Issued: Introduced on May 1st, 1901. Earliest documented use is the same date, example shown below. There were no inverts.

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

A full pane of 100

Printer: The Bureau of Printing and Engraving

Watermark: Double lined USPS watermark.

Quantity Issued: 7,200,000. It paid the foreign destination fee for first class mail.

There is little variety and history to the 5¢ issue. As with all stamps of this issue be on the look out for the expo cancel, a sample of which can be seen below.

Postcard of the bridge from the same year as the Expo, 1901

The picture is of the Upper SteelArch Road Bridge, nicknamed the "Honeymoon" Bridge. At the time of the design it was the world's largest single span steel bridge. Unfortunately, it was not to last, the bridge collapsed in 1938, a victim an ice storm crushing its foundations. It was prone to swaying violently, this was caused by wind, a technical aspect little understood at the time of the design. It was replaced by the current Rainbow bridge.

The Bridge, after its collapse in 1938

A photo of the bridge from almost the same angle as used in the design.
Notice the two trams on the bridge in the design.

The Ultramar overprint

The Portuguese Ministry for the Colonies was originally supplied with 25 Specimen stamps. They overprinted the specimens with the "Ultramar" overprint, meaning "overseas", the stamps were distributed to the various colonies.

#297-E1
Photo reproduction of ink drawing
Photo sensitive paper
Unadopted design

#297-E2
Pencil Drawing
Tracing paper
on thin card

#297-E3
Ink drawing
On Card

#297-E4
Photo Reproduction
On photo-sensitive paper
2012 ebay sale $1,000

297 P1
Die Proof on India
Die sunk on card

297 P2
Small Die Proof