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1950-1958 Three Cent Commemorative issues

1950 Issues

Scott 987, 3¢ American Bankers Association, plate number 24160

The Samuel Gompers issue, Scott 988, appears on the Famous Americans page.

Scott 989, 3¢ National Capital Sesquicentennial, plate number 24184

Scott 989 var, showing missing perforations, plate number 24188

Scott 989 var, fake local precancel, plate number 24185

Clues:
- Local precancels were generally only authorized for definitive size stamps
- Wayland had only about 1800 people in 1950 and no major industries or other 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 precancellations appear to have been applied long 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 990, 3¢ White House, plate number 24211

Scott 991, 3¢ Supreme Court, plate number 24246

Scott 992, 3¢ Capitol, plate number 24285

Scott 993, 3¢ Railroad Engineers, plate number 24196

Scott 994, 3¢ Kansas City, plate number 24205

Scott 995, 3¢ Boy Scouts, plate number 24224

Scott 995 var, local precancel, plate number 24225

Scott 996, 3¢ Indiana Territory, plate number 24238

Scott 997, 3¢ California statehood, plate number 24261

Scott 998, 3¢ United Confederate Veterans, plate number 24369

Scott 999, 3¢ Nevada settlement, plate number 24417

Scott 999 var, misperfed horizontally, plate number 24431

Scott 999 var, misperfed horizontally, plate number 24430 (UL image courtesy of Stuart Katz)

Scott 1000, 3¢ Landing of Cadillac at Detroit, plate number 24440

1951 Issues

Scott 1001, 3¢ Colorado statehood, plate number 24448

Scott 1002, 3¢ American Chemical Society, plate number 24474

Scott 1003, 3¢ Battle of Brooklyn, plate number 24556

Scott 1003 var, fake local precancel, plate number 24558

Clues:
- Local precancels were generally only authorized for definitive size stamps
- The stamp was issued in 1951 when the abbreviation for California was "Cal." or "Calif." -- the 2-character CA was not used until ZIP codes were introduced in the 1960's
- Buellton, California only had a population of 1470 when it was incorporated 20 years later It has no major industries or other 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 precancellations appear to have been applied long 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 1003 var, misperfed vertically, captured plate number 24560 (Image courtesy of eBay / sheetguy2)

1952 Issues

Scott 1004, 3¢ Betsy Ross, plate number 24578

Scott 1005, 3¢ 4-H, plate number 24583

Scott 1006, 3¢ B & O Railroad, plate number 24605

Scott 1006 var, misperfed horizontally, plate number 24607 (Left image courtesy of Stuart Katz)

Scott 1007, 3¢ American Automobile Association, plate number 24613

Scott 1007 var, misperfed horizontally (low), plate number 24611 (Images courtesy of Stuart Katz)

Scott 1007 var, misperfed horizontally (high), plate number 24611 (Image courtesy of eBay / sheetguy2)

Scott 1008, 3¢ NATO Treaty, plate number 24633

Scott 1008 var, misperfed horizontally to bottom and not cut at the gutter, plate number 24645

Scott 1008 var, misperfed horizontally to top, plate number 24643

Scott 1008 var, misperfed vertically, plate number 24640 (Image courtesy of Stuart Katz)

Scott 1008 var, over-inked and ink smear, plate number 24634 (Image courtesy of Stuart Katz)

Scott 1009, 3¢ Grand Coulee Dam, plate number 24647

Scott 1010, 3¢ Lafayette, plate number 24663

Scott 1011, 3¢ Mount Rushmore, plate number 24670

Scott 1011 var, misperfed vertically, plate number 24672

Scott 1012, 3¢ Engineering, plate number 24677

Scott 1013, 3¢ Women in Armed Services, plate number 24683

Scott 1014, 3¢ Gutenberg Bible, plate number 24691

Scott 1015, 3¢ Newspaperboys, plate number 24695

Scott 1015 var, misperfed horizontally, plate number 24697 (Image courtesy of eBay / CK Stamps)

1953 Issues

Scott 1016, 3¢ International Red Cross, plate number 24719

Scott 1016 var, local precancel, plate number 24720

Scott 1017, 3¢ National Guard, plate number 24745

Scott 1018, 3¢ Ohio statehood, plate number 24753

Scott 1018 var, misperfed vertically, plate number 24754 (Image courtesy of Steve Malack)

Scott 1018 var, misprinted to bottom (appears misperfed horizontally), plate number 24754

Scott 1018 var, misperfed vertically and horizontally, plate number 24753 (Image courtesy of eBay / sheetguy2)

Scott 1019, 3¢ Washington Territory, plate number 24761

Scott 1020, 3¢ Louisiana Purchase, plate number 24772

Scott 1021, 5¢ Opening of Japan, plate number 24805

Scott 1021 var, misperfed horizontally, plate number 24803 (Image courtesy of eBay / sheetguy2)

