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1977 Christmas Issue

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13-cent Valley Forge single

The 13-cent Washington at Valley Forge Christmas stamp was first available on October 21, 1977, at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The stamp commemorates the 200th anniversary of Washington's army's brutal stay at Valley Forge, during which Washington wrote, "We have this day no less than 2898 men now in Camp unfit for duty because they are bare foot or otherwise naked. Unless some great and capital change suddenly takes place, this Army must inevitably be reduced to one or other of three things. Starve, dissolve, or dispense." The stamp, designed by Steven Dohanos, is based upon the painting by J.C. Leyendecker (1874-1951).

The 13-cent Mailbox Christmas stamp was also available that day in Omaha, Nebraska. Dolli Tingle designed the Mailbox stamp.

Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Valley Forge single

The J.C. Leyendecker painting “George Washington at Valley Forge” inspired the 13-cent multicolored Washington at Valley Forge stamp (Scott 1729). The painting first appeared on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post on February 23, 1935.

Printed on the Combination press, or A press (702), using plates of 460 subjects (twenty across and twenty-three down), the stamps were tagged, perforated 11, and distributed in panes of one hundred.

The sheet contains five 'floating' plate numbers that move up and down the left or right vertical margin. There are twenty-three different positions of the plate numbers on each side.

References:

  • Scott 2005 Specialized Catalogue of U.S. Stamps and Covers
  • Durland Standard Plate Number Catalog, 2005
  • curtispublishing.com/other-artists/html/LeyendeckerJ11.html (accessed May 16, 2006)

Doug D'Avino

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13-cent Rural Mailbox single

On October 21, 1977, the Postal Service issued a 13-cent Christmas stamp (Scott 1730) depicting a rural mailbox. The stamp was designed by Dolli Tingle.

The multicolored 13-cent issue was printed on the Bureau of Engraving and Printing seven-color Andreotti gravure press (601) as sheets of four hundred subjects, tagged, perforated 11, and distributed as panes of one hundred (ten across and ten down). Mr. Zip, “MAIL EARLY IN THE DAY,” electric eye markings, and five plate numbers, one in each color used to print the sheet, are printed in the selvage.

Reference: Scott 2005 Specialized Catalogue of U.S. Stamps and Covers

Doug D'Avino

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