Washington–Franklin Issues
The Washington–Franklin Issues are a series of definitive U.S. Postage stamps depicting George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, issued by the U.S. Post Office between 1908 and 1922. The distinctive feature of this issue is that it employs only two engraved heads set in ovals—Washington and Franklin in full profile—and replicates one or another of these portraits on every stamp denomination in the series. This is a significant departure from previous definitive issues, which had featured pantheons of famous Americans, with each portrait-image confined to a single denomination. At the same time, this break with the recent past represented a return to origins. Washington and Franklin, after all, had appeared on the first two American stamps, issued in 1847, and during the next fifteen years, each of the eight stamp denominations available featured either Washington or Franklin.
In the early Washington–Franklin issues, every design incorporated a pair of olive branches surrounding one or the other of the two profiles. From 1912 on, however, the Franklin-head issues would instead appear with Oak leaves near the bottom of the oval in the image. Olive branches and oak leaves are often used as symbols for peace and strength, though no significance was officially acknowledged in their use here. The Washington–Franklins were issued in denominations ranging from 1 cent to 5 dollars, each value printed in different color ink. The two engravings of either Washington or Franklin are employed in five basic design themes which in turn were used to print more than 250 separate and distinct stamp issues over a fourteen-year period. During this time seven separate series of the Washington–Franklins appeared in succession, each series differing somewhat from its predecessor in physical characteristics, while some series would also introduce new denominations printed with new colors. Produced by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington D.C., these issues were generally printed by the flat-plate process, but several of the issues also employed other new and experimental printing methods, including use of the revolutionary rotary printing press and the offset printing process. The first Washington–Franklin postage stamp to be released was a 2-cent stamp issued on November 16, 1908. Other denominations soon followed and would continue to appear through the first World War years, with the last Washington–Franklin postage stamp issued in 1923. The series thus survived for almost fifteen years, longer than any previous U. S. postage stamp series produced by a single printing organization.
Background
During the several decades that led up to the production of the Washington–Franklin issues the printing technology of U.S. Postage stamps was in many respects still in its development stages. As a consequence the U.S. Post Office would often receive complaints from the general public about its postage stamps. In 1869 the Post Office faced its first nationwide complaints when it issued a set of ten stamps that broke from the tradition of honoring and depicting statesmen on the faces of all U.S. Postage stamps. Withering criticism also cited the small size and inconvenient shapes of the 1869 stamps and faulted their adhesive gum as inadequate. Consequently, this issue was short lived and pulled from post offices across the nation. As the years passed other complaints ranged from criticism about stamp subject and design, difficulty with perforations and even objections to the often unpleasant taste of the gum on the backs of stamps. Many of the criticisms also came from postal clerks who complained about the insufficiently varied choice of colors used on the issues, which sometimes resulted in the same or similar color appearing on several different denominations, making it visually difficult to sort mail quickly. Shortly after the turn of the 19th–20th century the problem of improving stamps and production prompted debates in Congress and the Senate, debates into which President Theodore Roosevelt sometimes injected himself. For example, Roosevelt argued that in observance of the upcoming 100th anniversary of Lincoln's birth, Lincoln should be included in the new definitive 1908 issue then being planned. Lincoln, however, was omitted: instead he would be honored with his own anniversary commemorative stamp in 1909. Many of the innovations employed in the production of the Washington–Franklin Issues were the result of this ongoing effort to improve on the production of U.S. Postage.Stamp design
