1881-82 3c Washington, Blue Green, Plate Proof on Card

Add Rarely Seen US #207 Plate Proof to Your Collection

Proof stamps display the beauty of a stamps design as it was intended to be.  The engraving on the printing plate has not yet been dulled by use.  The resulting image is crisp and displays the fine details of the design.  This 1881-82 3¢ Washington stamp was produced as a plate proof.  Once the design has been approved and the plates have been created, the printer will produce plate proofs to ensure that everything is in order before full-scale printing begins.  This plate proof was printed on thick card paper. 

Stamp #207 was produced in response to a need to re-engrave printing plates.  In 1881, the American Bank Note Company decided some of the plates they were using had become too worn and did not show enough clarity and detail.  Plates for the 1¢, 3¢, 6¢, and 10¢ were re-engraved; various lines were deepened and certain features were sharpened.
The shading of the line surrounding the oval of the 3¢ Washington is much narrower, while the vertical lines inside the medallion were deepened, creating a solid background of color.  Also, a straight dash appears under the tail of the lower-right ribbon. 

Though this stamp was made well over a century ago, it has been well preserved since then.  Won’t you be the next collector to own this rarely seen stamp?