a variety of paper and gum as well as different types of tagging. The fourth group (#2451-68) marked the end of fractional values. Now bulk mailers would use either the 5¢ or 10¢ stamp and then pay the difference from the actual postage rate.

The last stamp in the Transportation Series, the 20¢ Cog Railway, was issued on June 9, 1995, at the TEXPEX ’95 stamp show in Dallas, Texas. This marked the end of the largest US definitive series up to that time. Three new series would eventually replace it – American Transportation, American Culture, and American Scenes. Additionally, the Great Americans would go on to become the largest American definitive series.

History the stamp represents:  Invented by Englishman Richard Trevithick in 1804, the steam locomotive pulled most early railroad trains. In the late 1800s, the electric locomotive, which had been recently introduced, gradually began to replace the steam-powered version. Today, the majority of locomotives are diesel-powered.