Issued: Introduced on February 22nd, 1890. The earliest recorded example is 14th April, 1890.

Plate Size: Sheets of 200 subjects (2 panes of 100)

Printer: The American Bank Note Company

Watermark: None

Quantity Issued: 1,504,408

 

Plate blocks and any multiple greater than four are very scarce, more so in mint condition.

Without knowing it, the 1890 series was to be the American Bank Note Company's (ABN Co.) last printing of postage stamps. Until the flag overun series of the forties all stamps after this series were to be printed by the Bureau of printing and engraving.

On the left is shown the detail of a stamp from the 1890 series, note the absence of a triangle in the top left hand corner of the design. All the Bureau issues had a triangle cut into the design as shown on the right.

You will also notice the tremendous difference in quality between the two stamps. By 1890 the ABN Co. had perfected the art of printing postage stamps and it shows by the even ink sharp design and clean perforations. Contrast this with the spotty faded ink and uneven perforations on the Bureau's stamp on the right.

The 1890 30c design is essentialy a reworked design of the Jefferson bust that appears on the 1870 10c.

The original 1870 design of Jefferson was based, loosely on Houdon's bust of Jefferson. Unlike any other representation of Jefferson the bust had bare shoulders.

Shown below is a version, that very nearly made it as the default Jefferson bust to be used. Next to it is one of the many essays of the final 1870 version.

Below is shown the 1870 10c, note the similar bust used as in the 1894 50c vignette. The 1870 rendition of the bust was criticized in that it was said that Jefferson was appearing to be falling asleep or nodding off. This was corrected in the 1894 design, the vignette was tilted a tad to the right and the eyes reworked, the whole effect being one 'wide-awake' third president of the United States.

The resemblance between Houdon's bust of Thomas Jefferson and this rendition is quite marked.

There are no varieties of #228

228-TC1
Trial Color Proof
Dark Green

228-P2
Roosevelt Die Proof

228-P3
Plate Proof on India
(Mouted on Card)

228-P4
Plate Proof on Card