# 2542 - 1991 $14.00 Eagle, International Express Mail
US #2542
1991 Eagle
- For use on international Express Mail
- Highest value stamp in US history at the time
Category of Stamp: Definitive
Value: $14.00
First Day of Issue: August 31, 1991
First Day City: Hunt Valley, Maryland
Quantity Issued: 5,166,000
Printed by: American Bank Note Company
Printing Method: Lithographed and Engraved
Format: Panes of 20, from plates of 120 subjects (12 across, 10 down)
Perforations: 11
Reason the stamp was issued: This International Express Mail stamp covered the rate for Express mail weighing up to ½ ounce, with a foreign destination such as Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, Spain, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East.
About the stamp design: Artist Timothy Knepp created the artwork for this stamp. His work was previously shown on posters publicizing the 1990 National Stamp Collecting Month. Knepp used photographs of bald eagles, including some of his own taken at the National Zoo, as inspiration for his design. Rather than picturing a profile of an eagle in flight, the artist chose to show it from above. A shoreline can be seen in the background.
About the printing process: While most of the stamp was printed using offset lithography, the type was produced using intaglio engraving.
First Day City: While there was no official First Day of Issue ceremony, the stamp was dedicated on the first day of the Balpex stamp show held in a suburb of Baltimore. Stamp artist, Timothy Knepp, a native of Maryland, was present at the activity.
Unusual thing about this stamp: This was the highest stamp denomination issued by the US up to that time.
US #2542
1991 Eagle
- For use on international Express Mail
- Highest value stamp in US history at the time
Category of Stamp: Definitive
Value: $14.00
First Day of Issue: August 31, 1991
First Day City: Hunt Valley, Maryland
Quantity Issued: 5,166,000
Printed by: American Bank Note Company
Printing Method: Lithographed and Engraved
Format: Panes of 20, from plates of 120 subjects (12 across, 10 down)
Perforations: 11
Reason the stamp was issued: This International Express Mail stamp covered the rate for Express mail weighing up to ½ ounce, with a foreign destination such as Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, Spain, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East.
About the stamp design: Artist Timothy Knepp created the artwork for this stamp. His work was previously shown on posters publicizing the 1990 National Stamp Collecting Month. Knepp used photographs of bald eagles, including some of his own taken at the National Zoo, as inspiration for his design. Rather than picturing a profile of an eagle in flight, the artist chose to show it from above. A shoreline can be seen in the background.
About the printing process: While most of the stamp was printed using offset lithography, the type was produced using intaglio engraving.
First Day City: While there was no official First Day of Issue ceremony, the stamp was dedicated on the first day of the Balpex stamp show held in a suburb of Baltimore. Stamp artist, Timothy Knepp, a native of Maryland, was present at the activity.
Unusual thing about this stamp: This was the highest stamp denomination issued by the US up to that time.