#393 1910 2¢ Coil

Basic Information

Color: Carmine
Subject: George Washington
Watermark: SINGLE-lined USPS
Printing method: Flat plate
Perforations: 8½ vertically
Scott #: 393
Quantity issued: 107,292,000
Issued: December 27th, 1910

Value for singles

An unused stamp with perfect gum: $20-$35
An unused stamp with gum and a hinge mark: $7.50-$20
A used stamp: $2.50-$5.50

Value for pairs

An unused pair with perfect gum: $60-$110
An unused pair with gum and a hinge mark: $30-$50
A used pair: $400-$450

About #393

#393 pair with a Panama-Pacific cancel

As coils had now passed through the experimental stage and business houses were finding the stamp affixing machines a great labor saving device, demands for coils increased rapidly. The increased use of coil stamps made it essential that some method be devised to make unnecessary the pasting together of single strips of twenty stamps to form a coil.

After various experiments a machine was perfected whereby it was possible to feed into the machines a series of partly perforated one-half sheets (200 subjects) which had been pasted together, and make ten coils at one time. With_this machine, two girls could do the work formerly done by seventeen. The only difficulty however, was due to the frequent breaks caused by perforations between the stamps as the coils were being cut and wound. It was found that this was due to the lack of uncut space between the stamps caused by 12 gauge perforation. To overcome this, the perforations for coils were reduced to 8½, which greatly increased the amount of uncut space between the stamps and made the coils less likely to tear in the machines.

Usage

A first day issue, December 27th, 1910

The 2¢ Washington stamp paid the standard ½ ounce rate.

The Plates

The plate numbers on the top and bottom were cut off and those on the sides were covered by the paste up. Normally the plate number would be covered by the pasted end of the next strip, however in a few instances the plate number is still visible.

#393 was issued with the following plate #'s

Number only
5557-64, 5660, 5667-70, 5674, 5688, 5795, 5798

Paste-up Pairs

A paste up pair

In making this coil the ordinary 400 subject sheets were perforated in the horizontal spaces and then cut into 200 subject sheets along the vertical guide lines. These part perforated sheets were pasted together side by side and fed into a coiling machine which cut the sheets into strips and reeled them on cardboard cylinders in units of 500 and 1,000 stamps. The strips of 20 had a "paste up" at each end where joined and a section of the vertical guide line showed between each tenth and eleventh stamp. One row of each ten had a plate number covered by the "paste up."

Identifying the Watermark on #393

The SINGLE lined USPS watermark of #393

A DOUBLE lined USPS watermark

Between 1895 and 1916 the U.S. government used two different watermarks, double line and single line with the letters "USPS".

By placing the watermark face down on a dark surface or holding it up to bright light you might be able to see the watermark. If you cannot see the watermark it might be a good idea to invest in watermark fluid and a watermark tray. Ronsons lighter fluid works just as well as watermark fluid. Both fluids evaporate quickly.

Pour a little fluid in the tray, lay the stamp face down. In a few seconds the stamp will absorb the fluid and reveal the watermark to you.

As you will see from the illustrations the letters can span several stamps, so on the watermark, for instance, you can see only part of the letter S in one corner and only part the letter P in the other corner.

The purpose of the change in the watermark was to strengthen the paper and to give it a more uniform thickness. The old double line watermark covered too much space and made the lettered area quite a bit thinner than the rest of the paper, which caused variation in the shrinkage of the paper. The new watermark was also smaller, occurring 400 letters to a full sheet instead of 360.

The Inspiration for the Design

George Washington bust by Jean-Antoine Houdon

The vignette was based on a bust of George Washington by french sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon.

Created in 1785 the bust is considered the most accurate likeness of the first U.S. president. Based on a life mask and clay model made at Mount Vernon, it captures Washington at age 53 with precise facial details, blending a Roman, toga-style aesthetic with realistic aging. It is considered one of the most accurate representations of Washington.