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The Thirties:  1932-1939 Commemorative issues

Washington Birthday Bicentennial

Scott 704, 1/2¢ Washington Bicentennial, plate number 20605

Scott 704 var, 1/2¢, Bureau precancel, plate number 20629

Scott 705, 1¢ Washington Bicentennial, plate number 20831

Scott 705 var, 1¢, Bureau precancel, plate number 20836

Scott 706, 1-1/2¢ Washington Bicentennial, plate number 20678

Scott 707, 2¢ Washington Bicentennial, plate number 20749

Scott 707 var, 2¢, Bureau precancel, plate number 20801

Scott 708, 3¢ Washington Bicentennial, plate number 20558

Scott 708 var, 3¢, inverted Bureau precancel, plate number 20847

Scott 708 var, misperfed vertically, captured plate number 21045

Scott 709, 4¢ Washington Bicentennial, plate number 20568

Scott 709 var, 4¢, Bureau precancel, plate number 20568

Scott 709 var, 4¢ with broken frame line, plate number 20568

Scott 709 var, 4¢, captured plate number 20567

Scott 710, 5¢ Washington Bicentennial, plate number 20637

Scott 710 var, 5¢, Bureau precancel, plate number 20638

Scott 710 var, 5¢, local precancel, captured plate number 20637

Scott 711, 6¢ Washington Bicentennial, plate number 20569

Scott 711 var, 6¢, Bureau precancel, plate number 20570

Scott 712, 7¢ Washington Bicentennial, plate number 20563

Scott 712 var, 7¢, Bureau precancel, plate number 20732

Scott 713, 8¢ Washington Bicentennial, plate number 20566

Scott 713, 8¢, local precancel, plate number 20565

Scott 714, 9¢ Washington Bicentennial, plate number 20641

Scott 714 var, 9¢, Bureau precancel, plate number 20641

Scott 715, 10¢ Washington Bicentennial, plate number 20642

Scott 715 var, 10¢, Bureau precancel, plate number 20643

1932 Commemoratives

Scott 718, 3¢ 1932 Summer Olympics, plate number 20907

Scott 718 var, 3¢ 1932 Summer Olympics, local precancel, plate number 20906

Scott 719, 5¢ 1932 Summer Olympics, plate number 20868

Scott 719 var, 5¢ 1932 Summer Olympics, local precancel, plate number 20868

Scott 720, 3¢ Washington, plate number 21009

This stamp uses the same portrait as the 2¢ value in the Washington Bicentennial issue (Scott 707), but was printed in violet, the standard color for three cent stamps. This met the wish both in the Post Office Department and among the general public that there always be a common definitive stamp portraying George Washington.

Scott 720 var, Bureau precancel, plate number 21351

Scott 720c, imperforate between error, plate number 21452 (Image courtesy of eBay / stuffpreserve)

Scott 720b, from booklet pane, plate number 21010

Scott 721, 3¢ Washington side-wise coil, plate number 20940 and open star

Scott 724, 3¢ William Penn / founding of Pennsylvania, plate number 21068

Scott 724 var, misperfed horizontally, captured plate number 21065 (image courtesy of Stuart Katz); plate number 21067

Scott 725, 3¢ Daniel Webster plate number 21034

Scott 725 var, 3¢ Webster, inverted local precancel, plate number 21038

Scott 726, 3¢ General Oglethorpe / founding of Georgia, plate number 21110

Scott 726 var, 3¢ General Oglethorpe, bottom half of plate number 21101 missing

1933 Century of Progress issues

Scott 727, 3¢ Newburgh used, plate number 21120

Scott 727 var, 3¢ Newburgh, local precancel, plate number 21123

Scott 728, 1¢ Fort Dearborn - Century of Progess, plate number 21133

Scott 728 var, 1¢ Fort Dearborn, local precancel, plate number 21140

Scott 728 var, possible color change after issue (?), plate number 21132

Photographically cropped from a pane of 100 that was the same gray-green color. However, no errors of color are known for this issue.

Scott 728 var, 1¢ Fort Dearborn gutter snipe, plate number 21135

Scott 729, 3¢ Century of Progress, plate number 21127

Scott 729 var, 3¢ Century of Progress, Bureau precancel, plate number 21126

Scott 730a, 1¢ single from Century of Progress souvenir sheet, plate number 21145

Scott 730a var, 1¢ single souvenir sheet, local precancel, plate number 21145

Scott 730a var, pre-print paper fold, plate number 21145 (Image courtesy of Kelleher Auctions)

Scott 731a, 3¢ single from Century of Progress souvenir sheet, plate number 21160

Scott 731a var, 3¢ single from souvenir sheet, local precancel, plate number 21146

Scott 731a var, pre-print paper fold, plate number 21160 (Image courtesy of Bill Langs)

1933 Commemoratives

Scott 732, 3¢ NRA, plate number 21162

Thought to be the only U.S. stamp issued to tout a law that was later declared unconstitutional.

