The 1895 Bureau Series

The Value of the Stamp


James Madison (biography)
$2 - Bright blue
Scott #277 - Double line USPS wmk - 1895

 
NY Auction Houses
 
MNH
MH
Graded
Used
Graded
MNH
Graded
MH
Graded
Used
Graded
Fall 2003
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
$650
-
-
-
Spring 2004
-
-
-
$160-$230
-
-
-
$1,000
-
-
-
Fall 2004
-
$300
-
$225-$275
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Spring 2005
-
$350
-
$65-$125
-
$4,000
-
-
-
-
-
Fall 2005
-
-
-
$65-$135
-
-
-
$1,100
-
-
-
Spring 2006
$1,750
$535
-
$150-$275
-
-
-
$1,600
80
-
-
Fall 2006
-
$700
-
$70-$125
-
-
-
$3,500
95
-
-
Spring 2007
-
$305
60
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Fall 2007
-
$500
-
$95
-
-
-
$3,500
95J
-
-
Spring 2008
-
-
-
$145-$280
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Fall 2008
-
$425
-
$155-$160
-
-
-
$1,000
85
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
$1,350
90
-
-
Spring 2009
$920
-
-
$110-$235
-
$23,000
95
$300
70
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
$7,000
98
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
$21,000
100
-
-
Fall 2009
-
-
-
$155-$175
-
$13,000
95
$1,400
90
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
$2,200
95
-
-
-
-
-
$355
85
-
-
$2,500
98
-
-
Spring 2010
$1,480
$430
-
$175
-
-
-
$1,300
85
$1,400
95
Fall 2010
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Spring 2011
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


$2 -Dark blue
Scott #277a - Double line USPS wmk - 1895

 
NY Auction Houses
 
MH
MNH
Graded
MH
Graded
Used
Graded
Fall 2005
-
-
-
$525
-
-
-
Spring 2006
-
-
-
$5,000
98
-
-
Fall 2006
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Spring 2007
$255
-
-
-
-
-
-
Fall 2007
-
$14,000
-
-
-
-
-
Spring 2008
-
-
-
$700
85
-
-
Fall 2008
-
-
-
$5,000
98
-
-
Spring 2009
-
-
-
$7,500
90
-
-
-
-
-
$2,200
95
-
-
Fall 2009
-
-
-
$1,600
95
-
-
Spring 2010
-
-
-
$1,600
95
-
-
Fall 2010
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Spring 2011
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


$2 -Dark blue
Scott #277b - Imperf - Double line USPS wmk - 1895
Prices are for pairs

 
NY Auction Houses
 
MNH
MH
Spring 2008
-
$4,000
Fall 2008
-
-
Spring 2009
-
-
Fall 2009
-
-
Spring 2010
-
-
Fall 2010
-
-
Spring 2011
-
-
Fall 2011
-
-
Spring 2012
-
-
Fall 2012
-
-
Spring 2013
-
-

Facts and Statistics


Issued: Issued August 13th 1895, Earliest recorded date of use, July 18th, 1896.

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

Printer: The Bureau of Printing and Engraving

Watermark: USPS, double lined, see below

Quantity Issued: 31,720.

#277 Specimen

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


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.


The Inspiration for the Design


The source for the design was based off the David Edwin's(?) engraving which based off Gilbert Stuart's portrait of James Madison, not the W.A. Wilmer engraving

Gilbert Stuart's portrait of James Madison
(Gilbert Stuart painted a total of four portraits of James Madison)
The painting is now owned by the Colonial Williamsburg Association

Detail of David Edwin's (?) engraving of Madison
circa. 1809-17
(the source for the design)

Full version of David Edwin's (?) engraving of Madison

W.A. Wilmers engraving of James Madison
(which was based off an Edwins print
copy of the engraving )


Gilbert Stuart
(who painted James Madison)



The Bureau of Engraving's later 19thC engraving of James Madison
which used Wilmers Engraving as the source.

Varieties to look for


There are no varieties of #277

The Making of the Stamp


There are no proofs or essays of #277

 

 


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