This stamp was produced by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing in its first year of taking over stamp production from the American Bank Note Company, a quiet but significant shift in how America made its postage.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Catalog Number: Scott #279

• Denomination: 1 cent (1¢)

• Date of Issue: October 1, 1898

• Printing Method: Flat Plate Engraving (Intaglio)

• Perforation: 12

• Color: Green

• Subject: Portrait of Benjamin Franklin

CONDITION ANALYSIS (Seller-Assessed)

• Status: Used

• Grading: Fair

• Postmark: A horizontal wavy-line machine postmark is present. The postmark falls across the stamp without obscuring the Franklin portrait.

• Obverse: The design is clear and fully legible throughout. The Franklin portrait, denomination, and framing elements are all intact. Wear is consistent with normal postal use.

• Reverse: Hinge remnants present on the reverse, indicating prior album housing.

• Centering / Margins: Perforations are clear of the design frame on all sides.

• Perforations: No missing or torn perforations observed.

  
  
  
  

HISTORY

Benjamin Franklin appeared on the first U.S. federal postage stamp in 1847, and his portrait has returned to American stamps more times than any other figure in the nation's postal history. The 1¢ denomination of the 1898 Bureau Issue was his latest appearance at that point, part of a definitive series issued as the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing assumed full responsibility for stamp production from the American Bank Note Company.

The transition to Bureau printing in 1894 marked a significant shift in American philately. The Bureau brought greater consistency and tighter quality control to stamp production, and the 1898 series represented the maturing of that process. Flat plate intaglio engraving gave the stamps a depth and sharpness that collectors still appreciate today. Franklin's portrait in this series follows the traditional rendering used across several earlier issues, a deliberate continuity that reflected his enduring status as the father of the American postal system. He founded the country's postal infrastructure as Postmaster General in 1775, making his presence on the nation's stamps something more than honorary.

The 1¢ denomination served the lightest postal rate of the era, moving through the mail in enormous numbers during a period of rapid growth in American commerce and correspondence.

STEVEN SAYS

Franklin on a stamp always feels right to me. He built the US postal system. Putting him on the postage makes more sense than almost anyone else they could have chosen.

Technical Specifications

• Catalog Number: Scott #279

• Denomination: 1 cent (1¢)

• Date of Issue: October 1, 1898

• Printing Method: Flat Plate (engraved, intaglio)

• Perforation: 12

• Color: Green

• Mintage: Approximately 4.5 billion copies

• Subject: Portrait of Benjamin Franklin. The engraving is based on the traditional Franklin portrait used in earlier U.S. issues.

Condition Analysis

Status:

Used and Uncertified. The stamp bears a horizontal machine postmark.

Sellers Grading:

Fair

Obverse:

The design is clear and fully legible. No visible tears or creases are observed. Normal wear consistent with postal use.

Reverse:

Moderately hinged.

Centering / Margins:

Fair. The perforations do not cut into the design frame.

Postmark:

Beautiful wavy lines

Other Findings:

No visible tears or missing perforations.