Basic Information
Color: Carmine
Type: I
Subject: George Washington
Watermark: NONE
Printing method: Flat plate
Perforations: Imperforate
Scott #: 482
Quantity issued: n/k
Issued: December 8th, 1916
Value for singles
An unused stamp with perfect gum: $1-$2
An unused stamp with gum and a hinge mark: 50¢-$1
A used stamp: 50¢-75¢
Value for pairs
An unused pair with perfect gum: $6-$9
An unused pair with gum and a hinge mark: $2-$4
A used pair: $30-$45
1916 imperforate stamps and private perforations
The Wilson Roulette
The imperforate stamps from 1916 were issued without perforations to supply private stamp-vending and affixing machine companies. These early automated companies purchased uncut sheets of 400 stamps from the Post Office. They then cut the sheets into rolls (coils) and applied their own proprietary perforations or slots so the stamps could dispense from their machines. You can find a guide to these proprietary perforations by clicking the button below.
Vending machines required stamps with straight edges, either on the top and bottom or on both sides to operate the machines. Initially, the Bureau perforated sheets in only one direction and then cut them into strips. These strips were then hand-pasted into rolls and sold as a roll of coiled stamps.
Pasting the strips together was labor-intensive, and coils were not cheap to produce. The advent of the rotary press saved the day.
The blades in both the first experimental machines were much to be desired, and usually, separating the stamps meant a torn stamp. The private perforations were employed to aid separation. Various perforations were used.
Because of high demand from philatelists, postal authorities made these imperforate sheets generally available to the collecting public, allowing them to acquire blocks, strips, and position pieces.
The Wilson Roulette
The origin of this roulette is that a quantity of imperforate sheets of this 1¢ stamp was left at a Pittsburgh bank as collateral for a loan, which subsequently defaulted in 1929. After the default, Mr. J.H. Wilson applied a roulette to the sheets so they could be sold as postage to local businesses to recoup the bank's losses. Also seen on the 1¢
Centerline blocks
Click the image to enlarge
The best example of this inexpensive stamp is the centreline block shown above. The stamp came in sheets of 400, which were separated into 4 panes of 100. A guideline runs between each pane, and where the four panes meet in the center, you find the centreline block.
Usage
A Schermack private perforation on a cover
In 1916, a 2¢ stamp was the standard rate for domestic first-class letters (weighing up to 1 ounce). It was also widely used to cover the international postcard rate and could be combined to pay basic parcel post fees.
Because of its high demand, the 2¢ stamp was the most heavily printed denomination. Its usage varied depending on the type of mail being sent:
First-Class Letters: The 2¢ rate paid for a sealed, handwritten or typewritten letter delivered anywhere within the United States or its territories.
Parcel Post: Beginning in 1913, the U.S. Post Office introduced a new parcel post system. Initially, packages required special Parcel Post stamps. However, confusion over the rules led the Postmaster General to authorize regular 2¢ and standard postage stamps for parcel use by June 1913.
Postal Cards: A standard international postcard required a 2¢ stamp.
The Plates
#482 was issued with the following plate #'s
Number only
7322-93, 7699, 7729-30, 60, 62, 80-81, 83-84, 92
7800-02, 05-09, 16-19
7942, 7945-47, 85
8011-12, 14, 18, 22-26, 67, 69-70
8501-35- 37, 50
8870-86
9168-69, 72-73, 91-92
9231-39
9420-45, 48, 55-56
10240-67, 72
10304 05, 13-14, 79, 92-93, 98
10419-25, 26, 28-29
10577-79, 85, 93-94
12963-81
13207-09, 27
13669-72, 83
13728
13884-87
There is no watermark
The unwatermarked back of #482
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing stopped placing watermarks on postage stamps in 1916 to reduce production costs amid wartime economic constraints.
Wartime Costs: World War I created financial pressures and material shortages, making specially manufactured watermarked paper an expensive luxury
Cost vs. Benefit: The government decided that the money saved by switching to standard, unwatermarked paper far outweighed the minimal risk of counterfeiting.
Permanent Change: The Post Office Department issued its first unwatermarked stamp in over twenty years in September 1916, making the discontinuation permanent.
How to confirm there is no watermark
By placing the watermark face down on a dark surface or holding it up to bright light, you might be able to see a watermark. If you cannot see the watermark, and you want further confirmation, consider investing in watermark fluid and a watermark tray. Ronson's lighter fluid works just as well as watermark fluid. Both fluids evaporate quickly.
Pour a little fluid in the tray, and lay the stamp face down. In a few seconds, the stamp will absorb the fluid and reveal any watermark that may be present.
As you will see from the illustration, there is no evidence of a watermark on this stamp.
The Inspiration for the Design
George Washington bust by Jean-Antoine Houdon
The vignette was based on a bust of George Washington by french sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon.
Created in 1785 the bust is considered the most accurate likeness of the first U.S. president. Based on a life mask and clay model made at Mount Vernon, it captures Washington at age 53 with precise facial details, blending a Roman, toga-style aesthetic with realistic aging. It is considered one of the most accurate representations of Washington.