This stamp puts a 19th-century wooden covered bridge next to the George Washington Bridge on the same design, a century of American engineering in a single image.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Catalog Number: Scott #1012

• Denomination: 3 cents (3¢)

• Date of Issue: September 30, 1952

• Printing Method: Rotary Press, Engraved (Intaglio)

• Perforation: 11 × 10½

• Color: Bright Blue

• Subject: Centennial of the American Society of Civil Engineers (1852–1952) — wooden covered bridge and George Washington Bridge

CONDITION ANALYSIS (Seller-Assessed)

• Status: Used

• Grading: Fine

• Postmark: Black machine cancel consisting of multiple wavy horizontal lines. The postmark does not obscure the bridge designs or principal inscriptions.

• Obverse: Engraved bridge details and ASCE emblem remain sharp and clearly identifiable. Blue ink is well-preserved throughout.

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

• Centering / Margins: Good. Perforations remain intact and do not cut into the design frame.

• Perforations: Intact on all four sides. No evidence of trimming, reperforation, or artificial alteration.

HISTORY

The American Society of Civil Engineers was founded in New York City in 1852, making it the oldest national engineering society in the United States. Its centennial in 1952 prompted this commemorative, issued September 30 of that year. The design is one of the more visually ambitious of its era — placing a 19th-century wooden covered bridge in direct juxtaposition with the George Washington Bridge, which had opened in 1931 and at the time of issue remained the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge.

The contrast is deliberate and effective. The covered bridge represents the vernacular engineering tradition of early America: locally built, timber-framed, designed to protect the wooden roadbed from weather. The George Washington Bridge, designed by engineer Othmar Ammann and architect Cass Gilbert, represents the scale and technical ambition of 20th-century infrastructure. Between them sits the ASCE emblem, linking the two eras under the society's century of professional practice.

The 3¢ denomination served the domestic first-class rate in 1952, giving this commemorative wide circulation during the centennial year.

STEVEN SAYS

A wooden covered bridge next to the George Washington Bridge on the same stamp. The Post Office got the design right on this one, the contrast tells the whole story of what engineers accomplished in a hundred years.