1931 #703 2c Yorktown Issue, Mystic Choice From 1st and 2nd Printing, 2 Sheets of 50

Get 2 Sheets of 50 Yorktown Stamps –
Popular 1931 Commemorative
One Stamp – Two Different Sheets!

The US Post Office issued just three commemorative stamps in 1931, and only the Yorktown issue was produced in commemorative size.  These stamps honor the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Yorktown, the last ma...  more

Get 2 Sheets of 50 Yorktown Stamps –
Popular 1931 Commemorative
One Stamp – Two Different Sheets!

The US Post Office issued just three commemorative stamps in 1931, and only the Yorktown issue was produced in commemorative size.  These stamps honor the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Yorktown, the last major battle of the American Revolution.

Issued on October 19, 1931, the stamps were so popular they were no longer available for distribution to post offices in less than a month.  At Yorktown, French and American forces worked together to crush the British army under General Charles Cornwallis.

Discover the Unusual Printing Varieties…

The stamp pictures General George Washington and his French allies, Lieutenant General Jean Rochambeau and Admiral François De Grasse.  It was printed on a flat press.  As a bi-color, two plates were used for each sheet of stamps – one for the red frame and one for the black vignette.  Each plate contained 100 stamps. Because so many stamps were printed, many plates were used.  So, there are hundreds of combinations of plate numbers, a specialized collecting area of its own.

During the first printing, red frame was applied to the sheets of 100 stamps and then left to dry.  During the printing of the black vignette, the word “TOP” was also printed on the top right of the sheet.  This was a practice adopted after the discovery of the famed Jenny Invert Airmail in 1918.  The sheets of 100 were then cut into panes of 50 with straight edges, leaving one pane with “TOP” and one without.

One of the issues that arose during this printing was shrinkage during drying after the red frame was printed.  This made it difficult to center the black vignette accurately and many stamps were rejected because the central designs were so off center.  To combat this, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing created a new sheet design.  They added a gutter between the two panes of 50 stamps.  They also added “TOP” to both panes of 50.

Hundreds of Combinations!

As a result, there are two different sheets for the same stamp.  The first printing, with the straight edges, has 352 plate number combinations while the second printing has 128!  Plus, each sheet has different formats.

The first printing has:
• Left Arrow Margins Plate Blocks of 4 and 8, plus one with the “TOP” margin inscription
• Left Arrow Marker Blocks
• Right Arrow Margins Plate Blocks of 4
• Right Arrow Marker Blocks

The second printing has:
• Left Arrow Margins Plate Blocks of 4 and 6, plus the “TOP” margin inscriptions & marker
• Left Arrow Mark Block or Center Block
• Right Arrow Margin Plate Blocks of 4 and 6, plus the “TOP” margin inscriptions & marker
• Right Arrow Mark Block or Center Block
• Center Line Block

Let us choose one sheet from each printing for you.  Each of these sheets of 50 Yorktown stamps has been carefully preserved for decades.  Now you can continue the tradition when you add these sheets to your collection.  We only have a few in stock, so place your order today.