1923 1c Franklin and 2c Washington, Perf. 11x10, Fresh From Sheet

Add These 1923 Coil Waste Stamps to Your Collection

Stamps #578 and 579 were produced as a result of a cost-cutting measure by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.  They were originally intended to be made into coil stamps, but were instead made into sheet stamps. 

US #578 was cut into sheets of 170 subjects, in accordance with the Bureau’s standard practice of cutting by block.  US #579 was cut into 100-subject and 70-subject panes. 

Series of 1922 Coil Waste Stamps

Due to poor centering and other minor defects, a number of coil stamp sheets had been set aside as “waste” to be destroyed. Some of them had been perforated vertically or horizontally, while others had not been perforated at all.  According to Bureau Director James Wilmeth, they had been “laid aside as mutilated because they cannot be made into coils on account of some defect.” Although these stamps were unsuitable for coils, they could be issued satisfactorily as sheet stamps.
In an effort to save money, which was still in short supply after the war, the Bureau decided to release these stamps in sheets. Numerous sheets of the 1¢ Green, 2¢ Carmine Rose, and 3¢ Violet had already been perforated 10 vertically. They were then perforated 11 horizontally and issued with 11x10 perforations.
The practice began during the production of Series of 1919-21 stamps and was continued in 1922. Yet in less than two years it ended. Some stamp historians argue that prominent stamp collectors had petitioned the Bureau to stop. Other factors also contributed. On January 1, 1923, the Treasury Secretary agreed to a lower rate for rotary press stamps. This made the time-consuming process of salvaging coil waste and turning it into usable sheets less attractive.