1895 Bureau Issues, Double Line Watermark, Set of 12 Stamps

Own Twelve 1895 Bureau Issue Stamps - with Double-Line Watermark

Get our special collector’s set of 1895 “Bureau Issue” stamps – it’s a great way to capture history and build your collection fast.

For over 45 years, US postage stamps were produced by private printing companies.  In 1894, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing entered the lowest bid and won the contract.  The first “Bureau Issue” was marred by the fear of counterfeiting, so the BEP used the same designs on double line watermarked paper in 1895.  The faint “USPS” watermark is a neat piece of history and fun to detect. 

Sometimes the only difference between stamps that look alike is a watermark.  Watermarks are letters or patterns impressed into the paper used to produce certain stamps.  Modern US stamps don’t have watermarks, but many older ones do – in the shape of a single line or double line U, S, or P.

Here are the stamps you'll receive:

264 - 1895 1c Franklin, Blue,
265 - 1895 2c Washington, Carmine,
266 - 1895 2c Washington, Carmine, Type II
267 - 1895 2c Washington, Carmine, Type III
268 - 1895 3c Andrew Jackson, Purple,
269 - 1895 4c Abraham Lincoln, Dark Brown,
270 - 1895 5c Ulysses S. Grant, Chocolate
271 - 1895 6c James A. Garfield, Dull Brown
272 - 1895 8c William T. Sherman, Violet Brown,
273 - 1895 10c Daniel Webster, Dark Green
274 - 1895 15c Henry Clay, Dark Blue
275 - 1895 50c Thomas Jefferson, Orange