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Panama-Pacific Exposition Issue

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10-cent Panama-Pacific Exposition single

The Panama Pacific Exposition Issue commemorated the World's Fair held in San Francisco from February 20 to December 4, 1915. Planning for the event began in 1911, just five years after the great earthquake that destroyed the city. All four stamp designs of the issue were inscribed "San Francisco, 1915" but were released January 1, 1913, to give advance notice of the event.

The stamps of the series commemorated historical events. The 1-cent stamp commemorated the 400th anniversary of Spanish explorer Vasco Numez de Balboa’s discovery of the Pacific Ocean on September 1, 1513, and the 10-cent stamp commemorated the discovery of San Francisco Bay in 1769 by Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portola. The 5-cent stamp illustrating the Golden Gate, entrance to San Francisco bay, and the 2-cent Panama Canal stamp completed the issue.

The Bureau’s chief designer, Clair Aubrey Huston, created the handsome designs, but the image of the 10-cent 'orange-yellow' stamp showed so poorly that a darker orange shade was issued in August.

The stamps were originally perforated 12 gauge. When the stamps were produced in late 1914 and early 1915, the Post Office was experimenting with the 10 gauge perforation, so the Panama Pacific stamps were also issued perforated 10 gauge. The Panama Pacific Exposition stamps were the only flat plate U.S. commemorative stamps to have more than one type of perforation.

Roger S. Brody

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1-cent Balboa single

The 1-cent stamp of the Panama-Pacific Exposition Issue was produced in two varieties — the first, issued in 1913, has perforations 12. The second, issued in 1914, has perforations 10. The first denomination of the Issue features a portrait of Vasco Nunez de Balboa (1475–1517), the Spanish explorer who, at the age of thirty-eight, 'discovered' the Pacific Ocean and claimed it for Spain. He called the ocean 'Mar del Sur'. Balboa, accused of numerous crimes by his competitor Pedro Arias Dávila, suffered a tragic death by beheading.

The 1-cent Balboa paid the one-cent card rate. Patrons also commonly combined it with other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination rates. An estimated total of over 330 million 1-cent stamps were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and issued to the public.

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum

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2-cent carmine Pedro Miguel Locks single

There are two variations of the Panama-Pacific Exposition Issue's 2-cent stamp. The first, released in 1913, has perforations 12. The second, issued in 1914, has perforations 10. The Pedro Miguel Locks appear in the stamp's vignette. Construction on these locks was completed in 1911, two years before the Panama-Pacific Exposition opened.

The 2-cent stamp most often paid the two-cent first class domestic rate. It was also commonly used with other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination rates. An estimated 500 million of these 2-cent stamps were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and issued to the public.

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum

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5-cent Golden Gate single

The 5-cent stamp of the Panama-Pacific Exposition Issue was produced with two variations: the first, issued in 1913, has perforations 12; the second, issued in 1914, has perforations 10. The third denomination of the Issue portrays the Golden Gate entrance to San Francisco harbor.

The 5-cent stamp most often paid the single-weight Universal Postal Union International rate. It was also commonly used with other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination rates. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing produced approximately 29 million of these 5-cent stamps.

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum

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10-cent Panama-Pacific Exposition single

The Post Office Department issued the 10-cent stamp of the Panama-Pacific Exposition Issue in three varieties. The first, issued in 1913, has perforations 12 and a orange yellow color; the second, also perf 12, is orange rather than the orange yellow color; the third, issued in 1914, has perforations 10 with the orange color.

The fourth and final denomination of the Panama-Pacific Exposition Issue portrays a Spanish expedition party on the shores of the San Francisco Bay.

The 10-cent stamp paid the double weight Universal Postal Union international rate or the domestic registered mail fee. It was also commonly used with other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination rates. An estimated 17 million 10-cent stamps were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum

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