#164 1873 24¢ Hard Paper

Basic Information

Color: Purple
Subject: General Winfield Scott
Paper: Hard white wove paper
Printing method: line-engraved intaglio on flat plates
Printer: National Bank Note Co
Perforations: 12
Scott #: 164
Quantity issued: not known
Issued: July 1st, 1873

Value

An unused stamp with perfect gum: -
An unused stamp with gum and a hinge mark: -
A used stamp: $383,500

About this stamp

Ribbed paper
Click image to enlarge

#164 is a unique surviving variant of the 24¢ large banknote issue. It was printed on ribbed paper which was used by the Continental Bank Note Co. but not by the previous printer, the National Bank Note Company. An example of horizontaly ribbed paper is shown here. The unique surviving variant was printed on vertically ribbed paper.

The Inspiration for the Design

William John Coffee's marble bust of General Winfield Scott

The inspiration for the design of the 24¢ stamp, featuring General Winfield Scott, was a marble bust by William John Coffee.

Winfield Scott (1786–1866) was a towering figure in the U.S. Army, serving as a general for 47 years and as Commanding General from 1841 to 1861. A hero of the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War, he was known as "Old Fuss and Feathers". Scott also ran as the 1852 Whig presidential nominee.