The Washington–Franklin issues employed a classical yet simple style in their designs with either Washington or Franklin displayed in full profile, both figures surrounded, in early issues, with an arrangement of olive branches. This style was in stark contrast with that of the definitive stamps previously issued in 1902–03 as that issue not only presented a variety of American historical figures, but framed them with an elaborate assortment of allegorical and ornamental designs—which, in spite of their artistic quality, were criticized as so flamboyant that they detracted from the central portrait and theme. The relatively austere design consequently chosen for the Washington–Franklins was the result of this concern.In keeping with the quest for simplicity the original design concept was not for a Washington–Franklin series, but for a series devoted exclusively to Washington, with all its near-identical stamps exhibiting the same image of the first United States President—they would differ from one another only in denomination and color. This idea originated with one Charles H. Dalton of Boston, who, in a letter to his Senator, Winthrop M. Crane, expressed admiration for the current British stamps, all of which employed the same profile portrait of King Edward VII. Dalton recommended that the next U.S. series be similarly uniform, with every one of its stamps presenting the same profile head of Washington found on the 2¢ denomination of the 1894 First Bureau Issue. The senator passed this letter on to the Postmaster General, George Meyer, who by and large followed Dalton's recommendation. Full uniformity, however, would have violated a long-standing postal tradition dating back to 1851, which had placed Franklin on every definitive one-cent stamp issued by the U.S. Post Office. It may have been for this reason that Franklin was admitted to the 1908 series in the single case of the one-cent stamp. The Washington–Franklin series resulting from this compromise was designed by the renowned artist Clair Aubrey Houston, known for his many postage stamp designs. Most denominations of the 1902–03 series had been identical in color to their counterparts in the preceding First Bureau Issue. By contrast, the Washington–Franklin set preserved the previous colors only for its five lowest values: new and very different colors were chosen for all denominations of 6-cents and higher.
Despite the vast number of Washington–Franklin stamps released—as said, more than 250 in seven different series—only five basic designs were employed during their printing and production. Two separate engravings—one of Washington, the other of Franklin—are used in the five basic design types. The engraving of George Washington was modeled after a bust by the celebrated sculptor Jean Antoine Houdon. The image of Franklin in this issue was engraved by Marcus Baldwin who modeled his engraving after a photograph of a plaster bust of Franklin created by Jean Jacques Caffieri in 1777. As the issue evolved through its seven series, Washington and Franklin replaced each other on some values—marking the first time in United States postal history that two men had appeared on the same denomination in one issue. Indeed, both Washington and Franklin ultimately appeared on the 1-cent, 8-cent, 10-cent, 13-cent, 15-cent, 50-cent and 1-dollar values.
In the case of the first four designs, preparing printing plates for each stamp required two separate transfer phases. Two different steel dies were used, one containing the Washington or Franklin engraving, the other providing the framework and lettering. After every image on the steel plate had been impressed with both design components, the plate was heat-treated and hardened to prepare it for printing. In the lower-denomination Washington–Franklin Issues, 400 separate impressions appeared on a printing plate, referred to as a flat plate. The higher value of 1-dollar was printed from a flat plate of 200 subjects. The fifth design required different plates for each of the two elements, as printing took place in two stages: the frame was first printed in color and, in a second impression, the Franklin portrait was laid over it in black. These $2 and $5 values employed plates of 100 subjects.
Stamp issues
The first Washington–Franklin stamp issued was a two-cent red Washington-head, issued on November 16, 1908, to pay the first class postage on a standard letter. The seven separate and distinct Washington–Franklin series appeared at intervals of a year or two and included denominations that ranged from 1-cent to 1 or 5 dollars, depending on the series. The different issues can be distinguished from one another by one or more of several factors: perforation gauge, the type of stamp paper—or, in some unusual varieties, by the printing method used. Four or five basic paper-types were employed during the life of the issue. Two of these have different watermarks, while another paper-type had no watermarks. In 1909 a much less common type of bluish paper was used, made of 35% rag stock combined with the usual wood pulp and can readily be identified by its faint bluish-gray color. Later in the same year the Post Office is supposed to have experimented with China clay paper, but whether such a paper stock actually existed has become a matter of dispute.Stamp issues chart
Year series
The first three series of Washington–Franklin postage stamps depicted Washington on every denomination except for the ONE CENT issue, which presented Benjamin Franklin's profile inside the same frame design as that of the Washington issues. On January 11, 1912 Franklin for the first time began to appear on denominations of 8-cents and higher. Each of the seven successive series brought various changes in design, color, perforations, paper and sometimes printing methods. In addition to these series, there are a few individual stamps—issued near the end of the Washington–Franklin era—that can not be categorized within one of the series because of design or perforation anomalies. The last Washington–Franklin was issued in May 1923, a 1-cent green Washington-head with olive leaves, would coincidentally also become the rarest postage stamp of the issue and can only be positively identified by measuring its outer frame dimensions. Because its distinct features are not readily apparent, this variety sometimes turns up in every day collections. This, however, is unusual, as the stamp was printed in very limited quantities and consequently any surviving examples of this variety are exceedingly rare and valuable today.1908–09 series
