The Houdon bust is the source portrait here, the same sculpture that sits in the Virginia State Capitol and that Washington himself called the truest likeness ever made of him.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Catalog Number: Scott #705

• Denomination: 1 cent (1¢)

• Date of Issue: January 1, 1932

• Printing Method: Rotary Press

• Perforation: 11 × 10½

• Color: Green

• Subject: Portrait of George Washington, after Jean-Antoine Houdon bust

CONDITION ANALYSIS (Seller-Assessed)

• Status: Used

• Grading: Fine

• Postmark: Moderate impression present. The postmark falls across the stamp without obscuring principal design elements.

• Obverse: Design is intact and fully legible throughout. Normal wear consistent with postal use. No visible tears, creases, or missing perforations.

• Reverse: Light discoloration present. No watermark, as expected for this issue.

• Centering / Margins: Perforations clear of the design frame on all sides.

• Perforations: No evidence of trimming, repairs, or reperforation.

HISTORY

The Washington Bicentennial Issue of 1932 celebrated the 200th anniversary of Washington's birth with twelve stamps, each drawn from a different historical portrait or sculpture. Scott #705 is the 1¢ denomination, the second in the series, and its source is Jean-Antoine Houdon's life bust of Washington. It is widely considered the most accurate portrait of the first president ever produced.

Houdon traveled from Paris to Mount Vernon in 1785 at the invitation of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, who wanted a definitive likeness of Washington for posterity. He spent two weeks at Mount Vernon taking measurements and making a plaster life mask, work that formed the basis for the marble bust now in the Virginia State Capitol. Washington himself is reported to have said it was the truest representation of his face. The Houdon source gives this stamp a direct connection to a moment of historical documentation, not interpretation.

The 1¢ denomination circulated widely as a supplemental and makeup rate stamp throughout the 1930s. Alongside the ½¢ Scott #704, it represents the lower end of the Bicentennial series — workhorse stamps used daily while carrying one of the most carefully researched portrait series in American philatelic history.

STEVEN SAYS

Washington said the Houdon bust was the truest likeness ever made of him. That's the portrait on this stamp. Not a painting made from memory, a sculptor in the room at Mount Vernon.

Technical Specifications

• Catalog Number: Scott #705

• Denomination: 1 cent (1¢)

• Date of Issue: January 1, 1932

• Printing Method: Rotary Press

• Perforation: 11 × 10½

• Color: Green

• Mintage: Approximately 1,265,555,100

• Subject: Portrait of George Washington. The engraving is based on the famous bust by Jean-Antoine Houdon.

Condition Analysis

Status: 

Used and Uncertified.

Sellers Grading: 

Fine

Obverse: 

The design is intact and fully legible. No visible tears, creases, or missing perforations are observed. Normal wear consistent with postal use.

Reverse: 

Light discoloration. No watermark is present, as expected for this issue.

Centering / Margins: 

Very Good The perforations do not cut into the design frame.

Postmark: 

Moderate

Other Findings: 

No evidence of trimming, repairs, or reperforation.