Eugene O'Neill is the only American playwright to win the Nobel Prize for Literature — awarded in 1936 for a body of work that transformed American theater from melodrama into genuine dramatic art.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Catalog Number: Scott #1294

• Denomination: 1 dollar ($1)

• Date of Issue: October 16, 1967

• Printing Method: Rotary Press, Engraved (Intaglio)

• Perforation: 11 × 10½

• Color: Dull Purple

• Subject: Portrait of Eugene O'Neill, Nobel Prize-winning playwright

CONDITION ANALYSIS (Seller-Assessed)

• Status: Used

• Grading: Extremely Fine

• Postmark: Minimal, with a faint impression consistent with postal use.

• Obverse: Color remains deep and distinct throughout. No fading, creases, or surface damage observed.

• Reverse: Paper appears clean. Gum is absent, consistent with a used stamp. No repairs or thins observed.

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

• Perforations: Intact on all four sides. No tears or creases visible.

  
  

HISTORY

Eugene O'Neill was born in 1888 into a theatrical family (his father was a successful touring actor) and spent his early adulthood at sea, in gold prospecting camps, and in sanatoriums before committing himself to writing. What followed was one of the most transformative bodies of work in American cultural history. Long Day's Journey Into Night, Mourning Becomes Electra, The Iceman Cometh, Strange Interlude … O'Neill brought psychological depth, autobiographical honesty, and Greek tragic structure to an American stage that had largely settled for entertainment.

He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1936, the only American playwright ever to receive it, and won four Pulitzer Prizes across his career. He died in 1953 in a Boston hotel room, reportedly saying that he knew it was a mistake to be born in a hotel room and to die in one.

The Prominent Americans Series placed him on the $1 denomination, issued October 16, 1967 - the highest face value in the series and a rate that served parcels and high-value registered mail. The dull purple color gave the stamp a visual gravity matching its subject. At $1, this stamp circulated far less freely than the lower denominations, making well-preserved used examples less frequently encountered than their face value counterparts elsewhere in the series.

STEVEN SAYS

The only American playwright with a Nobel. Long Day's Journey Into Night is one of the great American works in any form. The Post Office gave him the dollar denomination, that feels right.

Technical Specifications

• Catalog Number: Scott #1294.

• Denomination: 1 Dollar ($1).

• Date of Issue: October 16, 1967.

• Printing Method: Rotary Press.

• Perforation: 11 x 10½.

• Color: Dull Purple.

• Mintage: Standard definitive issue (printed on demand).

• Subject: Portrait of Eugene O’Neill. The design features the Nobel Prize-winning playwright with a theatrical lighting effect, emphasizing his dramatic works.

Condition Analysis

Status:

Used and Uncertified

Sellers Grading: Extremely Fine

Obverse: 

The color remains deep purple and distinct.

Reverse: 

The paper appears clean. While the gum looks intact, the presence of a cancellation on the front classifies the stamp as used.

Centering / Margins: 

Excellent! The perforations do not cut into the design frame.

Postmark: Minimal

Other Findings:

The perforations are intact on all four sides. No tears or creases are visible.