The 3¢ coil Washington was the first-class letter rate stamp of 1932: the year Franklin Roosevelt defeated Herbert Hoover, the year the Los Angeles Olympics were held, and the year this stamp was moving through the mail in enormous numbers.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Catalog Number: Scott #721

• Denomination: 3 cents (3¢)

• Date of Issue: June 24, 1932

• Printing Method: Rotary Press, Engraved (Intaglio)

• Perforation: 10 Vertically (Coil — straight edges top and bottom)

• Color: Deep Violet

• Subject: Portrait of George Washington, Washington Bicentennial Issue

CONDITION ANALYSIS (Seller-Assessed)

• Status: Used

• Grading: Very Fine

• Postmark: Minimal, with a faint impression that does not obscure the portrait or principal design elements.

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

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

• Centering / Margins: The design frame is not cut by perforations on either side.

• Perforations: Vertical perforations on left and right sides intact, though slightly uneven in places consistent with normal circulation wear. Top and bottom edges cleanly imperforate, confirming coil format. No evidence of trimming or alteration.

HISTORY

The Washington Bicentennial Issue of 1932 commemorated the 200th anniversary of Washington's birth with a twelve-stamp series, each drawn from a different historical portrait. The series was released across the year in both sheet and coil formats, with the coil versions produced for vending and affixing machines. Scott #721 is the 3¢ coil, issued June 24, 1932, identifiable by its vertical perforations and straight-cut imperforate top and bottom edges — distinct from the sheet stamp of the same design, Scott #720, which carries perforations on all four sides.

The 3¢ denomination served the domestic first-class letter rate in 1932, making this coil one of the most heavily used stamps of the Bicentennial series. The year itself was consequential — Franklin Roosevelt defeated Herbert Hoover in November in one of the most decisive presidential elections of the 20th century, the Los Angeles Olympics were held that summer, and the country was in the depths of the Great Depression. The 3¢ Washington coil was the stamp on millions of pieces of correspondence moving through that moment.

The deep violet color was assigned to the 3¢ denomination across the Bicentennial series, maintaining visual consistency between the sheet and coil formats.

STEVEN SAYS

The 3¢ coil was the first-class stamp in 1932. Roosevelt beats Hoover that November. The Olympics in Los Angeles that summer. The Depression at its worst. This stamp was in the mail through all of it.