Early U.S. Airmail stamps
1918 issue
Scott
C1, 6¢, plate number 9155
Scott
C2, 16¢,
plate number F8900
Scott
C2 var, local precancel, plate number F8900
Scott
C3, 24¢, red plate number
8492
Scott
C3, 24¢, blue
plate number 8493
Scott
C3 var, 24¢ "fast plane,"
red
plate number 8492
Scott
C3 var, 24¢ "high and
fast plane,"
blue plate number 8493 and red
plate number 8492
Scott
C3 var, 24¢ "high plane,"
red
plate number 8492
Scott
C3a, 24¢ frame inverted
error, blue
plate number 8493 T
A plate number single of this stamp does not
actually exist. The sole plate block from the unique sheet has been
preserved intact. The above image is a mock-up of what a Scott C3a
plate single might look like. It was created by a former APNSS
Secretary, the late Tom Yano, and was used as an eye-catcher and as part
of the APNSS logo for some years.
Scott
C3a, 24¢ frame inverted
error, blue
plate number 8493, photographically cropped from the unique plate block
of 4. No red plate number appeared on the original invert sheet.
1923 issue
Scott
C4, 8¢,
plate number 14824
Scott
C5, 16¢,
plate number 14828
Scott
C6, 24¢,
plate number 14841
1926-27 "Map" issue
Scott
C7, 10¢,
plate number 18246
Scott
C7 var, local precancel,
plate number 18247
Scott
C8, 15¢, plate number 18746
Scott
C9, 20¢,
plate number18898
Scott
C9 var, 20¢,
Plate Number F18892 B. On this plate, the "F"
appeared in both the normal Top Right position as well as inverted in the
Lower Left position as in this example.
Scott
C9 var, 20¢,
misperfed due to paper fold, plate number18893
1927 Lindbergh issue
Scott
C10, 10¢,
plate number 18999
Scott
C10 var, local precancel, plate number 18998
Scott
C10a, 10¢
from booklet pane, plate number 19427
1928 Beacon issue
Scott
C11, 5¢, red plate
number 19570 and blue plate number 19546
Scott
C11 var, "open door" variety, blue plate
number F19666
Scott
C11 var, blue vignette shifted to left, red plate
number 19701
Scott
C11 var, blue vignette shifted to right, blue plate
number F19688 (Image courtesy of Bill Langs)
Scott
C11 var, blue vignette shifted to top, red plate
number 19702
Scott
C11 var, blue vignette shifted to bottom, red plate
number F19551
Winged Globe issues
Scott
C12, 5¢ flat plate issue,
plate number 19944
Scott
C12 var, 5¢, ghost plate number 20189
Scott
C16, 5¢ rotary press issue,
plate number 20606
Scott
C16 var, 5¢ rotary press issue, ghost plate number 20607
Scott
C19, 6¢,
plate number 21235
Scott
C19 var, local precancel, plate number 21598
Scott
C19 var, misperfed vertically, plate number 21234
Scott
C17, 8¢,
plate number 21030
Scott
C17 var, local precancel, plate number 21028
Scott
C17 var, 8¢,
misperfed horizontally, captured plate number 21031
Scott
C24, 30¢,
plate number F22384
1930 Zeppelin issue
Scott
C13, 65¢,
plate number 20077
Scott
C14, $1.30,
plate number 20085
Scott
C15, $2.60,
plate number 20092
1933 "Baby Zeppelin" issue
Scott
C18, 50¢,
plate number 21172
1935-37 China Clipper issues
Scott
C20, 25¢,
plate number 21476
Scott
C21, 20¢ green,
plate number 21626
Scott
C21 var, 20¢ dark green,
plate number 21623
Scott
C22, 50¢,
plate number 21625
1935 Bi-colored Eagle issue
Scott
C23, 6¢ dark blue & carmine, plate
numbers F21847 and 21855
Scott
C23 var (formerly C23c), 6¢ ultramarine & carmine error,
plate
number F21948
Scott
C23 var, 6¢,
local precancel,
plate
number 21903
Scott
C23 var, 6¢, misperfed vertically,
plate
number 21835
Scott
C23 var, 6¢ dark blue & carmine,
misperfed horizontally, plate
numbers 21921 and F21835
Scott
C23 var, 6¢ dark blue & carmine, carmine shifted to top, plate
number F21844 (Image courtesy of Bill Langs)
Scott
C23 var, 6¢ dark blue & carmine,
misperfed due to paper fold, carmine shifted to bottom, plate
number F21845
Scott
C23P var, proof of blue frame, plate number F21838, and of carmine vignette, plate number F21840
Images courtesy of the National Postal Museum
Scott
C23a, 6¢ dark blue & carmine, imperforate horizontally error, pair with plate
number 21835
1941-44 Transport issue
