# 1898A - 1982 4c Transportation Series: Stagecoach, 1890s

U.S. #1898A
1982 4¢ Stagecoach, 1890s
Transportation Series

• 6^th stamp in Transportation Series
• Pictures a Concord stagecoach
• Stamp was re-engraved in 1986 for newer press

Stamp Category:  Definitive
Series:  Transportation
Value:  4¢; change-maker
First Day of Issue:  August 19, 1982
First Day City:  Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Quantity Issued:  29,400,000
Printed by:  Bureau of Engraving & Printing
Printing Method:  Engraved
Format:  Coils of 500 and 3,000
Perforations:  10 Vertical
Color:  Reddish brown

Why the stamp was issued:  This 4¢ stamp’s main use was as a change-maker in post office vending machines.  Four cents also paid the five-digit presort rate for non-profit mailings.  A precanceled stamp (1898Ab) was issued for that purpose.

About the stamp design:  James Schleyer based the image on this stamp on the popular well-known Concord stagecoach.  He took inspiration from images in Don Berkebile’s Encyclopedia of Transportation, in the holdings of the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of American History.  The coach has a mountain scene on the door, which was a popular choice for many stagecoaches of the era.  “U.S. MAIL” can also be seen on the front end of the coach, showing the vehicle’s main use.

Special design details:  In 1986, this was the first Transportation coil design to be re-engraved for the B Press.  US #1898A was printed on the Cottrell presses, which were no longer in use by 1986.  Over time, more stamps were needed.  While other stamps in the series could be reprinted using the same master die, this was one of a handful that had a design larger than .73 inches.  That meant it needed to be re-engraved.  The new stamp (#2228) has several small differences from the original stamp – including a smaller overall image.

First Day City:  The First Day ceremony for this stamp was held at the American Philatelic Society’s annual meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Unusual fact about this stamp:  Imperforate error stamps have been found for both the regular stamp (1898Ad) and the precanceled stamp (1898Ac).

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:  During the 1700s and 1800s, the stagecoach traveled along regular routes carrying passengers and mail. Lines were established in colonial America as early as 1756 between the chief cities of Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. Other routes were gradually added on the East Coast, and lines were even established out West.

Concord Stagecoaches

In 1826, wheelwright Lewis Downing and carriage builder J. Stephen Abbot embarked on a long and successful partnership, creating some of the most widely used stagecoaches of the 19th century.   Their Concord coaches (named after the town where they were built) differed from other coaches of the day.  Most coaches used steel spring suspension systems to absorb the bouncing movement from riding over rough roads.  Even with this suspension system, it was an uncomfortable ride.  Concord coaches had two leather strips called thoroughbraces that held up the vehicle’s body, giving it rocking motion that was smoother than other coaches.  Mark Twain described his trip west in a Concord coach, saying, “Our coach was a great swinging and swaying stage, of the most sumptuous description – an imposing cradle on wheels.”  Concord coaches also had large wheels with long spokes that could easily get through the mud.

Concord coaches varied in size, with models that could carry six, nine, or twelve passengers.  The larger coaches weighed 2,500 pounds and stood over nine feet tall.  They usually cost between $1,000 and $1,500 apiece.  Wells Fargo was Concord’s biggest customer.  They were also popular with hotels that used them to transport guests between the hotel and the railroad station.  Abbot and Downing continued to build coaches into the 20th century, eventually moving away from horse-drawn vehicles to those powered by internal combustion engines.