Scott 732 var, 3¢ NRA, local precancel, plate number 21152

Scott 733, 3¢ Byrd Expedition, plate number 21167

Scott 734, 5¢ Tadeusz Kosciuszko, plate number 21176

Scott 734 var, 5¢ Kosciuszko, local precancel, plate number 21176

Scott 735a, 3¢ Byrd Expedition, pair from souvenir sheet (Scott 735), plate number 21184

1934 Commemoratives

Scott 736, 3¢ Maryland Tercentenary, plate number 21188

Scott 736b, lake error, plate number 21190

The lake variety is not an opinion of the viewer but ratehr the result of accidentally using a completely different ink in the printing.

The lake ink shade may not be discrernable on all monitors. The plate block from which this PNS was photographically cropped received a cert for this shade.

Scott 736c, carmine lake error, plate number 21197

The carmine lake variety is not an opinion of the viewer but rather the result of using a completely different ink in the printing.

The carmine lake ink shade may not be discernable on all monitors, but the plate block from which this PNS was photographically cropped received a cert for this shade... eventually, after other submissions had been declined.

The plate block is damaged by scuff marks here and on adjacent stamps. It is the only plate number item of 736c I have seen.

Scott 737, 3¢ Mother's Day, flat plate printing, plate number 21202

Scott 738, 3¢ Mother's Day, rotary press printing, plate number 21214

Scott 738 var, 3¢ Mother's Day, local precancel, rotary press printing, plate number 21215

Scott 739, 3¢ Wisconsin Tercentenary, plate number F21238

Scott 739 var, 3¢ Wisconsin Tercentenary, local precancel, plate number 21244

Scott 739a, 3¢ Wisconsin Tercentenary error, imperforate horizontally (and misperfed vertically), plate number 21240

Scott 739b, 3¢ Wisconsin Tercentenary error, imperforate vertically, plate number 21238

National Parks issue

Scott 740, 1¢ Yosemite National Park, plate number 21251

Scott 740 var, local precancel, plate number 21253

Scott 740 var, preprint paper fold, plate number 21252 (Image courtesy of Bill Langs)

Scott 741, 2¢ Grand Canyon National Park, plate number 21254

Scott 741 var, misperfed horizontally, plate number 21261 (Image courtesy of Bill Langs)

Scott 741 var, 2¢ Grand Canyon National Park, misperfed due to paper fold, plate number 21257 (Image courtesy of Stuart Katz)

Scott 741b, 2¢ imperforate vertically error, plate number 21259

Scott 742, 3¢ Mount Rainier National Park, plate number F21262

Scott 742 var, 3¢ Mount Rainier, probably fake local precancel, plate number 21262

Clues:
- The population of Lynden, Washington in the 1930's was around 1600 people. There was no legitimate need for precancels
- The quality appears to be more typical of a rubber handstamp applied manually to a single stamp, rather than of an overprint-type mat with high quality ink applied in a grid to a block of stamps by a professional printer
- No example is known on cover. The precancellation appears to have been applied some time after any possible contemporary usage
- The stamp was offered along with a number of other identical suspicious local precancels on stamps spanning a quarter century

Scott 742 var, 3¢ misperfed in selvage due to paper fold, plate number F21262

Scott 742 var, 3¢ preprint paper fold, plate number 21277 (Image courtesy of Bill Langs)

Scott 743, 4¢ Mesa Verde National Park, plate number 21329

Scott 744, 5¢ Yellowstone National Park, plate number F21279

Scott 745, 6¢ Crater Lake National Park, plate number F21321

Scott 745 var, 6¢ Crater Lake, probably fake local precancel, plate number 21320

Clues:
- The population of Lynden, Washington in the 1930's was around 1600 people. There was no legitimate need for precancels, especially for a multi rate stamp
- The quality appears to be more typical of a rubber handstamp applied manually to a single stamp, rather than of an overprint-type mat with high quality ink applied in a grid to a block of stamps by a professional printer
- No example is known on cover. The precancellation appears to have been applied some time after any possible contemporary usage
- The stamp was offered along with a number of other identical suspicious local precancels on stamps spanning a quarter century

