# 2225-28 - 1986-87 Transportation Series, coil, set of 3 stamps

U.S. #2225-28
1986-87 Transportation Series Re-engraved Coils,
Set of 3 stamps

• Get three re-engraved Transportation Series stamps
• Stamps were re-engraved to meet requirements for newer presses

Stamp Category:  Definitive
Series:  Transportation
Value:  1¢, 2¢, 4¢
First Days of Issue:  November 26, 1986; March 6, 1987; August 15, 1986
First Day Cities:  Washington, DC and Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Quantity Issued:  255,000,000; 33,072,000 ordered; 29,472,000
Printed by:  Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method:  Engraved
Format:  Coils of 100, 500, and 3,000
Perforations:  10 Vertical
Color:  Violet, Black, Reddish brown

Why the stamps were issued:  In mid-July of 1986, the Postal Service asked the philatelic press to alert collectors to new varieties which would be appearing in the Transportation Series.  Since the USPS had stated that formal USPS announcements should not be expected, collectors were simply told, “They (the stamps) will just begin showing up in stocks.”

These new varieties were created because several early Transportation stamps had been printed on the Cottrell presses, which were no longer in use.  Over time, they needed to print more stamps of certain denominations.  When possible, they reused the same master die.  But some stamps with designs larger than .73 inches needed to be re-engraved.  These three stamps are among those that were re-engraved.  They each have small but noticeable differences from the original stamps.

About the stamp designs: 

US #2225 features the same design as US #1897. This re-engraved version has a larger numeral "1", while the central design was made 1 mm smaller. The "USA" came after the value instead of preceding it, and the cent mark entirely disappeared.

US #2226 – Artist David Stone produced the image of the locomotive pictured on this stamp.  The Smithsonian said it appears similar to No. 71, which was built for the Atlantic & Great Western Railway, which ran on the Erie Railroad out of New York City. Stone worked from about 50 different railroad lithographs from Currier and Ives.  US #2226 features the same design as US #1897A.  In keeping with the 1986 USPS decision to make stamp numerals as large as possible, the numeral "2" was enlarged to twice its original size. The cent sign was eliminated and the "USA" was moved behind the numerical value, changing the "USA 2¢" to "2 USA."

US #2228 features the same design as the 1982 Stagecoach stamp, US #1898A, with artwork by James Schleyer.  This revised version retained the cent sign and kept the "USA" in front of the denomination. However, the stagecoach design and lettering were made smaller. The color also appeared deeper on the 1982 stamp because of the deeper engraving on the Cottrell press.  The tagging was also different on both versions of the stamp.  The 1982 stamps had overall tagging (including the perforations) while the 1986 stamp had block-over-vignette tagging.

First Day Cities: 

There was no First Day ceremony planned for US #2226, and the USPS originally said it wouldn’t offer first day cancellations either.  However, because collector demand for First Day Covers for these re-engravings had been strong, the USPS offered this stamp with a first day cancel.  It was the first of the re-engravings to receive a first day cancel.

US #2226 replaced a delayed flag postal card that was scheduled for release at the MILCOPEX ’87 stamp show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Issued at a special ceremony at the Kilbourn Hall of Milwaukee’s MECCA Auditorium, it was the first of the re-engraved Transportation stamps to receive a first day ceremony.  Interestingly, the booklet of five Locomotives stamps issued later in 1987 was unveiled during this ceremony.

The USPS didn’t plan a First Day ceremony for US #2228, nor did they announce an official release date beforehand.  They simply stated that the stamp would appear on sale at some point. Knowing the stamp was coming, some cachet makers visited the philatelic sales counter at the USPS headquarters in Washington frequently, hoping to get the stamp the first day it was placed on sale. Only about 500 covers are known to exist from the first day of sale at the Washington post office, making First Day covers for this stamp quite rare by modern standards.

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 and the largest US coil stamp series in history. 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 stamps represent: 

A forerunner of today’s buses, the omnibus was used in US cities during the late 1800s for public mass transportation. These large, horse drawn wagons were developed in Paris and were used throughout France as early as the 1830s.

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.

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. Eventually, railroads took the place of this popular form of transportation.