Scott
C25, 6¢,
plate number 23253
Scott
C25 var, misperfed vertically, plate number 23165 (Image courtesy of Stuart Katz)
Scott
C25 var, misperfed horizontally (low), plate number 23348 (Image courtesy of Bill Langs)
Scott
C25 var, misperfed horizontally (high), plate number 23348 (Image courtesy of eBay / sheetguy2)
Scott
C25 var, 6¢,
over-inked, plate number 23253
Scott
C25a, 6¢,
booklet single with partial plate number 22980
Scott
C25a, 6¢, misperfed vertically, plate number 22980 (Image courtesy of Doug D'Avino)
A plate number example of C25 with faked R.F. overprint and cancellation is illusted on the AMG-France page.
Scott
C26, 8¢,
plate number 23128
Scott
C26 var, 8¢ local precancel, plate number 23121
Scott
C27, 10¢,
plate number 22757
Scott
C27 var, 10¢ local precancel, plate number 22757
Scott
C28, 15¢,
plate number 22765
Scott
C29, 20¢,
plate number 22761
Scott
C30, 30¢,
plate number 22774
Scott
C31, 50¢,
plate number 22778
Most airmail stamps that picture an airplane use a real plane.
For the "Transport" issue, the plane is a mock-up of various features from
different planes and manufacturers. The tri-tail, for example, is
borrowed from the Lockheed Constellation.
1945 DC-4 Skymaster
Scott
C32, 5¢,
Large Skymaster, plate number 23488
Scott
C32 var, 5¢, misperfed horizontally, plate number 23487 (Image courtesy of Bill Langs)
Scott
C33, 5¢
Small Skymaster, plate number 23586
Scott
C33 var, 5¢
Small Skymaster, phantom plate number 23532
Scott
C37, 5¢
Small Skymaster coil, partial plate number 23717
Scott
C39, 6¢
Small Skymaster, wet printing, plate number 24042
Scott
C39 var, 6¢ overinked, plate number 23985 (Image courtesy of Bill Langs)
Scott
C39 var, 6¢
misperfed vertically to left, plate number 23985
Scott
C39 var, 6¢ misperfed vertically to right, plate number 23974 (Image courtesy of Stuart Katz)
Scott
C39 var, misperfed horizontally, also dry printing, plate number 23976 (Image courtesy of Stuart Katz)
Scott
C39 var, 6¢ misperfed vertically and horizontally, plate number 24031
Scott
C39b, 6¢ Small Skymaster, dry printing, plate number 25340
Scott
C39a, 6¢ Small DC-4 Skymaster, single from
wet printed booklet pane, plate number 24264
Scott
C41, 6¢ Small DC-4 Skymaster coil, plate number 24170
1947-49 issues
Scott
C34, 10¢
Pan American Union Building, wet printing, plate number 23694
Scott
C34, misperfed horizontally, plate number 23693 (Image courtesy of eBay / sheetguy2)
Scott
C34a, 10¢ dry printing, plate number 25613
Scott
C34 var, 10¢ double paper error, plate number 23693
Scott
C35, 15¢ NYC skyline, wet printing, plate number 25940
Scott
C35 var, misperfed vertically, captured plate number 24585 (Image courtesy of eBay / sheetguy2)
Scott
C35 var, misperfed horizontally, plate number 24505 (Image courtesy of eBay / sheetguy2)
Scott
C35 var, 15¢ overinked, plate number 24505
Scott
C35 var, 15¢ under-inked, plate number 23685 (Image courtesy of Stuart Katz)
Scott
C35b, 15¢ dry printing, plate number 25940
Scott
C36, 25¢
Brooklyn Bridge, wet printing, plate number 23668
Scott
C36a, 25¢ dry printing, plate number 25615
Scott
C38, 5¢ New York City,
plate number 23846
Scott
C40, 5¢ Alexandria, Virginia,
plate number 24088
Scott
C40, misperfed vertically, plate number 24088 (Image courtesy of eBay / sheetguy2)
Scott
C40 var, under-inked,
plate number 24085
Scott
C40 var, overinked,
plate number 24083
1949 U.P.U. issue
Scott
C42, 10¢,
plate number 24155
Scott
C43, 15¢,
plate number 24149
Scott
C44, 25¢,
plate number 24153
1950-1961 issues
Scott
C45, 6¢ Wright Brothers, plate number 24158
Scott
C46, 80¢, plate number 24592
Scott
C46, 80¢, local precancel, plate number 24593
Scott
C46 var, 80¢, local precancel, plate number 24593
It is possible the local precancel was added long after contemporary usage to create a philatelic curiosity. It is doubtful that the Drummond, Montana post office, serving a population of ~500 at the time, had a major need for 80¢ airmail stamps at all, much less precancels.
