Artist Robert Giusti observed wood ducks at a pond on his Connecticut property before painting this stamp. When the USPS asked him to sketch American wildlife for stamp subjects, he chose the Wood Duck for the iridescent plumage on its head.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Catalog Number: Scott #2484

• Denomination: 29 cents (29¢)

• Date of Issue: April 12, 1991

• First Day City: Columbus, Ohio

• Printing Method: Photogravure

• Printer: Bureau of Engraving and Printing

• Perforation: 10

• Color: Multicolor with black inscriptions

• Format: Booklet of 20

• Subject: Male Wood Duck (Aix sponsa), close-up portrait by Robert Giusti

CONDITION ANALYSIS (Seller-Assessed)

• Status: Used

• Grading: Very Fine

• Postmark: Black wavy-line machine cancel, typical of USPS processing equipment of the early 1990s. All major design features including the duck portrait, denomination, country name, and species inscription remain clearly identifiable.

• Obverse: Design is intact and fully legible throughout. No visible fading or surface damage observed.

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

• Centering / Margins: Good. Design is well-centered with perforations intact on three sides and clear of the design frame.

• Perforations: Complete and undamaged on three sides. No evidence of trimming, reperforation, or artificial alteration.

• Other Findings: The black "29 USA" and "Wood Duck" inscriptions confirm this as Scott #2484, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing printing. The otherwise identical KCS Industries printing, Scott #2485, carries the same inscriptions in red. Verifying inscription color is the standard identification method for these two varieties.

  
  

HISTORY

The Flora and Fauna Series, launched by the USPS in 1990, replaced the Great Americans definitive series with a broad program of American wildlife and plant subjects across a range of denominations and formats. The 29¢ Wood Duck was issued April 12, 1991, as the first-class letter rate stamp of its era.

Robert Giusti, the Connecticut-based artist who designed the stamp, worked from direct observation. Wood ducks visited a pond on his property, and he studied the male's plumage — the iridescent emerald-green crested head, bold white facial markings, chestnut breast, and vivid red eye — before rendering the close-up portrait in acrylic on canvas. The photogravure printing process gave the resulting stamp a color richness that suited the subject.

The Wood Duck series produced two varieties now recognized as separate catalog entries. Scott #2484, printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, carries black inscriptions. Scott #2485, printed by KCS Industries, carries the same inscriptions in red. The distinction is visible to the naked eye and separates two stamps that are otherwise identical in design, perforation, and denomination.

STEVEN SAYS

Giusti watched real wood ducks on his property before he painted this. The black inscription is the tell for #2484 versus #2485. Hold them side by side and the difference is immediate. The Wood Duck series is one of those where knowing the varieties actually matters.