#263 1894 $5 Unwatermarked

Basic Information

Color: Dark Green
Subject: John Marshall
Paper: Soft porous paper
Printing method: line-engraved intaglio on flat plates
Printer: The Bureau of Printing and Engraving
Perforations: 12
Scott #: 263
Quantity issued: 6,251
Issued: December 10th, 1894

Value

An unused stamp with perfect gum: $2,000-$5,000
An unused stamp with gum and a hinge mark: $950-$1,300
A used stamp: $325-$350

About the small bank note stamps

An essay for the $5 value. #263E1

“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

#263 While intended for heavy overseas mail, it was also frequently used for internal Post Office Department accounting. There are no recorded envelopes in existence.

Plates

#263 was issued with the following plate #'s

85

The Inspiration for the Design

John Marshall by Henry Inman

The image is modeled after a painting of John Marshall by Henry Inman. Painted in 1831 just a few years before Marshall's death, this is often considered one of the most faithful likenesses.

John Marshall, the influential fourth Chief Justice of the United States, was the subject of several famous portraits and sculptures that capture his legacy as a Founding Father and jurist