The 1898 Bureau Series
Watermarked Double Lined letters - USPS

The Value of the Stamp



Benjamin Franklin (biography)
1c - Green
Triangles in Corner
Double line USPS wmk
Scott #279 - 1898

 
NY Auction Houses
 
MNH
Graded
MH
Graded
MNH
Graded
Spring 2003
-
-
-
-
$20-$200
-
Fall 2003
-
-
-
-
-
-
Spring 2004
$10-$20
-
$1-$3
-
-
-
Fall 2004
$5-$14
-
$1-$2
-
-
-
Spring 2005
$6-$8
-
$1
-
-
-
Fall 2005
$6-$30
-
$1-$2
-
$190
-
Spring 2006
$6
-
$1-$2
-
$130
90
-
-
-
-
$260
85
Fall 2006
$5-$7
-
$2-$5
-
$625
95
-
-
-
-
$1,700
98
Spring 2007
$7-$12
-
$1-$6
-
$110
85
-
-
-
-
$140
90
Fall 2007
$7-$11
-
$2-$4
-
$1,000
98
$110
90
-
-
-
-
Spring 2008
$4-$7
-
$1-$2
-
-
-
Fall 2008
$8-$16
-
$2-$3
-
$300
95
-
-
-
-
$1,200
98
Spring 2009
$5-$6
-
$1-$4
-
$180
90
-
-
-
-
$1,100
98
Fall 2009
$5-$13
-
$1-$11
-
$150-$160
95
-
-
-
-
$1,000
98
Spring 2010
$7-$9
-
$2-$5
-
$3,250
98J
Fall 2010
$6-$20
-
$2-$4
-
$340
95
Spring 2011
$4-$18
-
$1-$2
-
-
-
Fall 2011
$6-$40
-
$2-$5
-
$260
95
Spring 2012
-
-
-
-
-
-
Fall 2012
-
-
-
-
-
-
Spring 2013
-
-
-
-
-
-
Fall 2013
-
-
-
-
-
-
Spring 2014
-
-
-
-
-
-

Used stamps are worth less than $1

Statistics


Issued: January 17th, 1898, earliest recorded example, January 31st 1898

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


Sheet of 100

Printer: The Bureau of Printing and Engraving

Watermark: USPS, double lined, see below

Quantity Issued: Five billion. It's a very common stamp.

DETAILED FACTS AND FIGURES

The color was changed to green to conform with the Universal Postal Union Designation for the 1c value.

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.

What you should look for


Around this time pre-cancelled stamps appear, on this issue
they usually command a slight premium.

 

The Inspiration for the Design


The design was taken from the portrait bust of Benjamin Franklin by Jean Antoine Houdon. Now at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Previous versions of Franklins portrait on the 1c stamp had Franklin facing to the right. This, along with the pale blue color were the principle reasons that this design was disliked by the general public. The NY Times said that Franklin facing to the left 'entirely altered his expression and making him resemble a putty-faced personification of senility'.

Varieties to look for


There are no varities of #279

The Essay's and Proofs

 

279-P2a
Plate Proof produced for the 1915
Panama-Pacific Exhibition

 


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