1909 series
1910–11 series
1912–1914 series
New arrivals:
1914–15 series
1916–17 series
1917–1920 series
Offset printing
During World War I, several ingredients of postage stamp ink that had previously been imported from Germany became unavailable, and the domestic materials that replaced them had significant gritty impurities, with the result that the stamp printing plates became worn much more quickly. In response to this problem, the U.S. Post Office employed the new offset printing process to produce several separate Washington-head issues. The offset method involved taking a photo of a die proof of the postage stamp and through a special process, transferring an image of its negative to a plate of glass, which became the actual printing plate. The set-up and development process was more involved in the preparation stages than the engraving process, but once the photo mask was made it only took about an hour to produce and replace a worn printing plate. The offset process produced an image of lesser quality with a smooth surface, as compared to that of an engraved stamp whose lines are raised above the surface of the paper. A stamp produced by the offset process almost always possesses a softer or grayish tone to its color and is usually easy to distinguish, especially when placed next to a similar stamp printed by the engraving process.Three denominations of 1, 2 and 3-cents were printed by the offset printing process. There are two types of the 1-cent denomination, five different types of the 2-cent variety, and two types of the 3-cent variety. These types possess differences in the lines on the toga rope in Washington's profile and usually require the aid of magnification to positively identify their different characteristics. Stamps produced by the offset process were issued with a perforation gauge of 11 with the one exception of the 1919 1-cent issue with gauge 12½. The first Washington–Franklin stamp printed by the offset process was a 3-cent Washington-head, issued on March 22, 1918. The 1-cent green followed and was issued on December 24, 1918. The five types of the 2-cent denomination were issued sometime later on March 15, 1920. Beginning in 1919 an imperforate variety was also issued. All three denominations were printed and possess the same variations in type that are found on the perforated issues, as the imperforate issues were produced from the same plates. There were no Franklin-heads printed with the Offset printing press.
Imperforate stamps
Postage stamps issued in sheets with no perforations between the rows and columns of individual stamps are referred to as imperforate. The Washington–Franklin issue contains several series of imperforate stamps that occur on a small range of denominations from 1 through 5-cents. These stamps were issued in imperforate form to accommodate several major vending machine companies of that period who used this stock for coil stamps in their machines which were in wide use about the country. Many of these companies applied their own form of perforations, such as the :File:Schermack stamp vending machine.jpg|Schermack, Mail-O-Meter, and Brinkerhoff vending machine companies. There were at least seven such firms, each having its own patented machines. Imperforate stamps were issued in full uncut sheets of 400 subjects or in coil rolls of 500 or 1000 stamps. The imperforate issues were printed from a flat plate with 400 subjects until 1918 when they were produced on the rotary press from continuous rolls of paper. Imperforate coils from this stock are much rarer than examples cut from full sheets.Coil stamps
Postage stamps that come in strips with the individual stamps arranged side by side or one above the other and rolled into a coil for sale at the post office are referred to as coil stamps. The coil configuration made the repeated removal of individual stamps easier for the clerks and others who dealt with mass mailings on a daily basis. The coil configuration also made it possible to dispense individual stamps in vending machines. Responding to complaints from vending machine companies that coil stamps with standard perforations separated too easily, the postal service introduced a much coarser gauge—perforated 8½—in 1910. This gauge, however, proved problematic for opposite reasons: the stamps proved too difficult to separate. As a result, a finer gauge, perforated 10, was used for coils from 1914 on.From 1908 to 1914 coil stamps were printed with Flat Plate presses in sheets of 400 which were then cut into strips for coiling. In 1915 the Bureau began printing coil stamps from continuous rolls of paper with the Rotary Press. The printing plates were curved and affixed around a rotating cylinder, a process that stretched the images somewhat, making them slightly longer than similar images printed from a flat-plate. The difference in size becomes evident when the two different types are placed side by side.
