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#277
1895 $2 James Madison, Bright Blue, Double Line Watermark, Perf. 12
$1,500.00
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U.S. #277
1895 $2 Madison
Issued: August 13, 1895
Issue Quantity: 31,720
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Watermark: Double line USPS
Perforation: 12
Color: Blue
A limited quantity of $2 Madison stamps printed on watermarked paper were issued on August 13, 1895. They were replaced by the $2 Series of 1902 stamp on June 5, 1903.
Many of the stamps were used to frank mail to Europe, which is where a number of U.S. #277 stamps have been found in collections. Most feature cancellations applied to second and third class mail or on registered bank mail.
Well-centered examples can be difficult to find, although the 1895 stamp tends to have better centering than the unwatermarked 1894 stamp.
Approximately 100 unperforated examples of U.S. #277 are believed to exist.
Why Watermarks Were Added in 1895
The United States printed stamps on watermarked paper from 1895 to 1915. The watermarks, consisting of the letters “USPS” (for United States Postal Service), were faint patterns impressed into the paper during its manufacture. Often only a single letter or a portion of a letter is found on a single stamp.
Since the special watermark paper may already have been ordered at the time of the “Chicago Counterfeits,” the Postal Department may have anticipated the possibility before it actually happened. Other nations had used watermarking earlier.
The “USPS” watermarks are in single line or double line letters. To see a watermark, put the stamp in a watermark tray and add a few drops of watermark fluid. The mark (or part of it) should show clearly, though it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between single and double line watermarks.
U.S. #277
1895 $2 Madison
Issued: August 13, 1895
Issue Quantity: 31,720
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Watermark: Double line USPS
Perforation: 12
Color: Blue
A limited quantity of $2 Madison stamps printed on watermarked paper were issued on August 13, 1895. They were replaced by the $2 Series of 1902 stamp on June 5, 1903.
Many of the stamps were used to frank mail to Europe, which is where a number of U.S. #277 stamps have been found in collections. Most feature cancellations applied to second and third class mail or on registered bank mail.
Well-centered examples can be difficult to find, although the 1895 stamp tends to have better centering than the unwatermarked 1894 stamp.
Approximately 100 unperforated examples of U.S. #277 are believed to exist.
Why Watermarks Were Added in 1895
The United States printed stamps on watermarked paper from 1895 to 1915. The watermarks, consisting of the letters “USPS” (for United States Postal Service), were faint patterns impressed into the paper during its manufacture. Often only a single letter or a portion of a letter is found on a single stamp.
Since the special watermark paper may already have been ordered at the time of the “Chicago Counterfeits,” the Postal Department may have anticipated the possibility before it actually happened. Other nations had used watermarking earlier.
The “USPS” watermarks are in single line or double line letters. To see a watermark, put the stamp in a watermark tray and add a few drops of watermark fluid. The mark (or part of it) should show clearly, though it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between single and double line watermarks.
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