The Tennessee Capitol flanked by Andrew Jackson and John Sevier, marking 150 years of the Volunteer State.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Catalog Number: Scott #941

• Denomination: 3 cents (3¢)

• Date of Issue: June 1, 1946

• Printing Method: Rotary Press, Engraved (Intaglio)

• Perforation: 11 × 10½

• Color: Dark Violet

• Subject: The Tennessee State Capitol with portraits of Andrew Jackson and John Sevier

• Format: Commemorative single

CONDITION ANALYSIS (Seller-Assessed)

• Status: Used

• Grading: Fine

• Postmark: Black machine postmark with horizontal parallel lines across the upper center. The Tennessee Volunteer State inscription and both 3¢ denominations remain readable.

• Obverse: The central State Capitol, the oval portraits of Jackson and Sevier, the twin 3¢ numerals, and the anniversary inscription are all identifiable.

• Reverse: No original gum present, as expected for a used stamp. The paper shows light toning and a diagonal crease toward the lower right corner, with no tears or thinning otherwise visible.

• Centering / Margins: The design sits comfortably within the frame, with subtle upward shift.

• Perforations: Intact on all four sides.

HISTORY

Tennessee joined the Union in 1796 as the sixteenth state, and this stamp marks its sesquicentennial by pairing the state's grand Greek Revival Capitol with two men who shaped its early history. On the left is John Sevier, the frontier soldier and Indian fighter who became Tennessee's first governor, a folk hero of the settlement era. On the right is Andrew Jackson, the most famous Tennessean of all, hero of the Battle of New Orleans and the seventh President of the United States.

The design also carries the state's enduring nickname, "The Volunteer State," a title earned through a long tradition of citizens rushing to arms. It dates especially to the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War, when Tennessee produced far more volunteer soldiers than were asked of it. That reputation for showing up to fight became a point of lasting state pride.

Issued June 1, 1946, in dark violet, the stamp appeared just after World War II, in which the Volunteer State had once again sent its sons to war in large numbers. It is a straightforward, dignified commemorative, honoring a state through its capitol building and the two leaders, the frontier governor and the president, who bracketed its rise.

STEVEN SAYS

Two Tennesseans frame the capitol here: John Sevier, the frontier fighter who was the first governor, and Andrew Jackson, who went all the way to the presidency. And that "Volunteer State" nickname is real, Tennessee kept sending way more volunteer soldiers than anyone asked for, going back to the War of 1812. A solid, dignified state stamp.