Scott
C47, 6¢, 50th Anniversary of Flight, plate number 24782
Scott
C48, 4¢ Eagle, plate number 25034
This is the lowest denomination U.S. airmail stamp ever issued.
It met the airmail postcard rate.
Scott
C48 var, 4¢ Eagle, local precancel, plate number 25035
Scott
C49, 6¢, 50th Anniversary of Air Force, plate number 25762
Scott
C49 var, 6¢, misperfed due to paper fold, plate number 25762
Scott
C50, 5¢ Eagle, plate number 26053
Scott
C50 var, 5¢ Eagle, local precancel, plate number 26052
The multi-colored 8¢ Champions of Liberty stamps issued from 1957 to 1961 were intended to pay an airmail rate. However, there was no specific indication that they were "airmail" stamps, so they were assigned catalog numbers along with regular and commemorative issues. Plate number examples appear on the Four Cent Commemoratives web page.
Scott
C51, 7¢ sheet, plate number 26178
Scott
C51 var, misperfed horizontally, plate number 26385 (Image courtesy of Stuart Katz)
Scott
C51a, 7¢ single from booklet, plate number 26043 (Image courtesy of Doug D'Avino)
Scott
C52, 7¢ coil, plate number 26055
Scott
C53, 7¢ Alaska statehood, plate
number 26225
Scott
C54, 7¢ Balloon Jupiter, plate number 26397
Scott
C54 var, misperfed vertically, plate number 26391
Scott
C55, 7¢ Hawaii statehood,
plate number 26432
Scott
C56, 10¢ Pan American Games, plate number 26413
Scott
C56 var, misperfed horizontally, plate number 26413
Scott
C56 var, misperfed both horizontally and vertically, plate number 26414
Scott
C57, 10¢ Liberty Bell, plate number 26635
Scott
C57 var, misperfed horizontally, plate number 26630 (Image courtesy of Stuart Katz)
Scott
C58, 15¢ Statue of Liberty Type I with frame, plate number 26486
Scott
C58 var, misperfed vertically, plate number 26482 (Image courtesy of Bill Langs)
Scott
C59, 25¢ Lincoln, plate number 26570
Scott
C59a, 25¢ Lincoln, tagged, plate number 31604
Scott
C60, 7¢ Jet (sheet), carmine, plate number 26444
Scott
C60a, 7¢ Jet (booklet pane of 6), carmine, plate number 26459
Scott
C61, 7¢ Jet coil: no image available
Scott
C62, 13¢ Liberty Bell, plate number 26970
Scott
C62a, 13¢ Liberty Bell, tagged, plate number 26965
Scott
C63, 15¢ Statue of Liberty Type II without frame, plate number
28645
Scott
C63 var, double perfed vertically, plate number
26878 (Image courtesy of Stuart Katz)
Scott
C63 var, misperfed horizontally, captured plate numbers
28033 and 28340 (Images courtesy of eBay / sheetguy2)
Scott
C63 var, offset with plate number
28033 on reverse
Scott
C63b, imperf vertically error, plate number
28340 (Image courtesy of The Philatelic Foundation)
1962-1964 issues
Scott
C64, 8¢ Jet over Capitol,
untagged, plate number 27681
Scott
C64 var, 8¢ Jet over Capitol,
untagged local precancel, plate number 28042
Scott
C64 var, misperfed vertically, plate number 28423 (Image courtesy of Stuart Katz)
Scott
C64 var, misperfed due to foldover, plate number 27366 (Image courtesy of Kelleher Auctions)
Scott
C64 var, 8¢,
from a complete pane printed without any plate number ("00000")
Must be collected as a strip of 10 or 20 or full pane of 100 to prove that the plate number does not appear in another corner.
