Issued: Feb 6th, 1896, a first day cover is shown below (#266 on left)

Plate Size: Sheets of 400 subjects (4 panes of 100)

Printer: The Bureau of Printing and Engraving

Watermark: USPS, double lined, see below

Quantity Issued: 125,000,000

A pane of the 1895 2c (types I, II and III all come from the same pane)

DETAILED FACTS AND FIGURES

The Post Office report from 1899 supplies one with almost every detail you would wish to know about this stamp, and every other stamp in this series. The level of detail is amazing. Click here for more on this report

The stamps were watermarked USPS and part of one of the three letters will be visible (sometimes barely so) when immersing the stamp in watermark fluid using a simple black watermark tray. By the way, you really have to believe you have got a valuable stamp before investing the $20 it costs to buy the afore mentioned items. You could use the cheaper alternative, Ronosol Lighter fluid, however, unlike watermark fluid, it is highly inflammable and dangerous to use, plus it stinks the house up.

Look for part of one of the above letters in the watermark
Remember, the letters have to be double lined. If single
lined then go here to identify your stamp

As this was the Bureau of Printing and Engraving contract a small triangle was cut into the design at top left and top right. This distinguishes it from the earlier 1890.

This was the first instance of the Bureau applying a watermark, it was applied to make counterfeiting more difficult. It is not known if the Bureau had anticipated the Chicago Counterfeits or added the watermark because of them. The story of the Chicago Counterfeit can be found on the page for Scotts #248.

THE DETROIT 2c POSTAGE DUE OVERPRINT

In 1895 the Detroit Post Office ran out of 2c Postage Due Samps and resorted to hand stamping both a 1895 2c stamp and the envelope with a straight line 'Due 2' indicating that two cents of postage was due. The covers are now worth around $500 each.

Plate number blocks bearing plate #116 are scarce and demand a premium.

Shown above is a block of #266 and #267, the left four
stamps being the former. It is desirable to find blocks or
pairs that show two of the types, either Type I and II
or in this case Type II and III.

The design was taken from the portrait bust of Washington by Jean Antoine Houdon. Now at Mount Vernon.

No varieties recorded

There are no essays or proofs of #266