The postmark on this stamp is dated September 25, 1934 - just two months after the stamp was issued, placing it in early circulation during the same year Wisconsin marked 300 years since Jean Nicolet's arrival to Green Bay.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Catalog Number: Scott #739

• Denomination: 3 cents (3¢)

• Date of Issue: July 7, 1934

• Printing Method: Flat Plate, Engraved (Intaglio)

• Perforation: 11

• Color: Deep Violet

• Subject: Jean Nicolet's 1634 landing at Green Bay, after the painting by Edward W. Deming

CONDITION ANALYSIS (Seller-Assessed)

• Status: Used

• Grading: Extremely Fine

• Postmark: Black ink postmark dated September 25, 1934, falling across the central vignette. The date is clearly legible, placing this stamp in circulation just two months after issue.

• Obverse: Design is clear and complete with all inscriptions fully visible. The postmark partially obscures the central vignette but does not affect the portrait or border elements.

• Reverse: No original gum present, as expected for a used stamp. Back is clean with no visible repairs or thins.

• Centering / Margins: Fine. Design is slightly off-center but perforations do not cut into the printed frame.

• Perforations: Intact throughout. No visible tears, creases, or missing perforations.

HISTORY

In 1634, the French explorer Jean Nicolet paddled his birchbark canoe into the waters of Green Bay, becoming the first European to reach what would become Wisconsin. He had been sent by Samuel de Champlain in search of a western route to China and arrived wearing a ceremonial Chinese robe - reportedly expecting to meet Asian dignitaries rather than the Ho-Chunk people who greeted him on shore. Three hundred years later, Wisconsin marked the tercentenary of that landing with a commemorative stamp.

The design is based on a painting by Edward W. Deming, an American artist known for his depictions of Native American life and early American history. The scene captures Nicolet's arrival and his encounter with the Ho-Chunk, rendered in the detailed historical illustration style characteristic of Deming's work. The flat plate printing method used on this issue (distinct from the rotary press stamps of the same era) produced a sharper, slightly larger impression with a depth of line that collectors of 1930s commemoratives appreciate.

The stamp was issued July 7, 1934, during a period when Wisconsin's tercentenary celebrations were underway across the state. This example, postmarked September 25, 1934, was in the mail during those same celebrations.

STEVEN SAYS

Nicolet showed up at Green Bay in a Chinese robe expecting to meet Asian diplomats. That's the story behind this stamp. The September 1934 postmark puts it right in the middle of the tercentenary year - two months off the press and already moving through the mail.