#217 1888 30¢

Basic Information

Color: Orange Brown
Subject: Alexander Hamilton
Paper: Soft porous paper
Printing method: line-engraved intaglio on flat plates
Printer: American Bank Note Co.
Perforations: 12
Scott #: 217
Quantity issued: 710,720
Issued: January 3rd, 1888

Value

An unused stamp with perfect gum: $275-$550
An unused stamp with gum and a hinge mark: $50-$75
A used stamp: $6-$15

A change of color

A pane of #217

In 1883 new postal rates required some values to change color. The colors were changed again in 1888 primarily due to UPU regulations and to further improve the association between the value of the stamp and its color. Whilst they were at it, the Post Office decided to change the color of the 30¢ (#190). It has long been a black stamp which made postmarks difficult to see. Changing the color to brown was thought to be a good idea, until it wasn’t as compliants came in that it looked too much like the brown 10¢ stamp (#209). The brown #217 was only sold for under two years, before it was replaced with a black stamp.

Usage

#217 earliest date of use, September 7th, 1888

Usages of the 30¢ 1870 Stamp:
Most commonly it will be seen on covers to Far East destinations, such as Japan, China and Singapore. It was also used, in conjuction with other stamps, to pay for heavier mail or higher rates.

Plates

#217 was issued with the following plate #'s

405

The Inspiration for the Design

Giuseppe Ceracchi's bust of Alexander Hamilton

The inspiration for the design of the 30¢ stamp, featuring Alexander Hamilton, was a marble bust by Giuseppe Ceracchi.

1791 or 1792, Ceracchi created a now-lost terracotta model of Alexander Hamilton, an American Founding Father and the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury during George Washington's presidency. His initial work on the model was completed during Ceracchi's stay in Philadelphia, then the post-Revolutionary capital of the new nation.

The work was then sent to Rome, where Ceracci created the marble version. In July 1792, he wrote Hamilton, saying he was "impatient to receive the clay that I had the satisfaction of forming from your witty and significant physiognomy".