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Official stamps

In the 1870s, government departments lost the franking privilege. Separate series of stamps were issued for each department's use. Except for the issues of the Post Office Department, which feature only numerals, the stamps were patterned on the then-current "banknote" issues.

1873 issues, Continental Bank Note Company

Printed on thin hard paper.

Executive Department

Officials and representatives of the President and Vice President were required to use these stamps on official mailings.

Scott O10S, 1¢ Executive specimen, pair with corrected plate number 82.

Plate 81 had already been assigned to the 30¢ War Department issue, so an engraver crossed out the erroneous 81 above position 6 and and below position 96, and engraved the correct plate number above position 7 and below position 97.

An unlisted specimen of the 1¢ printed is known printed on soft porous paper, yet there is no record of ABNC reprinting any of the Executive series after they took over the contract, and plates, from Continental.

Scott O10S var, 1¢ Executive, specimen overprint on imperf proof, plate number 81 (corrected to 82)

Scott O11, 2¢ Executive, plate number 75

Photographically cropped from the only recorded Executive plate block.

Scott O11SD, 2¢ Executive, plate number 75

Image courtesy of the Philatelic Foundation.

Scott O11S var, 2¢ Executive, specimen overprint on imperf proof, plate number 75

Scott O12S var, 3¢ Executive, specimen overprint on imperf proof, plate number 63

Scott O13, 6¢ Executive, plate number 76

This is the only recorded plate number item of the 6¢, and one of only two recorded examples of the double transfer of the numeral 6.

Scott O13S var, 6¢ Executive specimen, partial plate number 76

Scott O13S var, 6¢ Executive, specimen overprint on imperf proof, plate number 76

Scott O14S var, 10¢ Executive, specimen overprint on imperf proof, plate number 111

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This page last updated September 7, 2017.