The 1894 Bureau Series

The Value of the Stamp



2c - Carmine or dark carmine - Type III
Horizontal lines run through upper triangles
but not through the double white lines that border the triangles.
Scott #252 - Un-watermarked - 1894

 
NY Auction Houses
 
MNH
Graded
MH
Used
MNH
Graded
Spring 2003
-
-
-
-
-
-
Fall 2003
-
-
-
-
-
-
Spring 2004
-
-
$20-$30
$1-$2
-
-
Fall 2004
-
-
$15-$25
$1-$2
$325-$500
-
Spring 2005
$150-$160
-
$20-$35
$1
-
-
Fall 2005
$80
-
$7-$17
$1
$300
-
Spring 2006
$155
-
$26-$40
<$1
$4,750
95
Fall 2006
-
-
$20
$1-$2
$4,000
95
Spring 2007
$380
80
$20-$75
$1-$3
-
-
Fall 2007
$90
-
$5-$12
$1
$1,100
90
Spring 2008
$35
-
$12-$14
<$1
-
-
Fall 2008
-
-
$20-$30
$2
-
-
Spring 2009
$105
-
$18-$40
-
$550
85
Fall 2009
-
-
$12
-
$4,750
95
Spring 2010
$70-$90
-
$18-$35
$1-$3
-
-
Fall 2010
-
-
-
-
$5,250
98
Spring 2011
-
-
-
-
-
-
Fall 2011
-
-
-
-
-
-
Spring 2012
-
-
-
-
-
-
Fall 2012
-
-
-
-
-
-
Spring 2013
-
-
-
-
-
-

Statistics


Issued: 1st April 1895, earliest recorded example 5th April 1895, shown below

The first recorded example of the Scarlet variety (Scotts #252a) was the 17th April 1895 (shown below)


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

Printer: The Bureau of Printing and Engraving, their first contract

Watermark: None

Quantity Issued: 80,000,000

What you should look for


Below is a typical example of the 1894 Bureau Issue, you will notice the blind perfs and rough appearance of the perforations. The machines for perforating the stamp had just been relocated from New York to Washington DC and did not have the old operators from the ABC, consequently the new operators took some time to get used to perforating the large sheets of 400 stamps. By the next issue, in 1895, they had got the practice down to a science, hence that issue has nice clean cut perforations. The untidy perforations of this issue does not detract from its 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 Inspiration for the Design


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

Varieties to look for


Scotts gives the Scarlet color designation a separate number, that of 252a. However few dealers and auction house choose to sell this color as #252a, preferring to include them in #252, despite Scotts wishes, the value for the two is the same.


#252a Scarlet

The Making of the Stamp

 

Essay 252-E1
Large Die Essay on India
Die sunk on card
Deep red


Essay 252-E2
Large Die Essay on India
Die sunk on card
dusky blue green

Essay 252-E2
Large Die Essay on India
Die sunk on card
red

Essay 252-E3
Die on India, die sunk on card
light carmine

Essay 252-E3
Die on India, die sunk on card
green

252-P1
Large Die Proof on India
Carmine

 


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