The 6¢ coil version of the Adams stamp served the domestic airmail rate in the late 1930s - meaning envelopes bearing this stamp were pulled from the regular mail stream and routed to the growing network of U.S. air mail routes.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Catalog Number: Scott #846

• Denomination: 6 cents (6¢)

• Date of Issue: January 20, 1939

• Printing Method: Rotary Press, Engraved (Intaglio)

• Perforation: 10 Vertically (Coil — straight edges top and bottom)

• Color: Red Orange

• Subject: Portrait of John Quincy Adams, 6th President of the United States (1825–1829)

CONDITION ANALYSIS (Seller-Assessed)

• Status: Used

• Grading: Fine

• Postmark: Bold postmark, partially obscuring the portrait of president Adams.

• Obverse: All major design features and text remain clearly identifiable throughout. No visible tears or creases.

• Reverse: No original gum present, as expected for a used stamp. No visible tears, thinning, or repairs.

• Centering / Margins: Good, with perforations clear of the design frame on all sides.

• Perforations: Intact on left and right sides only, consistent with coil format. No evidence of trimming, reperforation, or artificial alteration observed.

HISTORY

Scott #846 is the coil version of the 6¢ John Quincy Adams from the Presidential Series of 1938, issued January 20, 1939 - the same date as the other Prexies coil issues. The coil format, with vertical perforations only and straight-cut top and bottom edges, was produced for vending machines and affixing equipment and represents a distinct catalog entry from the sheet stamp, Scott #811.

The 6¢ denomination served the domestic airmail rate of the late 1930s. Air mail in the United States had expanded dramatically through the 1930s, driven by the Air Mail Act of 1934 and the growing network of routes operated by commercial airlines under contract with the Post Office Department. A letter bearing this stamp bypassed the surface mail system entirely and moved by air - faster, more expensive, and marked by this specific denomination.

John Quincy Adams served as the sixth president from 1825 to 1829 before embarking on his remarkable second career in Congress, where he served for seventeen years until his death at his desk in the Capitol in 1848. The red orange color assigned to the 6¢ denomination carries across both the sheet and coil versions of this issue, maintaining the visual consistency of the Prexies series across formats.

STEVEN SAYS

The airmail rate detail is worth knowing. The 6¢ stamp meant the letter was going by air, not surface. In 1939 that still meant something: air mail was faster, more expensive, and a deliberate choice by the sender.