#229 1890 90¢ Small Bank Note

Basic Information

Color: Orange
Subject: Commodore Perry
Paper: Soft porous paper
Printing method: line-engraved intaglio on flat plates
Printer: American Bank Note Co.
Perforations: 12
Scott #: 229
Quantity issued: 219,721
Issued: February 22nd, 1890

Value

An unused stamp with perfect gum: $800-$1,100
An unused stamp with gum and a hinge mark: $45-$120
A used stamp: $18-$30

About the small bank note stamps

Essay #229E1

“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

One of the 18 surviving uses of #229

#229’s primary use was to pay for heavier mail to domestic and foreign destinations, commonly in combination with other denominations. By this time the 90¢ value was an anachronism, this was the last 90¢ value issued.

Plates

#229 was issued with the following plate #'s

25

The Inspiration for the Design

Statue of Commodore Perry by William Walcutt

The inspiration for the design of the 90¢ stamp, featuring Commodore Perry, was a statue by William Walcutt.

In June 1857, Cleveland City Council unanimously adopted resolutions to erect a monument to Commodore Oliver Perry in the city's Public Square. By October, Thomas Jones & Sons Marble Works, of Cleveland, was selected as contractor. The project had a budget of $6,000, to be raised from contributions by the citizens of Cleveland. Prominent sculptors Hiram Powers, Thomas Ball, and E. D. Palmer were approached for the Perry statue, but demurred due to the limited budget. The contractor turned to William Walcutt, who produced a new design that was endorsed by the monument committee. The statue was erected in 1860.