While the standard sheet stamp version of this Eisenhower issue used multicolor printing, this claret version was produced specifically for booklets and coils - a monochromatic design that makes it a distinct catalog entry from its better-known counterpart.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Catalog Number: Scott #1395

• Denomination: 8 cents (8¢)

• Date of Issue: May 10, 1971

• Printing Method: Rotary Press, Engraved (Intaglio)

• Perforation: 11 × 10½

• Color: Claret

• Subject: Portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States

CONDITION ANALYSIS (Seller-Assessed)

• Status: Used

• Grading: Very Fine

• Postmark: Minimal, with a faint impression that does not obscure the portrait or principal design elements.

• Obverse: Printed surface is clean with no signs of ink fading or mechanical damage. Engraving lines remain sharp throughout.

• Reverse: No original gum present, as expected for a used stamp. Paper appears sound with no visible thinning, creases, or aging spots.

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

• Perforations: All perforations intact. No tears or structural defects observed.

HISTORY

Scott #1395 is the claret monochromatic version of the 8¢ Eisenhower from the Prominent Americans Series, issued May 10, 1971, the same date as the multicolor sheet stamp Scott #1394. While #1394 used a combination of lithography and engraving to produce a richer tonal range, #1395 was produced in a single claret color specifically for booklet panes and coil formats… a practical distinction driven by the different printing requirements of those formats.

The 8¢ denomination was issued specifically to meet the new domestic first-class letter rate that took effect in May 1971, making both versions of this stamp among the most widely circulated issues of the early 1970s. Eisenhower had died in March 1969, and his appearance on the first-class rate stamp just two years later reflected his enduring place in American public life as both Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II and the 34th president.

For collectors building complete sets of the Prominent Americans Series, #1394 and #1395 represent two distinct catalog entries for the same subject and denomination, differentiated by color, printing method, and format. The claret version is the less commonly encountered of the two in used condition.

STEVEN SAYS

The sheet stamp is multicolor. This one is claret, single color, made for booklets and coils. Same denomination, same face, two different catalog entries. Worth keeping straight if you collect the Prominent Americans series.

Technical Specifications

• Catalog Number: Scott #1395.

• Denomination: 8 cents (8¢).

• Date of Issue: May 10, 1971.

• Printing Method: Engraved (Intaglio), Rotary Press.

• Perforation: 11 x 10½.

• Color: Claret (Deep brownish-red).

• Mintage: Not Officially Published

• Subject: Portrait of Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States. The design is based on a photograph taken by official White House photographers during his administration.

Condition Analysis

Status: 

Used and Uncertified. The stamp has been postally used and removed from an envelope.

Obverse: 

The printed surface is clean with no signs of ink fading or mechanical damage. The engraving lines remain sharp.

Reverse: 

No gum as expected for a used stamp.. The paper appears sound with no visible thinning, creases, or "foxing" (aging spots).

Centering / Margins: 

Very Fine

Postmark: 

Minimal

Other Findings: 

All perforations are intact. There are no tears or structural defects.