Sc. #1901


Sc. #1901a

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5.9¢ Bicycle (BEP)
Water-Activated Coils of 500 and 3000
Scott# 1901 Plate # 3, 4 (Overall Tagging)
Cottrell Plate Pairings
and Roll Sizes Found
3/4 (500)
Purple Machine Cancel Plate # 4
Scott# 1901a Plate # 3, 4, 5, 6 (Untagged - Precanceled with two black lines)
Cottrell Plate Pairings
and Roll Sizes Found
3/4 (500, 3K); 5/6 (500, 3K)
Scott# 1901b Plate # 3, 4 (Imperf - Untagged - Precanceled)
Series Transportation
Issue Date & City February 17, 1982, Wheeling, West Virginia
Nationwide Sale February 18, 1982
Designer David K. Stone, Port Washington, NY
Modeler Clarence Holbert (BEP)
Typographer Bradbury Thompson (CSAC)
Engravers Gary M. Chaconas, vignette, Thomas J. Bakos, lettering (Both BEP)
To Press / Initial Quantity February 1982 /  503,236,000
Coil Size 500, 3000
Printer Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Washington, DC.?
Press Cottrell
Process Intaglio
Where Printed Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Washington, DC.?
Where Processed Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Washington, DC.?
Plate Size & Interval 864 stamps per revolution with two plates of 18 x 24 / plate # every 24 stamps
Paper & Gum Water-Activated Type I
Tagging Type Overall, Untagged
Perf. Gauge 9.8 Vertically
Color Blue
Overall Size (w x h) apx. 0.87 x 0.96 in. / 22.1 x 24.4 mm
Earliest Known Use February 17, 1982
Note: There are joint lines on the right side of the plate number stamp on this printing.
Note: Precancel Gaps exist at positions 1L, 4L, 5L, 6L, LG, 1R, 5R, 6R
Note: Precancel forgeries with the gap at 1R of plates 3 and 4 exist. 
The forgery is crudely created with a felt tip marker on tagged stamps.