Issued: Officialy Jan 2nd 1893 and placed on sale the following day at the Expo, however there are five known covers from NY with a January 1st postmark (see image below)

Plate Size: Sheets of 200 subjects (2 panes of 100) and, because the ABC company ran out of the large printing press 45 plates were made in sheets of 100 (2 panes of 50)

Printer: The American Bank Note Company, thereafter, with one exception of the Overun stamps of 1943 all stamps have ssince been printed by the Bureau of Engraving

Watermark: None

Quantity Issued: 1,464,588,750

Usage: Paid the 2c domestic letter rate so therefore very common

As with all the values of this issue, look for Columbia Expo cancels, they marginaly increase value.

Occasionaly postmarks from states that had tiny amounts of mail in this year can add to the value. This is particularly true of Alaska and the Territories. For a list of the number of stamps issued by each state in the year ending 30th June 1894 click here.

The design orignated from a painting titled 'Columbus Landing at Guanahani' by John Vanderlyn. Now located in the Rotunda of the Washington Capitol Building.

Historicaly the landing of Columbus, which this stamp depicts, happened one day after Columbus sighted land, which the 1c stamp predicted. However Columbus, managed in the space of one day, to grow quite a substantial beard, that is if you believe the depictations in the stamps designs.

The stamps color ranges from violet to gray violet with little variation. There are two major varieties as shown below.

The broken hat variety

   

2c - Brown violet, gray violet or dark brown violet
Broken hat Variety - image shows broken hat area
Scott #231 var

					NY Auction Houses
	MNH	MH	Used	Graded	MNH	Graded
Spring 2006	-	$19	-	-	$350	90
Fall 2006	-	$11	$1	-	$300	90
	-	-	-	-	$2,000	95J
Spring 2007	$45	-	$18	85J	$2,500	95
Fall 2007	$45	-	$1	-	$350	90
	-	-	-	-	$1,400	95
Spring 2008	$20	$9	$1	-	$675	95
	-	-	-	-	$14,500	100
Fall 2008	$21	$10	< $1	-	-	-
Spring 2009	$22-$70	$12	$1	-	$170	-
Fall 2009	-	$16	$1-$3	-	-	-
Spring 2010	$45-$75	$15	$1-$2	-	-	-
Fall 2011	-	-	-	-	-	-
Spring 2011	-	-	-	-	-	-

THE BROKEN FRAME LINE VARIETY

The right frame is broken at the bottom. As this break was
progressive a considerable amount of variations of this
can be found.

The stamp is also known with recut frame lines.

IMPERFORATE VARIETY

2c - Brown violet
1 sheet of 50 issued - Scott #231b Imperf - 1893
Auction price - $4,000
Created from printers waste.

Essay of the 2c (231-E7b)