US #3140
1997 George Washington (Sheet of 12) – Pacific ’97
- Commemorates the 150th anniversary of the first US postage stamps
- Modeled after US #2, the 1847 10¢ Washington
- Never available at any post office
- Only on sale for 10 days (11 days for the Franklin sheet) – the shortest timeframe in US postal history
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Pacific ’97
Value: 60¢ International Letter Rate
First Day of Issue: May 30, 1997
First Day City: San Francisco, California
Quantity Issued: 4,666,700 sheets
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Offset, Intaglio
Format: Panes of 12 (Vertical 4 across, 3 down)
Perforations: 10.5 x 10.3 (Eureka perforator)
Tagging: Block tagging over stamps
Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first US postage stamps.
About the stamp design: A modified replica of US #2, the 10¢ Washington stamp issued on July 1, 1847. The denomination was changed to 60¢ and the color was changed from black to red-orange.
Special design details: Enlarged replicas in the selvage are surrounded by cross-hatched lines copied from the die proofs. No one knows for sure what the purpose of those lines was in 1847. Expert Lester G. Brookman and others speculate the lines were added by the engraver to prevent the siderographer’s transfer roll from slipping when the design was taken up from the die. However, George Brett said in his 1997 Congress Book (published by the American Philatelic Congress) that it was his opinion “the cross-hatching was for decorative purposes only.” We may never know for sure, making it a fun philatelic mystery.
First Day City: The stamps were dedicated at the international philatelic exhibition in San Francisco, California, known as Pacific ’97. The show ran from May 29-June 8, 1997.
Not available at any post office: The souvenir sheets were sold only at Pacific ’97 or by mail order from the Philatelic Fulfillment Service Center. When customers ordered just the souvenir sheets, shipping and handling fees were waived. In addition to not sending the stamps to post offices, the USPS also limited the timeframe the sheets were available.
At first, they were only to be for sale during the 11-day philatelic exhibition, but after complaints from the American Philatelic Society and other sources, they pushed back the start date to March 21 for pre-orders. However, the end date stayed as June 8. After it was all set and done, the period the stamps were actually on sale was just 11 days for the Franklin souvenir sheet and 10 for the Washington – the shortest in US postal history.
History the stamp represents: George Washington’s character was eloquently summed up by Thomas Jefferson who once said, “He was indeed, in every sense of the words, a wise, a good, and a great man…. On the whole, his character was in its mass perfect… it may be truly said, that never did nature and fortune combine more perfectly to make a man great…”
A successful and affluent Virginia planter, George Washington was elected as a delegate to the first Continental Congress in 1774. The following year, he was unanimously appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, a position he accepted reluctantly. Determined and steadfast, Washington soon became a symbol of independence. Despite numerous hardships, he victoriously delivered America from Britain’s rule, granting the freedom we still enjoy today. In 1789, he was inaugurated as the first President of the United States.
As the “Father of our Country,” Washington won a lasting place in American history. Throughout the Postal Service’s 150-year history, he has appeared on dozens of postage stamps, and his familiar portrait can also be found on the $1 bill and the quarter. Our nation’s capital was named for him, as well as numerous cities, towns, bridges, parks, and schools. And the state of Washington is the only state named for a president.
Celebrating 150 years of US postage stamps, America’s first stamps were reproduced with new denominations in 1997. The 60¢ Washington stamp covered the international letter rate.
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