Scott 746, 7¢ Acadia National Park, plate number F21336

Scott 747, 8¢ Zion National Park, plate number 21325

Scott 747 var, 8¢ misperfed due to pre-print paper fold, plate number 21326 (Image courtesy of Bill Langs)

Scott 748, 9¢ Glacier National Park, plate number 21319

Scott 748 var, 9¢ Glacier National Park, misperfed due to paper fold, plate number 21319

Scott 749, 10¢ Smokey Mountain National Park, plate number F21339

Scott 750a, 3¢ APS (Rainier), from souvenir sheet (Scott 750), plate number 21303

Scott 751a, 1¢ Trans-Mississippi (Yosemite), from souvenir sheet (Scott 751), plate number 21341

Scott 751a var, 1¢ Trans-Mississippi (Yosemite), local precancel, plate number 21341

Farley Special Printings

In 1935, Postmaster General James A. Farley gave some friends some uncut press sheets and other unfinished stamps that had not yet completed the stampmaking process. Some were imperforate, nearly all were ungummed, and most had not yet been separated into post office panes (what we usually today call "sheets") and souvenir sheets. As a result of the ensuing public uproar, the Post Office was forced to reissue these "errors" and make them available to the general public. These odd issues are known as "Farleys" after their creator.

Scott 752, 3¢ Newburgh special printing, plate number 21119

Scott 753, 3¢ Byrd Expedition special printing, plate number 21168

Scott 754, 3¢ Mother's Day, imperforate, plate number 21205

Scott 755, 3¢ Wisconsin Tercentenary, imperforate, plate number F21239

Scott 756, 1¢ Yosemite National Park, imperforate, plate number F21249

Scott 757, 2¢ Grand Canyon National Park, imperforate, plate number 21254

Scott 758, 3¢ Mount Rainier National Park, imperforate, plate number 21265

Scott 759, 4¢ Mesa Verde National Park, imperforate, plate number F21330

Scott 760, 5¢ Yellowstone National Park, imperforate, plate number F21279

Scott 761, 6¢ Crater Lake National Park, imperforate, plate number 21320

Scott 762, 7¢ Acadia National Park, imperforate, plate number F21333

Scott 763, 8¢ Zion National Park, imperforate, plate number F21327

Scott 764, 9¢ Glacier National Park, imperforate, plate number 21319

Scott 765, 10¢ Smokey Mountain National Park, imperforate, plate number F21342

Scott 766a, 1¢ Century of Progress special printing, vertical gutter pair with plate number 21145

Scott 767a, 3¢ Century of Progress special printing, vertical gutter pair with plate number 21146

Scott 767a, local precancel, plate number 21160

Scott 768a, 3¢ Byrd special printing, with typical extra selvage, plate number 21184

Scott 769a, 1¢ Trans-Miss (Yosemite) special printing, horizontal gutter pair with plate number 21341

Scott 769a var, probably fake local precancel, plate number 21341

Clues:
- The population of Ridgefield, Washington in the 1930's was barely 600 people. There was no legitimate need for precancels, especially on a reprinted Farley souvenir sheet
- The quality appears to be more typical of a rubber handstamp, rather than of an overprint-type mat with high quality ink applied in a grid to a block of stamps by a professional printer
- No example is known on cover -- which in any event would have been difficult given that the Farley reprint press sheets were issued ungummed. The precancellation was likely applied some time after any possible contemporary usage

Scott 770a var, probably fake local precancel, plate number 21303

Clues:
- The population of Kingsburg, California in the 1930's was around 1400 people. There was no legitimate need for precancels, especially on a reprinted Farley souvenir sheet
- The quality appears to be more typical of a rubber handstamp, rather than of an overprint-type mat with high quality ink applied in a grid to a block of stamps by a professional printer
- No example is known on cover -- which in any event would have been difficult given that the Farley reprint press sheets were issued ungummed. The precancellation appears to have been applied some time after any possible contemporary usage
- The stamp was offered along with a number of other identical suspicious local precancels on stamps spanning a quarter century

Scott 770a, 3¢ APS (Rainier) special printing, horizontal gutter pair with plate number 21303

Scott 770a, 3¢ APS (Rainier) special printing, vertical gutter pair with plate number 21303