Coil stamps are either perforated horizontally, with one stamp over the other, or vertically with the stamps situated side by side along the strip of stamps. Made from the same paper stock as sheet stamps, the coil stamps were accordingly issued concurrently with the regular Washington–Franklins. The denominations for coil stamps of these series range only from 1-cent up to 10-cents. While the 1–5 cent denominations were issued almost continuously the 10-cent coils were only issued twice, once as a yellow Washington-head stamp first issued in 1908, and once as a 10-cent yellow Franklin-head coil that wasn't issued until 1916.
Notes:
- Each of the year series produced stamps with denominations of 1c and 2c that were issued with both horizontal and vertical perforations. The remaining denominations of 3c to 10c were issued with mostly vertical perforations.
- There is only one example each of the Washington 3c, 4c and 5c stamps issued with horizontal perforations.
- Neither the Washington-head nor Franklin-head 10-cent coil was ever issued with horizontal perforations, hence the issues only existed with stamps situated next to one another on a coil.
Orangeburg coil
Private perforations
Beginning on January 3, 1911 the Bureau of Engraving and Printing issued the 1-cent and 2-cent denominations in imperforate form on single-line watermarked paper specifically for use by at least seven different private coil-stamp vending machine companies. Each company used its own distinctive types of perforations, and most firms continued to experiment with them. Thus on the 1-cent issues, these five companies employed a total of 18 different types of private perforations, while 19 types exist on the 2-cent denomination. These private perforations, designed to fit the specific mechanisms of the various vending machines, were applied to imperforate sheets of 400 stamps after those sheets had been cut into either vertical or horizontal strips. Joseph Schermack is generally credited with producing the first coil stamp vending machine. Privately applied perforations continued to be used well into the 1920s, and comprise a distinctive segment of U.S. postal history.There are no known records of actual quantities issued for private perforation types, however relative rarity of the various types is known from years of stamp sales and auction results. The Farwell type 3A2 is the most rare variety of the private perforations. Counterfeits perforations applied to the imperforate variety are somewhat common among several of the types, usually among items having a far lower value than the coil with privately applied perforations. Coil-stamp pairs with a center line mark in between the stamps are also targets for counterfeiters as the item itself is scare or rare and with the addition of fake perforations, the rarity of the item is compounded allowing its value to go up exponentially if not detected. With two exceptions, each vending machine company that applied private perforations produced several different distinct types: i.e. the Schermack vending machine company produced five different perforation types, Mail-o-meter produced six different types, Brinkerhoff produced four different types. Other companies include The John V. Farwell Company which produced eleven different types of perforations and the U.S. Automatic Vending Company which issued four types. By contrast, the Attleboro company and The International Vending Machine Company each produced only one type.
Outlining all the various types of private perforations involves a considerable amount of specialized information requiring a good number of accompanying illustrations and is therefore beyond the scope of this section. Further inquiry into private perforations can be made with information available in the [|external links] section under Privately applied perforations''.
