#45 1875 24¢ Reprint

Basic Information

Color: Blackish Violet
Plate: 61
Subject: George Washington
Printing Method: die-to-relief-to-plate intaglio engraving process
Printer: Continental Bank Note Company
Perforations: 12 (the original is 15½)
Watermark: none
Scott #: 45
Quantity Issued: 479
Issued: 1875

Value

An unused stamp with perfect gum: $1,250-$2,300

The 1875 Reprints

Identifying #45
This issue differs from the original in the color (see above), also the paper is harder and much more white and highly finished in appearance. The stamps were frequently separated with scissors. The reprints have no grill. #45 was a perf 12 stamp while earlier stamps were perf 15½.

The Story Behind the Stamp
The 1857/60 US stamps were reprinted in 1875 as part of a special program by the U.S. Postal Administration under President Grant to make older, obsolete stamp issues available to collectors. The Post Office wanted to display every stamp it had ever issued at the 1876 Centennial Exposition. Since many early issues were no longer in stock, they had to be reprinted. These reprints, along with others from 1847–1869, were authorized for sale to the public through the office of the Third Assistant Postmaster General.

By selling these stamps as "collectibles," the Post Office identified a new way to increase revenue, a practice that became more formalized in the following decades.