1998 32c Celebrate the Century,1900s: The Great Train Robbery

US #3182c
1998 The Great Train Robbery – Celebrate the Century (1900s)

• Part of the first sheet in the Celebrate the Century stamp series issued from 1998-2000
• Honors the film “The Great Train Robbery” by Edwin S. Porter
• Includes text on the back with historical details

Stamp Category: Commemorative
Series: Celebrate the Century
Value: 32¢ First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: February 3, 1998
First Day City: Washington, DC
Quantity Issued: 188,000,000
Printed by: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method: Offset, Intaglio
Format: Panes of 15
Perforations: 11.6
Tagging: Block Tagging

Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate “The Great Train Robbery” and its historical and cultural significance in America.

About the stamp design: Pictures gouache and colored pencil illustration of a scene from “The Great Train Robbery” by artist Richard Waldrep. Includes the following text on the back “‘The Great Train Robbery,’ directed by Edwin S. Porter in 1903, was one of the first commercially successful story films. This box-office hit became part of the Western genre.”

First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held in Washington, DC, with legendary radio and television host Larry King as master of ceremonies.

About the Celebrate the Century series: The USPS launched the Celebrate the Century series in 1998 to mark the end of the 20th century and herald the arrival of the 21st. The series includes 10 sheets of 15 stamps (150 in total), with each honoring important moments from a different decade (1900s, 10s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s). At the time of completion, it was the longest and most ambitious commemorative stamp series in US history.

History the stamp represents: “The Great Train Robbery,” released in 1903 by the Edison Company, was one of the most successful commercial films of its time. Directed by Edwin S. Porter, this film was among the earliest to tell a story. Produced at the beginning of motion picture history, it was important for other reasons as well.

In the first decade of the 1900s, public exhibitions of motion pictures became a popular form of entertainment. By 1908, thousands of nickelodeon theaters, charging only 5¢ for admission, had opened in cities across America. “The Great Train Robbery,” along with other storytelling movies that followed, led the way for this breakthrough in motion-picture viewing.

“The Great Train Robbery” held the screen for at least ten years. The 11-minute film told the story of four bandits who rob a train and are then pursued by a posse. Porter is the first director known to use modern film techniques, cutting back and forth in time to tell his story.

The stamp design for “The Great Train Robbery” is based on a famous scene from the motion picture, where actor Justus Barnes slowly turns toward the audience to fire his pistol. This scene is a classic example of why “The Great Train Robbery” came to be known as America’s first western movie.