2- and 3-cent types
Those engraved images on the 2- and 3-cent Washington-head issues that appear similar but whose lines vary significantly are referred to and often cataloged as types. Type I occurs on flat plate printings only while types II & III also occur mostly in rotary press printings and in offset printings as they were produced from photo plates made from the former printing plates. The 2-cent Type II stamp does not occur on a flat plate stamp. Because the commonly used denominations of the Washington–Franklin issues were printed in greater quantities the worn printing plates would have to be replaced in the process from time to time. Though each new plate was made from the same die transfer, the plates would still differ slightly from the previous plate in use due to the bending process to fit the plate around the rotary press printing cylinder. Plates would also differ because the transfer die itself would wear from repeated image transfers to the printing plate.There are eleven different types of stamps designs among the two denominations of 2 and 3 cents. The variations that constitute types occur in the various facial features on Washington, and on his Toga and on the various lines of shading on the ornaments of the stamp design. Defining all the various types among these two denominations involves a highly specialized area of study that encompasses a sizable amount of additional information whose many details need accompanying illustrations and as such is beyond the scope of this section. It suffices to say that most of the types are common to less common with only two types that are rare and valuable, one a 2-cent, 1916 issue, type II, the other a 2-cent 1919 issue, type II. Because it requires knowledge of and magnification to see the subtle variations in the lines of the image the valuable stamps can and have gone unnoticed for years before they are ever discovered, and sometimes turn up in common stamp collections, but this is very uncommon as these types are indeed rare. There are various places on-line, one listed in 'External links', [|'Identifying the 2 and 3 cent types'], that can provide detailed information about the 2c and 3c design types with an assortment of illustrations and charts to aid positive identification. Various publications like the popular Scott Specialized Catalogue of US Stamps also provide detailed and illustrated information for design types.
Oddities of the Issue
There are a few Washington–Franklin issues that were produced at the latter part of their production and can not be categorized with the other series or groups of stamps by their standard features, having features that are not defined by perforation gauge or paper type alone, rendering these issues one of a kind.Rare perforation errors
When the Post Office changed the perforation gauge from 12 to 10 in 1914, a few sheets emerged with stamps that had been perforated with one of the gauges horizontally and the other vertically. These errors included 1¢, 2¢ and 5¢ stamps that were perforated 12×10, as well as 1¢ and 2¢ stamps perforated 10x12. All five varieties are great rarities; indeed the 2¢ perforated 10×12 issue has been identified as one of the rarest of all U.S. stamps with only a single used copy certified, while the #164 is unique..The 5-cent color error, 1916–1920
Watermarks
Watermarks occur in paper and are made during the paper making process by means of various devices that impart an impression in the wet paper pulp, the impression usually consisting of an official emblem or letter. The actual watermark portion of the paper is thinner than the surrounding paper. The difference in paper thickness can usually be detected by holding the stamp up to a light, however some countries have issued stamps whose watermarks are very difficult to detect in this manner and require watermark detection fluid. Watermarks were originally used by governments for documents, currency and other applications to help prevent counterfeiting. The U.S. Post office began using a double-line watermark bearing the initials USPS in 1895, when the Bureau of Engraving and Printing introduced it into the previously unwatermarked Bureau Triangles stamp issues. The same double-line watermark paper used then was used on the various issues leading up to and used in the production of the 1908 and 1909 versions of the Washington–Franklin issues. In 1910 the watermark was changed to a single-line watermark and with initials which were smaller in size, partly because the double-line watermark tended to weaken the sheets at the perforations causing premature separation of stamps at the Post Office, and partly because postal officials suspected that the double-line watermark caused the stamp paper to shrink unevenly when the sheets dried after printing.As the Bureau used only two types of watermarks for the Washington–Franklins, with each type bearing the initials USPS, their application is easily summarized. There are eight distinct configurations in which the watermarked initials can appear on any U.S. postage stamp, from right side up, to sideways right, to upside down, and to sideways left; and similarly again in reverse form as a result of the sheet of paper being placed reversed in the printing press, thus causing the initials USPS to appear reversed on the stamp/sheet. Watermarks as they occur on U.S. postage stamps are not usually visible to the naked eye and must be submerged in a special watermark fluid that enhances its appearance. This is done to distinguish stamps with the same color, perforation gauge and denomination but which were printed on paper with different watermarks or without any watermarks—i.e., the only way to positively distinguish a 3-cent, 1908 issue, with double-line watermark, from a 3-cent, 1910 issue, with single-line watermark, is to test for these watermarks, as both of these issues are identical in color, denomination and perforation, and therefore cannot be differentiated by these features.
The Washington–Franklin issues were the last U.S. stamps to employ papers bearing the USPS watermark; the use of these was discontinued in 1916, during World War I, as a means to reduce expense, as watermarked paper was more expensive than its unwatermarked equivalent and at year's end the difference saved was considerable.