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Engineering Centennial Issue

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3-cent Engineering Centennial single

A stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of the American Society of Civil Engineers was issued in Chicago on September 6, 1952, during the convocation of the Centennial of Engineering at the Conrad Hilton Hotel. The design features a wooden bridge typical of the 1850s, New York City's George Washington Bridge, which opened in 1931, and the emblem of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Victor S. McCloskey, Jr., designed the commemorative, which he based on photographs furnished by the New York Port Authority and the American Society of Civil Engineers. Matthew D. Fenton engraved the vignette, and John S. Edmondson engraved the frame, emblem, numerals, and lettering. All three were employees of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Six 200-subject electric-eye printing plates (#24675-24680) were made for and used on the rotary Stickney Press. Plates were used in pairs on the press, so each rotation of the press produced two sheets of 200 stamps, each of which was divided into four fifty-subject panes for distribution to post offices. Stamps were perforated 11x10.5 and printed on unwatermarked paper.

The 3-cent Engineering Centennial stamp paid the postage rate for a one ounce first-class domestic letter.

Rod Juell

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