Basic Information
Color: Sage Green
Subject: Western Mining Prospector
Watermark: Watermarked double-lined USPS
Paper: Soft porous paper
Printing method: line-engraved intaglio on flat plates
Perforations: 12
Scott #: 291
Quantity issued: 530,400
Issued: June 17th, 1898
Value
An unused stamp with perfect gum: $375-$650
An unused stamp with gum and a hinge mark: $90-$175
A used stamp: $19-$30
About the Trans-Mississippi Series
Essay vignette 291E3
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Promoting the "New West"
The primary reasoning was to showcase the prosperity and progress of the states and territories west of the Mississippi River. Unlike the previous 1893 Columbian stamps, which focused on historical discovery, the Trans-Mississippi designs highlighted modern achievements and frontier life. Key themes included:
Settlement and Agriculture: Encouraging people to move to and invest in "unclaimed" Western lands.
Technological Advancement: Depicting engineering feats like the Eads Bridge in St. Louis to represent the region's industrial growth.
Pioneer Spirit: Using images of buffalo hunting and farming to evoke a nostalgic but promising vision of the frontier.
Strategic Revenue Generation
Following the massive success of the 1893 Columbian series, the Post Office Department recognized that special commemorative sets were highly profitable. By offering a wide range of denominations—from 1¢ to $2—they aimed to generate substantial revenue through sales to collectors.
About the Trans-Mississippi Exhibition
Souvenir Programme
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General Electric stand
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The Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition, also known as the Omaha Worlds Fair, was a grand world’s fair held in Omaha, Nebraska, from June 1 to November 1, 1898. Often referred to as the Omaha World's Fair, its primary goal was to showcase the rapid development and economic recovery of the American West following the financial panic of 1893.
Key Features & Attractions
The Grand Court: The heart of the 184-acre site featured a two-thousand foot-long lagoon designed to resemble Venetian canals hosted gondola rides as a whimsical form of transportation throughout the fair.
The "White City": Like the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, the buildings were constructed of staff (a mixture of plaster and horsehair) and painted white, giving them a marble-like appearance. Designed in Renaissance style reflected ancient Greek and Roman influences and possessed strenuous constraints on color, scale and height. All was built out of cheap materials or designed not to last, at the end of the exposition it was all removed.
Electrical Illumination: One of the most stunning features was the use of over 20,000 electric light bulbs to illuminate the fairgrounds and lagoon at night—a brand-new marvel at the time.
Indian Congress: A massive gathering of over 500 Native Americans from 35 different tribes, including notable figures like Apache leader Geronimo.
Entertainment: Visitors enjoyed carnival rides, a giant seesaw, and Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West show
Attendance & Legacy
Visitors: Over 2.6 million people attended the five-month event, including President William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan.
Economic Success: Unlike many other world's fairs, it was a financial success, paying back roughly 90% of its initial investment.
Current Site: Most of the temporary structures were demolished shortly after the fair closed. Today, the site of the Grand Court is home to Kountze Park in North Omaha.Exhibits Today: You can still see artifacts, souvenirs, and a scale model of the fairgrounds at The Durham Museum in Omaha.
The Abandoned Bi-Color Plan
291E8
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It was intended to print the Trans-Mississippi issue with a black vignette and a frame in color. The bi-color idea had to be abandoned because of the fact that the Spanish American War, which broke out in April, 1898, necessitated the printing of enormous quantities of revenue stamps and the facilities of the Bureau were taxed to the utmost . The time and manpower needed for the printing of stamps in two colors could not be spared and it was necessary for the Bureau to abandon the proposed bi-color stamps in favor of stamps of single colors.
Usage
#291 first day issue cover, June 17th, 1898
#291 was primarily used to pay for high-value postage needs in the late 19th century, such as heavy letters, multiple postage rates, or combined with registered mail fees
Plates
#291 was issued with the following plate #'s
603
The Inspiration for the Design
"The Gold Bug"
Frederick Remington
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A mining prospector and his donkeys
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The vignette was based on Frederick Remingtons painting 'The Gold Bug'.
By the time gold prospectors had reached California most mules had gone lame. Upon their arrival he had to pay at least pay $2 for a long-handled shovel, $1.50 for a pick, and a $1 for a gold pan. Food cost $10 a day. Needless to say those that benefited from the gold rush were not the prospectors, it was those that supplied and supported them.
An 1889 edition of Chamber’s Journal of Popular Literature succinctly describes the prospector’s life:
“His worldly possessions can be easily handled, for usually they only consist of a pair of blankets, pick, shovel, and gold-pan, together with the primitive cooking utensils used in camp. He is at home wherever night overtakes him; he asks no better roof than the heavens, and no softer bed than the earth. Once let a man start to prospect for mineral for a livelihood, and it is very rarely you see him forsake the business for any other.”