Scott #1035 was the first regular-issue U.S. stamp to feature the Statue of Liberty as its primary subject - an image so associated with American identity that it took until 1954 to become the centerpiece of a definitive series.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Catalog Number: Scott #1035

• Denomination: 3 cents (3¢)

• Date of Issue: June 24, 1954

• Printing Method: Rotary Press, Engraved (Intaglio)

• Perforation: 11 × 10½

• Color: Deep Violet

• Subject: Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor

CONDITION ANALYSIS (Seller-Assessed)

• Status: Used

• Grading: Extremely Fine

• Postmark: Machine postmark present. Specific type and placement not described in available documentation — photos show placement relative to design.

• Obverse: Design remains clear and well-defined throughout. No significant fading or surface damage observed.

• Reverse: Paper is clean with no significant signs of thinning, damage, or remaining adhesive.

• Centering / Margins: Exceptionally well-centered with balanced margins on all four sides.

• Perforations: Intact on all four sides. No visible tears, creases, or missing perforations observed.

HISTORY

The Liberty Series, issued between 1954 and 1961, replaced the Presidential Series of 1938 with a broader visual program - presidents and statesmen alongside landmarks and symbols associated with American freedom. The Statue of Liberty, depicted here on the 3¢ denomination, was the series' most recognizable subject and, notably, its first appearance as the primary image on a regular-issue U.S. definitive stamp.

The statue had appeared on commemorative issues before, but the Liberty Series gave it a permanent place in everyday American postal use. The 3¢ denomination was issued June 24, 1954, serving domestic correspondence rates of the period and remaining in active circulation well into the late 1950s. The deep violet color was chosen for the 3¢ denomination, following the color-coding conventions established across earlier definitive series.

The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France, dedicated in 1886, and had been a symbol of American ideals for nearly seventy years by the time this stamp was issued. Placing it at the center of a definitive series in 1954 (during the early Cold War, when questions of American identity and democratic values were at the forefront of public life) carried a resonance that a portrait stamp of a president could not have achieved in quite the same way.

STEVEN SAYS

First regular-issue stamp to put the Statue of Liberty front and center. It took until 1954. The deep violet on this one is well-preserved, that color can fade on lesser examples.