Scott 1022, 3¢ American Bar Association, plate number 24834

Scott 1022 var, misperfed horizontally,, plate number 24830 (Image courtesy of eBay / sheetguy2)

Scott 1023, 3¢ Sagamore Hill, plate number 24850

Scott 1023 var, misperfed vertically, plate number 24853

Scott 1024, 3¢ Future Farmers, plate number 24825

Scott 1024 var, 3¢ dry print (with BEP rejection marks on the adjacent stamp), plate number 24825

Scott 1024 var, 3¢ starved ink and misperfed; should have been rejected but issued instead, plate number 24827
(Image courtesy of Stuart Katz)

Scott 1024 var, misperfed horizontally, plate number 24828

Scott 1025, 3¢ Trucking Industry, plate number 24872

Scott 1026, 3¢ Gen. George S. Patton, Jr., plate number 24875

Scott 1027, 3¢ 300th Anniversary of New York, plate number 24886

Scott 1028, 3¢ Gadsden Purchase, plate number 24893

1954 Issues

Scott 1029, 3¢ Columbian University, plate number 24896

Scott 1060, 3¢ Nebraska Territory, plate number 24967

Scott 1060 var, misperfred horizontally, plate number 24969

Scott 1061, 3¢ Kansas Territory, plate number 24989

Scott 1062, 3¢ George Eastman, plate number 25010

Scott 1063, 3¢ Lewis and Clark Expedition, plate number 25023

1955 Issues

Scott 1064, 3¢ Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, plate number 25104

Scott 1065, 3¢ Land Grant Colleges, plate number 25119

Scott 1065 var, local precancel, plate number 25120

Clues:
- Local precancels were generally only authorized for definitive size stamps
- Battle Mountain, nicknamed the "Armpit of America," had a population under 3000 in the 2000 census and no legitimate need for precancels. Census figures for 1940 or 1950 could not be located, but based on a contemporary photo of Main Street, it would be surprising if it hit four figures
- 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 precancellations appear to have been applied long 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 1065 var, misperfed horizontally, plate number 2511(8)

Scott 1065 var, misperfed vertically and horizontally, plate number 25118

Scott 1066, 8¢ Rotary International, plate number 25126

Scott 1067, 3¢ Armed Forces Reserves, plate number 25178

Scott 1067 var, fake local precancel, plate number 25178

Clues:
- Local precancels were generally only authorized for definitive size stamps
- While it is the county seat and there are numerous gold mines in the area, Elko only had 5400 residents in 1950 and 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 precancellations appear to have been applied long 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 1067 var, intense over-inking, plate number 25177 (Image courtesy of Stuart Katz)

Scott 1067 var, misprinted to top (appears misperfed horizontally), plate number 25176

Scott 1068, 3¢ New Hampshire, plate number 25185

Scott 1068 var, misprinted to left (appears misperfed vertically), plate number 25185

Scott 1069, 3¢ Great Lakes Transportation, plate number 25196

Scott 1069 var, misprinted to top (appears mis-perfed horizontally), plate number 25196

Scott 1069 var, misperfed horizontally), plate number 25194

Scott 1070, 3¢ Atomic Energy, plate number 25209

Scott 1071, 3¢ Fort Ticonderoga, plate number 25248

Scott 1072, 3¢ Andrew W. Mellon, plate number 25301

Scott 1072 var, misprinted to right (appears as misperfed vertically), plate number 25301

1956 Issues

Scott 1073, 3¢ Benjamin Franklin, plate number 25329

Scott 1074, 3¢ Booker T. Washington, plate number 25380

Scott 1074 var, fake local precancel, plate number 25383

Clues:
- Local precancels were generally only authorized for definitive size stamps
- While it is the county seat and there are numerous gold mines in the area, Elko only had 5400 residents in 1950 and 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 precancellations appear to have been applied long 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 1074 var, misperfed horizontally, plate number 25382

Scott 1076, 3¢ SIPEX, plate number 25374

Scott 1077, 3¢ Wildlife Conservation, Wild Turkey, plate number 25409

Scott 1077 var, misperfed vertically, captured plate number 25395 (Image courtesy of Stuart Katz)

Scott 1077 var, fake local precancel, plate number 25398

Clues:
- Local precancels were generally only authorized for definitive size stamps
- Founded as Fort Maitland during the Seminole Wars in the 1820's, the Orange County suburb of Maitland was not incorporated as a city until 1960. It only had 889 residents in the 1950 census. The town had no major industries or other 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 precancellations appear to have been applied long 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 1078, 3¢ Wildlife Conservation, Antelope, plate number 25432

Scott 1078 var, fake local precancel, plate number 25432

See the 3¢ Turkey stamp above for clues.

Scott 1078 var, misperfed vertically, plate number 25430

Scott 1079, 3¢ Wildlife Conservation, Salmon, plate number 25498

Scott 1079 var, fake local precancel, plate number 25496

See the 3¢ Turkey stamp above for clues.

