Printed on the Giori press, technology that could apply multiple ink colors in a single pass, this stamp was one of the earliest multicolor U.S. definitives produced with that level of precision.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Catalog Number: Scott #1208

• Denomination: 5 cents (5¢)

• Date of Issue: January 9, 1963

• Printing Method: Giori Press (Multicolor Intaglio)

• Perforation: 11

• Color: Red, Blue, and Gray

• Subject: 50-star United States flag over the White House

CONDITION ANALYSIS (Seller-Assessed)

• Status: Used

• Grading: Very Fine

• Postmark: Wavy-line machine postmark present, falling cleanly without obscuring the flag or White House design.

• Obverse: Design is clear and intact throughout. No tears or major faults observed.

• Reverse: Clean with no original gum present, as expected for a used stamp.

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

• Perforations: All perforation teeth present. No evidence of repairs, thinning, or trimming observed.

HISTORY

Scott #1208 was issued January 9, 1963, during the Kennedy administration, as the 5¢ first-class domestic letter rate stamp. It replaced the earlier 4¢ Lincoln from the Liberty Series and served the rate that had taken effect in 1963 following a postage increase. The design (a 50-star flag flying above the White House) was deliberately simple, carrying only the denomination "5c" without the country name, following the established convention for U.S. domestic definitives of the period.

The Giori press used to produce this stamp was a significant development in American stamp printing. The press, developed by the Giori company in Switzerland and adopted by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, could apply multiple ink colors in a single pass with precise registration - a capability that made multicolor intaglio printing practical at scale for the first time. The red, blue, and gray of the flag and White House design were produced in a single printing operation, giving the stamp a crispness that earlier multicolor methods could not reliably achieve.

The stamp was in circulation through some of the most turbulent months of the 1960s. Issued in January 1963, it was the first-class stamp in use when President Kennedy was assassinated in November of that year and continued serving the rate into 1968.

STEVEN SAYS

The Giori press is the detail here. Multiple colors, single pass, precise registration… it changed what was possible for stamp printing. This was one of the first U.S. definitives to show what that technology could do.