#228 1890 30¢ Small Bank Note

Basic Information

Color: Black
Subject: Thomas Jefferson
Paper: Soft porous paper
Printing method: line-engraved intaglio on flat plates
Printer: American Bank Note Co.
Perforations: 12
Scott #: 228
Quantity issued: 1,735,018
Issued: February 22nd, 1890

Value

An unused stamp with perfect gum: $260-$500
An unused stamp with gum and a hinge mark: $30-$65
A used stamp: $3.50-$7.50

About the small bank note stamps

Essay #228E1

“Small Bank Note" stamps refers to the last, and only, definitive series printed solely by the America Bank Note Company in 1894, hence the name bank note series. The printing of this series was taken over by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in 1895. The Bureau added a triangle to the corner of the stamps to differentiate the 1895 from the 1894 series.

They are called "Small" to distinguish them from the "Large Bank Notes" issued from 1870 to 1893, as the 1894 stamps were reduced in size to cut production costs.

Usage

#228 earliest date of use, April 14th, 1890

#228’s primary use was to pay for heavier mail to domestic and foreign destinations, commonly in combination with other denominations.

Plates

#228 was issued with the following plate #'s

24

The Inspiration for the Design

Statue of Thomas Jefferson by Hiram Powers

The inspiration for the design of the 10¢ stamp, featuring Thomas Jefferson, was a marble statue by renowned American sculptor Hiram Powers.

Commissioned by President James Buchanan in 1859 for $10,000, this larger-than-life marble figure stands eight feet tall. It was installed in 1863 at the foot of the east staircase on the House side of the U.S. Capitol. His pose is inspired by Michelangelo’s David, featuring a slight shift in weight (contrapposto) and one hand raised near his shoulder.

The 1870 rendition of the bust (#139) was criticized in that it was said that Jefferson was appearing to be falling asleep or nodding off. This was corrected in the 1894 design, the vignette was tilted a tad to the right and the eyes reworked, the whole effect being one 'wide-awake' third president of the United States. However in doing so some thought it made Jefferson look like a child.