#124 1875 2¢ Re-issue

Basic Information

Color: Brown
Subject: Post horse and rider
Paper: Hard wove paper
Printing method: line-engraved intaglio on flat plates
Printer: The National Bank Note Company
Perforations: 12
Watermark: none
Scott #: 124
Quantity issued: 10,000, sold 4,755
Earliest known use: March 20, 1880

Value

An unused stamp with perfect gum: -
An unused stamp with gum and a hinge mark: $600-$1,100
A used stamp: $425

Covers

#124 earliest known documented use, March 20, 1880

#124, although primarily sold as a souvenir stamp it was still valid for postage. There are three known examples on cover.

About the Reprints

A share certificate for the 1876 Centennial International Exhibition
Click image to enlarge

The 1875 Reprints

In 1876 the United States celebrated 100 years of nationhood. A huge International Exhibition in Philadelphia, parades and events around the country were held as part of the celebrations. For it's part the Post Office re-issued all the stamps that had been issued up to 1875. They did not sell well and most of the production had to be destroyed. With the exception of the 1847 stamps they were valid for postage so used examples can be found.

These have been called the “special printings" of 1875. All the original plates were used bar US #1 and #2. The 1847 plates had to be reproduced as the originals were lost to history.

All the printings were on harder whiter paper than the originals and most had a shade difference from the originals.

The Inspiration for the Design

The inspiration for the design of the original 1869 2¢ stamp (#113) was the pony express or post rider, symbolizing the, then-modern, rapid delivery of mail via horseback. Particularly the Pony Express.

It was part of the 1869 "Pictorial Issue," which broke with the tradition of only portraying dead statesmen, instead choosing to highlight themes of American expansion, technology, and postal history.

Design Subject: The stamp features a vignette of a post rider (a horse and rider) actively carrying mail, a theme aimed at showcasing postal transportation.
Context: It was the first U.S. stamp to picture a horse and among the first to depict an active, pictorial scene rather than a portrait.
Popularity: The design was not universally welcomed at the time, as critics preferred portraits of national heroes over "pictorials”. Some thought it looked like the horse was jumping instead of being ridden.