Type I and Type II - the distinction comes down to slightly lighter and darker hair on Washington’s head, scrollwork differences around the left “2 as well as differences around Washington’s toga and collar. These distinctions separate two different catalog entries and two different values. This is the Type I.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Catalog Number: Scott #634

• Denomination: 2 cents (2¢)

• Date of Issue: December 10, 1926

• Printing Method: Rotary Press, Engraved (Intaglio)

• Perforation: 11 × 10½

• Color: Carmine

• Subject: Portrait of George Washington, after the Houdon bust — Type I

CONDITION ANALYSIS (Seller-Assessed)

• Status: Used

• Grading: Fine

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

• Obverse: Clean, sharp engraved impression throughout. All design elements including the portrait, inscriptions, and denomination numerals are clearly defined.

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

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

• Perforations: Intact on all four sides. No evidence of trimming, reperforation, or artificial alteration observed.

HISTORY

Scott #634 belongs to the Fourth Bureau Issue, a definitive series that ran through the mid-1920s and introduced rotary press printing for sheet stamps. The shift from flat plate to rotary press resulted in stamps with slightly different physical dimensions - rotary press stamps are marginally larger due to the paper stretching on the curved press cylinder before perforation. This technical change created a distinct generation of stamps that collectors and specialists have tracked carefully ever since.

The 2¢ Washington at the carmine color served as the standard domestic first-class letter rate stamp of the mid-1920s, the rate for a sealed envelope traveling anywhere in the country. Washington's portrait, drawn from Houdon's life bust, had appeared on the 2¢ rate across multiple series by this point - a continuity that reflected both his foundational status and the practical need for a recognizable image at the most-used postal rate.

The Type I designation refers to specific characteristics of the engraved line work in the design, distinguishable from Type II by examining details in Washington’s hair, near Washington's toga and collar, as well as scrollwork differences around the left “2”. There are other type variations, each of which carry separate Scott catalog entries and collectors building complete Fourth Bureau sets, work to acquire all. This is the rotary press sheet stamp, perforated on all four sides, distinct from the coil versions of the same design.

STEVEN SAYS

Type I versus Type II on the 1920s Washington issues is one of those distinctions that separates casual collectors from serious ones. The line work in Washington’s hair is the tell. Worth knowing before you buy or sell either version.