Stamps

The Washington Franklin Designs First Issued in 1914
Flat Plate - Perf 12 - 400 Subject Plates

Est. under 5 million issued
First Day: April 29, 1914

Est. under 4 million issued
First Day: April 29, 1914

Est. under 3 million issued
First Day: April 29, 1914

Est. under 2 million issued
First Day: April 29, 1914

Est. under 1.5 million issued
First Day: April 29, 1914

The New Designs of the Regular Issues of 1914
The stamps pictured above were new denominations issued to fill a gap created when the parcel post stamps were discontinued. The majority of this set was issued in 1912. Although these stamps were issued in small quantities and for a very short time, they were replaced by the perf 10 stamps in September of that year, they are not as scarce as one might think. Since they were new denominations, enough copies were set aside by collectors to insure an ample supply.

The 12¢ stamp had been planned for several years prior to this issue to fill the letter and registry fee. It now found use on parcels and additionally paid the letter and special delivery fee.

As usual, the Post Office Department did not consider subsequent varieties of perforation and watermark to be new issues and did not distinguish the quantity issued of each. All of the quantities listed are best guesses based on the total production of all stamps in the years in which the stamp was issued.

The Panama-Pacific Exposition Issue - Perf 10 of 1914
Flat Plate - Perforated 10 - 280 Subject Plates

Vasco Nunez de Balboa
Possibly over 150 million issued
Earliest Known Use: Dec. 21, 1914

In 1914 and 1915 the U.S. began experimenting with a slightly wider perforation to keep stamps from separating from the sheets in the post office drawers. The perforation change from 12 to 10 was gradually implemented until nearly all U.S. postage stamps were available in the perf 10 format. The Pan Pacific Exposition stamps hold the distinction of being the only flat plate U.S. commemorative stamps to have more than one type of perforation. Only the 1¢ stamp was issued perf 10 in 1914, the 2¢, 5¢, and 10¢ were issued perf 10 in 1915. Quantity issued is a guess, but it is estimated that equal numbers of the perf 10 and perf 12 stamps were issued, the total for both perforations according to USPS records being 334,796,926.

The Special Delivery Issue of 1914 - Watermarked Perforated 10
Flat Plate - Perf 10 - 200 Subject Plates

Number E9 - Perf 10 Watermarked
Earliest Known Use: October 26, 1914

This stamp marks the change from perf 12 to perf 10, the same change that the ordinary stamps, the perf 10 watermarked Washington Franklins and the Postage Dues underwent in 1914. Since the U.S. Post Office Department did not recognize these stamps as separate issues, no records were kept distinguishing quantities issued.

The following postage stamp varieties were first issued by the U.S. in 1914:
Number 407 - 7¢ Washington perf 12 watermarked - EKU: 5/1/14
Number 415 - 9¢ Franklin perf 12 watermarked - EKU: 5/1/14
Number 417 - 12¢ Franklin perf 12 watermarked - EKU: 5/5/14
Number 419 - 20¢ Franklin perf 12 watermarked - EKU: 5/1/14
Number 420 - 30¢ Franklin perf 12 watermarked - EKU: 5/1/14
Number 421 - 50¢ Franklin perf 12 single-line watermarked - EKU: 5/1/14
Number 424 - 1¢ Washington perf 10 watermarked - EDU: 10/21/14
Number 425 - 2¢ Washington perf 10 watermarked - EDU: 11/6/14
Number 425e - 2¢ Washington perf 10 watermarked Booklet (pane) - EDU: 1/6/14
Number 426 - 3¢ Washington perf 10 watermarked - EDU: 11/11/14
Number 427 - 4¢ Washington perf 10 watermarked - EDU: 1/2/15
Number 428 - 5¢ Washington perf 10 watermarked - EDU: 12/2/14
Number 429 - 6¢ Washington perf 10 watermarked - EKU: 2/6/15
Number 430 - 7¢ Washington perf 10 watermarked - EDU: 4/14/15
Number 431 - 8¢ Franklin perf 10 watermarked - EDU: 1/20/15
Number 432 - 9¢ Franklin perf 10 watermarked - EDU: 10/7/15 (2/25/16 on cover)
Number 433 - 10¢ Franklin perf 10 watermarked - EDU: 11/13/14
Number 435 - 12¢ claret brown Franklin perf 10 watermarked - EDU: 2/22/15
Number 435a - 12¢ copper red Franklin perf 10 watermarked - EKU: unknown
Number 437 - 15¢ Franklin perf 10 watermarked - EDU - 9/21/15
Number 438 - 20¢ Franklin perf 10 watermarked - EKU: 11/28/14
Number 439 - 30¢ Franklin perf 10 watermarked - EDU: 2/13/15
Number 441 - 1¢ Washington flat plate coil perf 10 horiz. S/L Wmk. - EKU: 2/16/15
Number 442 - 2¢ Washington FP coil perf 10 horiz. S/L Wmk. Type I - EKU: 7/22/14
Number 443 - 1¢ Washington FP coil perf 10 vert. S/L Wmk. - EDU: 6/19/14
Number 444 - 2¢ Washington FP coil perf 10 vert. S/L Wmk. Type I - EDU: 5/19/14
Number 445 - 3¢ Washington FP coil perf 10 vert. S/L Wmk. Type I - EDU: 8/13/15
Number 446 - 4¢ Washington flat plate coil perf 10 vert. S/L Wmk. - EDU: 8/4/15
Number 447 - 5¢ Washington flat plate coil perf 10 vert. S/L Wmk. - EDU: 5/9/16
Number 452 - 1¢ Washington rotary coil perf 10 vert. S/L Wmk. - EKU: 11/25/14
Number 453 - 2¢ Washington rot. coil perf 10 vert. S/L Wmk. Type I - EDU: 9/16/14
Number 459 - 2¢ Washington rotary coil imperf. S/L Wmk. Type I - EKU: 12/?/14

Commemoratives:
Number 401 - 1¢ Panama Pacific Exposition

Special Delivery:
Number E9 - 10¢ Bicycle perf 10 watermarked - EKU: 10/26/14

Postage Dues:
Number J52 - 1¢ Postage Due perf 10 watermarked
Number J53 - 2¢ Postage Due perf 10 watermarked
Number J54 - 3¢ Postage Due perf 10 watermarked
Number J55 - 5¢ Postage Due perf 10 watermarked
Number J56 - 10¢ Postage Due perf 10 watermarked
Number J57 - 30¢ Postage Due perf 10 watermarked
Number J58 - 50¢ Postage Due perf 10 watermarked