1875 2c Jackson, Dark Brown, Special Printing of 1873 Issue

US #168
1875 2¢ Andrew Jackson
Continental Bank Note Special Printing

• Extremely scarce – fewer than 65 known to exist today
• Produced specifically for collectors and the 1876 Centennial Exposition
• Printed on distinctive hard white paper without gum, scissors-separated

Stamp Category:  Special Printing
Set:  1875 Continental Bank Note Special Printings
Value:  2¢; drop letter rate
First Day of Issue:  January 1, 1875
First Day City:  Washington, DC (sold from Third Assistant Postmaster General's office)
Quantity Sold:  416 total sold for both 1875 and 1880 special printings combined
Printed by:  Continental Bank Note Company
Printing Method:  Flat plate engraving
Format:  Sheets of 200
Perforations:  12
Color:  Dark Brown
Watermark:  None
Paper:  Hard white wove paper, issued without gum
Secret Marks:  Small diagonal line in the upper left corner

Own a rare post-Civil War special printing – issued in limited quantites!

Why the stamp was issued:  In 1875, Post Office Department officials planned to display a complete collection of previously issued US stamps at the upcoming Philadelphia Centennial Exposition.  Since earlier issues were no longer available, the Department ordered special reprints.  These were produced in limited quantities and made available to collectors and dignitaries rather than for postal use.

Although these special printings were technically valid for postage, they were sold specifically to collectors and dignitaries as specimens rather than for postal use.  Issued without gum and scissor-separated, they weren't intended for actual mail.  No genuinely postally used examples are known to exist.  It wasn't until October 1883 that the first-class rate dropped to two cents, making the 2¢ denomination the standard workhorse of American correspondence.  By then, the regular vermilion 2¢ Jackson had replaced this brown version for everyday postal use.

About the stamp design:  The portrait of Andrew Jackson comes from a lifelike marble bust sculpted by Hiram Powers in 1835.  Powers spent considerable time with the aging president, capturing his weathered features with striking realism.  The original bust shows Jackson's deeply lined face and sunken cheeks – a testament to the hardships he endured throughout his life.  For the stamp, engraver Louis Delnoce adapted Powers' work, though the final design underwent revision to present a more dignified appearance, including a more elaborate hairstyle than Jackson actually wore.  Butler Packard designed the overall stamp, while Douglas S. Ronaldson engraved both the frame and lettering.

Special design details:  The Continental Bank Note Company added a small diagonal line in the upper left corner – a "secret mark" extending from the border rim above "U.S." to the tip of a curled ornament.  This subtle mark distinguishes Continental printings from earlier National Bank Note Company stamps.  The dark brown shade itself is significant – it matches the color of the regular 1873 issue, which had caused confusion with the brown 10¢ Jefferson stamp.  By 1875, regular issues changed to vermilion, but these special printings retained the original brown.

About the printing process:  The story behind this stamp's paper involves one of the most ambitious experiments in 19th-century stamp production. Charles Steele, superintendent of printing for Continental Bank Note Company and inventor of the grilling apparatus used on earlier US stamps, had a bold vision.  He wanted to revolutionize stamp printing by introducing steam-powered presses, eliminating the labor-intensive grilling process, and reducing paper costs. Between 1873 and 1879, Steele explored countless paper variations to create paper flexible enough for steam presses yet smooth enough for crisp printing.  The result became known as "Continental Intermediate paper" – hard paper with the mottled appearance of soft paper.

For these 1875 special printings, Continental returned to their finest hard white wove paper – bright, crisp, and noticeably different from the yellowish paper used for regular issues.  The stamps were deliberately issued without gum, marking them as collectibles rather than postage. Most remarkably, someone at the Post Office carelessly cut these stamps apart with scissors instead of the usual separation by tearing along perforations.  This hasty method damaged many perforations and sometimes clipped into the design itself, making examples with intact perforations exceptionally scarce.

Unusual fact about this stamp:  Post Office records show 416 examples sold combining both the 1875 Continental and 1880 American special printings, but the Department kept no separate accounting to distinguish between the two.  Of those sold, fewer than 65 are known to exist today – many lost or destroyed over 150 years.  Among surviving examples, most show scissor damage to at least one side, and many have perforations cut into the design.  Finding an example with three or four sides of intact perforations represents a significant rarity within an already rare stamp.

About the Set:  The 1875 Continental Special Printings included thirteen denominations from 1¢ through 90¢.  All were produced on the same distinctive hard white paper without gum and share the characteristic scissor-separated perforations.  A second special printing followed in 1880 on soft paper, but the 1875 Continental printings remain more available for most values.  The Post Office kept no separate records distinguishing quantities sold of the 1875 Continental versus 1880 American printings, recording only combined totals.  Combined, these special printings created one of America's classic philatelic rarities.

History the stamp represents:  Andrew Jackson served as the seventh President from 1829 to 1837.  A fierce defender of the Union and champion of the common citizen, Jackson expanded presidential power and shaped American democracy.  He was the first president from the western frontier and the first to rise from poverty to the nation's highest office.  Despite being a Southerner, Jackson's unwavering support for federal authority made him an appropriate subject during the post-Civil War era, when his portrait was first adopted for stamps in 1863.

Now’s your chance to own this genuine piece of philatelic history.  It’s so rare, we have a very limited number available – secure one in your collection now.