U.S. #544
1919-21 1¢ Washington

• One of the rarest 20^th century US stamps
• Part of experimental Rotary Press Printed Sheets
• Perforated 11 on all sides
• This variety went unnoticed for over a decade

Type of Stamp:  Definitive
...  more

U.S. #544
1919-21 1¢ Washington

• One of the rarest 20^th century US stamps
• Part of experimental Rotary Press Printed Sheets
• Perforated 11 on all sides
• This variety went unnoticed for over a decade

Type of Stamp:  Definitive
Value:  1¢ - Postcard Rate
Earliest Known Date of Use:  December 17, 1922
Printed by:  Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method/Format:  Rotary Press, printed in sheets of 100 (10 rows, 10 columns)
Perforations:  11 X 11
Color:  Green

Reason the stamp was issued: This stamp was part of an experiment to print sheets of stamps on the Rotary Press.  The perforations differ, making this stamp scarce.

About the stamp design:  The central design shows a bust of George Washington done by Jean-Antoine Houdon in 1785.

Special design details:  Perforated 11 on all sides.  This change from 10 X 11 perforations went unnoticed until 1936.

About the printing process:  Part of a secret experiment to produce sheets of stamps using the rotary press.  Previously, only coil stamps had been produced using this press.

Went undetected for over a decade: Unlike most stamps, there were no First Day of Issue announcements by the Post Office Department.  And no announcements in the stamp papers of the 1920s either.
A small number of sheets of this 1¢ stamp were produced with the 11 X 11 perforations.  The change in perforations from 10 X 11 went unnoticed until 1936.

One of the great rarities of the 20^th century:  Fewer than 100 are believed to exist today.

About the Washington-Franklin Series:  Officially known as the Third Bureau Issue, this series began in 1908 and continued until 1922.  All the stamps in this series picture either George Washington or Benjamin Franklin.  The lower denominations (1¢ - 7¢) feature America’s first President, while the remaining stamps (8¢ - $1) show the country’s first postmaster general.  During the series, over 200 varieties were produced from five different designs, two paper types, three printing methods, at least 14 perforations, several colors, and 20 denominations.

History behind this stamp: The year was 1919.  The BEP had already successfully printed coil stamps on the speedy rotary press.  So, it decided to experiment with a larger press to print 400-subject sheets of perforated definitives.  The stamps in that first printing were perforated 10x11.  Once they hit post offices, complaints rolled in.  The stamps (#542) curled backward and split along the vertical perforations.  The next year 10x10 perforations were tested, creating #543.  These also curled, making them hard for postal clerks to handle and next to impossible to precancel.  Production was halted.
Orders from the Post Office Department piled up, and revenue was lost.  Rotary press designer Benjamin Stickney and other BEP workers were fired due to a fabricated Liberty Bond scandal.  Only after compromise by all and input from the Treasury Department were the issues solved.  The POD would pay more than expected and accept some rotary press stamps.  But the stamps would be canceled at the Bureau, instead of post offices.  Rotary press production was restarted.  Late 1922 saw a small quantity of perf 11 #544s printed on remaining perf 10 and 10x11 sheets.  These were released to the public with no fanfare.  They weren’t discovered for over a decade.  Because most of the stamps were destroyed after use, only a few remain to be snatched up by a lucky collector.