Issued: October 31st, 1895, earliest recorded date of use, October 20th, 1894. Earliest recorded cover, January 31st 1896

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: 203,000,000. This stamp was not superceded until 1903, hence they are relatively common.

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

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.

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.

The design was taken from the portrait bust of Jefferson by Jean Antoine Houdon. Now at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts.

There are some imperfs, although it is debatable that these were issued as such, they are more likely to be small die plate proofs. The imperf is sometimes referred to as Scotts #267a.

The value for MNH is around $120 for a pair.

As mentioned directly above there is an imperf pair, fairly common which are in all likelihood finished plate proofs.