Scott 771, 16¢ Air Mail Special Delivery imperforate, plate number F21312

1935 Commemoratives

Scott 772, 3¢ Connecticut, plate number 21394

Scott 773, 3¢ San Diego Exposition, plate number 21406

Scott 773 var, local precancel, plate number 21406

Scott 774, 3¢ Boulder Dam (now Hoover Dam), plate number 21458

Scott 774 var, misperfed, plate number F21460 (Image courtesy of Stuart Katz)

1936 Commemoratives

Scott 775, 3¢ Michigan Statehood, plate number 21469

Scott 776, 3¢ Texas Centennial, plate number 21539

Scott 777, 3¢ Roger Williams / founding of Rhode Island, plate number 21561

Scott 777 var, 3¢ Rhode Island, misperfed horizontally through plate number 21560

Scott 778d, 3¢ Texas Centennial single from TIPEX souvenir sheet, plate number 21557

Scott 778d var, local precancel, plate number 21558

Scott 778c var, miscut with plate number appearing at top, plate number 21558

Scott 782, 3¢ Arkansas Centennial, plate number 21565

Scott 783, 3¢ Oregon Territory, plate number 21576

Scott 784, 3¢ Susan B. Anthony, plate number 21590

Scott 784 var, local precancel, plate number 21591

1937 Army-Navy issue

Scott 785, 1¢ Army used, plate number 21603

Scott 786, 2¢ Army, plate number 21608

Scott 786 var, local precancel, plate number 21609

Scott 787, 3¢ Army, plate number 21638

Scott 788, 4¢ Army, plate number 21653

Scott 789, 5¢ Army, plate number 21681

Scott 790, 1¢ Navy, plate number 21607

Scott 790 var, local precancel, plate number 21605

Scott 791, 2¢ Navy, plate number 21613

Scott 791 var, local precancel, plate number 21614

Scott 792, 3¢ Navy, plate number 21631

Scott 793, 4¢ Navy, plate numbers 21655, 21656, 21657, 21658

Scott 794, 5¢ Navy, Shrub Oak NY cancellation 15 years later (possibly by famous stamp dealer and Shrub Oak resident Herman Herst?), plate number 21686

1937 Commemoratives

Scott 795, 3¢ Northwest Territory, plate number 21694

Scott 795 var, local precancel, plate number 21694

Scott 796, 5¢ Virginia Dare, with socked-on-the-nose first-day cancellation (Aug. 18, 1937, Manteo, NC), plate number 21699

Scott 798, 3¢ Constitution, plate number 21706

Scott 798 var, misperfed horizontally, plate number 21707 (Image courtesy of eBay / stuffpreserve)

Scott 797, 10¢ S.P.A. souvenir sheeti, plate number 21695

Scott 797 var, local precancel, plate number 21695

1938 Commemoratives

Scott 799, 3¢ Hawaii Territory, plate number 21712

Scott 800, 3¢ Alaska Territory, plate number 21714

Scott 801, 3¢ Puerto Rico Territory, plate number 21724

Scott 802, 3¢ Virgin Islands Territory, plate number 21730

Scott 835, 3¢ Constitution Ratification, plate number 21905

Scott 836, 3¢ Swedish-Finnish Settlement, plate number F21955

Scott 836 var, pre-print paper fold, plate number 21956 (Image courtesy of eBay / ckstamps)

Scott 837, 3¢ Northwest Territory Ordinance, plate numbers 22027, 22028, 22029 and 22030

Scott 838, 3¢ Iowa Territory, plate numbers 22091 and 22092

1939 Commemoratives

Scott 852, 3¢ Golden Gate Exposition, plate numbers 22289, 22290, 22291 and 22292

Scott 853, 3¢ New York World's Fair, plate number 22295

Scott 853 var, misperfed vertically, plate number 22296 (Image courtesy of Bill Langs)

Scott 853 var, misperfed horizontally at bottom, plate number 22294

Scott 854, 3¢ Washington Inauguration, plate number F22367

Scott 855, 3¢ Baseball, plate number 22386

Scott 856, 3¢ Panama Canal, plate number 22396

This was the last commemorative stamp printed by the flat plate method. Except for the 1956 $5 Hamilton stamp in the Liberty series, virtually all subsequent U.S. postage stamps were printed on rolls or webs of paper fed through rotary type presses. As a result, modern 5-digit plate numbers almost always appear in the corners of the panes.

Scott 857, 3¢ Printing, plate numbers 22438, 22439, 22440 and 22450

Scott 858, 3¢ Washington, Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota statehood, plate number 22457

Related links:

1920s Commemoratives

The Presidential Series

1940s Commemoratives

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This page last updated August 6, 2024.