Issued May 8, 1973, Harry Truman's birthday, and five months after his death. This commemorative follows the Post Office tradition of honoring presidents on the anniversary of their birth.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Catalog Number: Scott #1499

• Denomination: 8 cents (8¢)

• Date of Issue: May 8, 1973

• Printing Method: Giori Press (Multicolor Intaglio)

• Perforation: 11

• Color: Carmine Rose, Black, and Blue

• Subject: Portrait of Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States

CONDITION ANALYSIS (Seller-Assessed)

• Status: Used

• Grading: Extremely Fine

• Postmark: Minimal impression present. Does not obscure the portrait or principal design elements.

• Obverse: Design is clear and fully legible throughout. No visible tears or creases observed.

• Reverse: No gum present, consistent with postal use. Reverse appears clean with no visible thins or repairs.

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

• Perforations: All perforations intact. No visible tears or missing perforations.

HISTORY

Harry S. Truman died on December 26, 1972, at age 88. The U.S. Post Office Department issued this commemorative stamp on May 8, 1973 (his birthday) continuing the tradition of honoring major American figures on the anniversary of their birth. Roosevelt, Einstein, and Lincoln had received the same treatment in earlier decades.

Truman's presidency from 1945 to 1953 encompassed some of the most consequential decisions in 20th-century American history. He ordered the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, ending World War II in the Pacific. He oversaw the Berlin Airlift in 1948, the formation of NATO in 1949, and the beginning of the Korean War in 1950. He desegregated the U.S. military by executive order in 1948, a decision that preceded the civil rights movement by more than a decade.

The Giori Press used to produce this stamp (the same multicolor intaglio technology seen on the 1963 Flag over White House stamp) applied carmine rose, black, and blue in precise registration, giving the portrait a richness of tone that single-color engraved stamps could not achieve. The 8¢ denomination matched the first-class rate that had taken effect in 1971.

STEVEN SAYS

Birthday issue … the same tradition as Roosevelt, Einstein, Lincoln. The Post Office made a habit of this. Truman ordered the bomb, desegregated the military, started NATO. The Giori press multicolor on this one is worth a close look.