|
Click on an image for a larger view.
| Scott# 1908 | Plate # 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 |
| PNC ID | 1981-5 |
| Scott# 1908a | Plate # 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 15, 16 (Imperf) |
| PNC ID | 1981-5.20 |
| Scott# 1908b | Plate # 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 13 (Tagging omitted) / Plate # 5, 6 (Miscut Split Number & Tagging Omitted) |
| PNC ID | 1981-5.12 |
|
Cottrell Plate Pairings and Roll Sizes Found |
1/2 (100, 500, 3K); 1/5 (100); 3/4 (500, 3K); 5/6 (100, 500, 3K); 5/13 (3K); 7/8 (100, 500, 3K); 9/10 (500/3K); 11/13 (100/500); 12/14 (3K); 15/16 (100, 500) |
| Purple Machine Cancel | Plate # 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 |
| PMC Tagging Omitted | Plate # 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 13 |
| Series | Transportation |
| Issue Date & City | December 10, 1981, Alexandria, Virginia |
| Nationwide Sale | December 11, 1981 |
| To Press / Initial Quantity | November 1981 / 426,100,000 |
| Coil Size | 100, 500, 3000 |
| Printer | Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Washington, DC |
| Press | Cottrell (801, 802 and 804) |
| Process | Intaglio |
| Plate Size & Interval | 864 stamps per revolution with two plates of 18 x 24 / plate # every 24 stamps |
| Paper | Type I |
| Tagging Type | Overall |
| Perf Gauge | 9.8 Vertically |
| Color | Vermillion |
| Image size (w x h) | apx .71 x .82 in. |
| Overall Size (w x h) | apx. 0.87 x 0.96 in. / 22.1 x 24.4 mm |
| Year on Stamp | None |
| USPS Order Numbers | 726 coil of 100; 727 coil of 500; 728 coil of 3000 |
| Suggested collecting format | PS 5 (Originally PS 3) |
| Postal Bulletin listing | 21325 11/12/1981 |
| Earliest Known Use | December 10, 1981 |
| Note: | There are joint lines on the right side of the plate number stamp on this printing. |
| Note: | In September 2014, a plate pairing of 9 and 10 was found on a coil of 500. |
| Varieties: | Several different gripper cracks. Chill roll doubling on some stamps of the 5 and 13 pairing. |