U.S. #2231
1986 8.3¢ 1860's Ambulance, precancel
- Paid the rate for bulk mail presorted to carrier route numbers
- Pictures Civil War-era ambulance
- Re-print of 1985 stamp on B Press, with tiny differences
Stamp Category: Definitive
Series: Transportation
Value: 8.3¢
First Day of Issue: August 29, 1986
... more
U.S. #2231
1986 8.3¢ 1860's Ambulance, precancel
- Paid the rate for bulk mail presorted to carrier route numbers
- Pictures Civil War-era ambulance
- Re-print of 1985 stamp on B Press, with tiny differences
Stamp Category: Definitive
Series: Transportation
Value: 8.3¢
First Day of Issue: August 29, 1986
First Day City: Washington, DC
Quantity Issued: 45,892,000
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Engraved
Format: Coils of 500 and 3,000
Perforations: 10 Vertical
Color: Green
Why the stamp was issued: This stamp paid the rate for bulk mailers that presorted their mail to carrier route numbers. The original 8.3¢ Ambulance stamps had been issued a little over a year earlier, in June 1985. The precanceled stamp outsold the non-precanceled stamp by 10-to-1, creating a need for new precanceled stamps. This stamp was printed on a different press than the first stamps because the press had been taken out of use. The new stamp is ¼ millimeter narrower to accommodate the intaglio B press.
About the stamp design: This was the 16th stamp design and ninth Transportation Series stamp created by Jim Schleyer. The artist based his stamp design on drawings from Edwin McKean’s original patent (#44,643) dated October 11, 1861.
Special design details: The 8.3¢ Ambulance stamp was available with and without a precancel. #2128 has no precancel, while #2128a and #2231 have a precancel. Precancels are stamps canceled before being sold, to make mailing faster and cheaper for customers with large amounts of mail. Bulk mailers use precancels, then pre-sort their mail and save money. The USPS makes these stamps available with and without precancels for two reasons. One reason is to create another variety for stamp collectors. The other, is so the stamps can be used as add-on postage for packages slightly overweight.
About the printing process: The Cottrell presses on which the 1985 Ambulance stamps had been printed were taken out of commission a few months before the need arose for this new stamp. The same master die was used for both the 1985 and 1986 printings of this stamp, yet the final stamp design from the 1986 B Press printing is about a ¼ millimeter narrower. This is because the printing plates were curved on the Cottrell press so that the designs widened slightly. However, the B Press uses a sleeve cylinder that’s already curved when the master dies are applied, so no stretching takes places. Other differences in the stamps include different paper, the placement of plate numbers, and the joint lines found on the Cottrell printed stamps don’t appear on this B Press stamp.
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: The ambulance pictured on this stamp was primarily used during the Civil War to transport medical supplies, water kegs, and hoses. Patented by Edward McKean in 1861, this particular model had fans which were activated by movement of the wheels and stretchers mounted on wheels so they could be moved easily from one place to another. Union infantry regiments each received three of these ambulances.
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