Scott 1080, 3¢ Pure Food and Drug Laws, plate number 25438

Scott 1081, 3¢ Wheatlands, plate number 25476

Scott 1082, 3¢ Labor Day, plate number 25489

Scott 1083, 3¢ Nassau Hall, plate number 25470

Scott 1084, 3¢ Devil's Tower National Monument, plate number 25501

Scott 1085, 3¢ Children, plate number 25536

Scott 1085 var, fake local precancel, plate number 25535

Clues:
- Local precancels were generally only authorized for definitive size stamps
- The stamp was issued in 1956 when the abbreviation for California was "Cal." or "Calif." -- the 2-character CA was not used until ZIP Codes were introduced in the 1960's
- The Orange County suburb of Fountain Valley was not even incorporated until 1957 and only had 2000 residents in 1960, the first census in which it appears. The town had no major industries or other 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 precancellations appear to have been applied long 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

1957 Issues

Scott 1086, 3¢ Alexander Hamilton, plate number 25598

Scott 1086 var, misperfed due to paper fold, plate number 25599

Scott 1087, 3¢ Polio, plate number 25605

Scott 1088, 3¢ Coast and Geodetic Survey, plate number 25624

Scott 1088 var, fake local precancel, plate number 25622

Clues:
- Local precancels were generally only authorized for definitive size stamps
- The stamp was issued in 1957 when the abbreviation for Nevada was "Nev." -- the 2-character NV was not used until ZIP Codes were introduced in the 1960's
- Fallon has fewer than 4,000 people and no major industries or other 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 precancellations appear to have been applied long after any possible contemporary usage
- The stamp was offered along with a number of other identical suspicious Fallon local precancels on stamps spanning a quarter century

Scott 1088 var, misperfed horizontally, plate number 25621

Scott 1089, 3¢ Architects, plate number 25628

Scott 1089 var, misperfed at top left due to paper fold, plate number 25628

Scott 1090, 3¢ Steel Industry, plate number 25700

Scott 1091, 3¢ International Naval Review, plate number 25724

Scott 1088 var, fake local precancel, plate number 25724

Clues:
- Local precancels were generally only authorized for definitive size stamps
- The stamp was issued in 1957 when the abbreviation for Nevada was "Nev." -- the 2-character NV was not used until ZIP codes were introduced in the 1960's
- Fallon has fewer than 4,000 people and no major industries or other 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 precancellations appear to have been applied long after any possible contemporary usage
- The stamp was offered along with a number of other identical suspicious Fallon local precancels on stamps spanning a quarter century

Scott 1092, 3¢ Oklahoma Statehood, plate number 25685

Scott 1093, 3¢ Teachers, plate number 25735

Scott 1094, 4¢ 48-Star Flag, plate number 25711

The four-cent 48-Star Flag was issued in 1957, a year before the unexpected rate change. It was a multi-colored international rate stamp, intended to pay the international surface postal card rate of 4¢. It was issued during the 3¢ rate period and appears with those stamps.

Scott 1094 var, misperfed horizontally to bottom, plate number 25712

Scott 1094 var, misperfed horizontally (high), plate number 25711 (Image courtesy of Hipstamp / northstamp)

Scott 1094 var, misperfed horizontally (low), plate number 25712

Scott 1095, 3¢ Shipbuilding, plate number 25778

The Ramon Magsaysay issue, Scott 1096, appears on the Champions of Liberty page.

Scott 1097, 3¢ Lafayette, plate number 25801

Scott 1098, 3¢ Wildlife Conservation, plate number 25867

Scott 1098 var, local precancel, plate number 25867

Scott 1098 var, misperfed horizontally, plate number 25864

Scott 1099, 3¢ Religious Freedom, plate number 25892

Scott 1099 var, misperfed due to paper fold, plate number 25891

1958 Issues

Scott 1100, 3¢ Gardening and Horticulture, plate number 25942

Scott 1104, 3¢ Brussels International Exhibition, plate number 25958

Scott 1104 var, misperfed horizontally, plate number 25959

Scott 1105, 3¢ James Monroe, plate number 25972

Scott 1105 var, misperfed horizontally, plate number 25971

Scott 1106, 3¢ Minnesota Statehood, plate number 25994

Scott 1107, 3¢ International Geophysical Year, plate number 26010

Scott 1107 var, probably fake local precancel, plate number 25993

Clues:
- Local precancels were generally only authorized for definitive size stamps
- While it is the county seat and there are numerous gold mines in the area, Elko only had 5400 residents in 1950 and 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 precancellations appear to have been applied long after any possible contemporary usage
- The stamp was offered along with a number of other identical suspicious Elko local precancels on stamps spanning a quarter century

Scott 1108, 3¢ Gunston Hall, home of patriot George Mason, plate number 26018

Scott 1109, 3¢ Mackinac Bridge, plate number 26029

Related links:

3¢ Commemoratives of the 1940's

The Presidential Series

The Liberty Series

4¢ Commemoratives

The Champions of Liberty Series

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This page last updated August 14, 2022.