Photographically cropped from a full pane. Image courtesy of The Philatelic Foundation.
Scott
C64b, 8¢ single from untagged booklet pane, plate number 24375
Scott
C64b var, tab from untagged booklet pane showing plate number 28115
Scott
C64a, 8¢ Jet over Capitol, tagged. plate number 27366
The taggant is evident in the selvage.
Scott
C64c, 8¢ single from tagged booklet pane, plate number 24375
Scott
C64c var, tab from tagged booklet pane showing plate number 28576
Scott
C65, 8¢ Jet over Capitol untagged coil: no image available
Scott
C65a, 8¢ Jet over Capitol tagged coil: no image available
1963-1969 issues
Scott
C66, 8¢ Montgomery Blair,
plate number 27466
Scott
C67, 6¢ Eagle,
untagged, plate number 27391
Scott
C67a, 6¢ Eagle,
tagged, plate number 27390 (Image courtesy of The Philatelic Foundation)
Scott
C68, 8¢ Amelia Earhart,
plate number 27548
Amelia Earhart was lost at sea
during an around-the-world flight in 1937. At the time this stamp
was issued in 1966, she had still not been declared legally dead.
Postal regulations prohibit "portraying" a living person on a stamp, thus
she is pictured at a distance, in front of her favorite Lockheed Electra,
instead of the usual portrait as for most people who are honored with a stamp.
Thomas Edison was still living when a stamp in three formats was
issued in 1929 to honor the 50th anniversary of his invention of the
electric light bulb. These stamps show
how this problem was circumvented in an earlier time.
Current
postal regulations require that the honoree be deceased for five years
before they can be considered for a stamp, with the exception of
presidents. Still, there are many occasions when an event is
portrayed (such as landing on the moon) where it is obvious who the person
must be, even if they are still alive, as well as numerous instances of
photographs, models and other images that include living people being used
as the basis for stamps. These occurrences are avidly tracked in the
philatelic press.
Scott
C69, 8¢ Robert H. Goddard,
plate number 27860
Scott
C70, 8¢ Alaska Purchase,
plate number 29022
Scott
C71, 20¢ Audubon,
plate number 29096
Scott
C71 var, 20¢ Audubon,
plate number 29086 with rest of plate number printed on the back of the
paper fold
Scott
C71a, tagging omitted error, plate number 29096 (Image courtesy of Bob Langs)
Scott
C72, 10¢ Field of 50 stars,
plate number 31895
Scott
C72 var, 10¢ Field of 50 stars precancel,
plate number 29494
Scott
C72c, Mail Early single from booklet pane of 5, plate number 29564 (Image courtesy of Doug D'Avino)
No plate number examples from the booklet pane of 8, Scott C72b, are known.
Scott
C73, 10¢ Field of 50 Stars coil, plate number 29501
Scott
C74, 10¢ Airmail Service,
plate number 29673
Scott
C75, 20¢ USA and Jet,
plate number 30510
Scott
C75 var, 20¢ USA and Jet,
plate number 30602, all three colors offset on back
Scott
C76, 10¢ First Man on the Moon,
plate number 31392
Scott
C76 var, red color shifted to right, yellow color shifted to left, plate number 31387
Scott
C76 var, misperfed vertically, plate number 31392 (Image courtesy of eBay / sheetguy2)
Scott
C76a, error - red missing from flag
patch on astronaut's suit, plate number
31401
Scott
C76b, tagging omitted error (unique), plate number
31374 (Image courtesy of William L. Langs)
Related links:
Modern Airmails
Special Delivery issues
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This page last updated October 2, 2023. |