# 290 - 1898 10c Trans Mississippi Exposition: Hardships of Emigration
1898 10¢ Trans-Mississippi Exposition
First Day of Issue: June 17, 1898
Quantity issued: 4,629,760 (unknown quantity later destroyed)
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Method: Flat Plate in sheets of 100 subjects
Watermark: Double-line watermark USPS
Perforation: 12
Color: Gray violet
Trans-Mississippi Stamps Issued
By 1898, the western part of the United States was beginning to flourish. Thousands of wagon trains had passed over its mountains, deserts, and Great Plains; transcontinental railroads now linked the West to the East; and many new states had been added to the Union. To call attention to the development of the land west of the Mississippi River, an international exposition was held in Omaha, Nebraska.
Originally, the Post Office Department didn’t plan on issuing 50¢, $1 and $2 stamps because there wasn’t a big demand for such high denominations. But Postmaster General James A. Gary wanted Americans to know about the achievements of the brave, hardworking, self-reliant people who settled the West. These three high-value stamps were produced after the original series and were on sale for only six short months.
A century later, modern collectors got the chance to see how these stamps were supposed to be printed. The USPS used the original bi-color dies to print them in two colors as intended.
Click the images below to find out more about each stamp’s design and the Trans-Mississippi Exposition.
Click here to view scenes from the Trans-Mississippi Expo.
1898 10¢ Trans-Mississippi Exposition
First Day of Issue: June 17, 1898
Quantity issued: 4,629,760 (unknown quantity later destroyed)
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Method: Flat Plate in sheets of 100 subjects
Watermark: Double-line watermark USPS
Perforation: 12
Color: Gray violet
Trans-Mississippi Stamps Issued
By 1898, the western part of the United States was beginning to flourish. Thousands of wagon trains had passed over its mountains, deserts, and Great Plains; transcontinental railroads now linked the West to the East; and many new states had been added to the Union. To call attention to the development of the land west of the Mississippi River, an international exposition was held in Omaha, Nebraska.
Originally, the Post Office Department didn’t plan on issuing 50¢, $1 and $2 stamps because there wasn’t a big demand for such high denominations. But Postmaster General James A. Gary wanted Americans to know about the achievements of the brave, hardworking, self-reliant people who settled the West. These three high-value stamps were produced after the original series and were on sale for only six short months.
A century later, modern collectors got the chance to see how these stamps were supposed to be printed. The USPS used the original bi-color dies to print them in two colors as intended.
Click the images below to find out more about each stamp’s design and the Trans-Mississippi Exposition.
Click here to view scenes from the Trans-Mississippi Expo.