1971 8c Flag & White House, Dark Blue, Red & Slate Green, Imperf. Error

U.S. #1338Gh
8¢ Flag and White House
Imperforate Pair
Issue Date: May 10, 1971
City: Washington, DC
Printed By: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Huck press
Color: Dark blue, red and slate green

This mint imperforate error pair is the re-designed version of the flag stamp issued in 1963.  Produced using various perforations, this stamp was also printed with a 6¢ denomination.

The design features the American flag flying above the White House, rendered in red, white, and blue with additional blue and green coloring for the architectural and landscape elements. Both stamps in the pair are identical, showing the complete design without the perforations that normally separate stamps in a sheet. The denomination "8c" and "United States" inscription appear on both stamps.

The Flag and White House design was a popular definitive issue used during the early 1970s for standard first-class postage rates. Imperforate errors like this pair occurred when sheets passed through the printing press without being perforated—a relatively rare occurrence in modern stamp production. The error pair survived from a full sheet that escaped the normal perforating equipment, making such examples scarce and sought by error collectors and philatelists interested in printing varieties.

Error stamps and imperforate varieties have long held special appeal for collectors. Imperforate pairs in particular are prized because they preserve the original relationship between two adjacent stamps as they came from the press.