Sc. #1898A


Sc. #1898Ab

4¢ Stagecoach (BEP)
Water-Activated Coils of 500 and 3000
Scott# 1898A Plate # 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 (Overall Tagging)
Cottrell Plate Pairings
and Roll Sizes Found
1/2 (500, 3K); 3/4 (500, 3K); 5/6 (3K)
Purple Machine Cancel Plate # 4
Scott# 1898Ab Plate # 3, 4, 5, 6 (Untagged - Overprinted with Nonprofit Org.)
Cottrell Plate Pairings
and Roll Sizes Found
3/4 (500, 3K); 5/6 (500, 3K)
Scott# 1898Ac Plate # 5, 6 (Imperf - Untagged)
Scott# 1898Ad Plate # 1, 2 (Imperf - Overall Tagging)
Scott# 1898Ae Plate # 3, 4 (Tagging omitted - Not Precanceled)
Series Transportation
Issue Date & City August 19, 1982, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Nationwide Sale August 20, 1982
Designer James Schleyer, Burke, Virginia
Art Director Jack Williams (USPS)
Typographer Bradbury Thompson (CSAC)
Modeler Clarence Holbert (BEP)
Engravers Kenneth R. Kipperman, vignette, Gary J. Slaght, lettering (Both BEP)
To Press / Initial Quantity June 1982 /  29,472,000
Coil Size 500, 3000
Printer Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Washington, DC
Press Cottrell
Process Intaglio
Where Printed Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Washington, DC
Where Processed Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Washington, DC
Plate Size & Interval 864 stamps per revolution with two plates of 18 x 24 / plate # every 24 stamps
Paper & Gum Water-Activated Type I, III
Tagging Type Block, Overall
Perf Gauge 9.8 Vertically
Color Red Brown
Overall Size apx. 0.87 x 0.96 in. / 22.1 x 24.4 mm
Earliest Known Use August 19, 1982
Note: "Stagecoach 1890s" is 19 1/2 mm long.
Note: There are joint lines on the right side of the plate number stamp on this printing.
Note: 1898A - Plates 5 and 6 were first found in January 1986 and went to press in June 1985.
Note: 1898Ab - Precancel line gaps exist at 2L, 1L and LG.
Varieties: Chill-roller doubling on some rolls of tagged plates 1 and 2 on stamps 3L and 3R.
Note: For a comparison of the different Stagecoach types, click here.

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Updated - 12 February 2008