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  • 13c Alta California single
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13c Alta California single

Object Details

Description
The 13-cent Alta California commemorative stamp (Scott 1725) was first available on September 9, 1977, at San Jose, California. The stamp commemorates the 200th anniversary of the founding of El Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe, the first civil settlement in Alta California. Earl Thollander designed the stamp, which depicts the earthen-roofed houses of the settlement. Its colors are yellow, orange, blue, red, green, and black.
The stamp was printed on the Bureau of Engraving and Printing Giori press as sheets of two hundred subjects, tagged, perforated 11, and distributed as panes of fifty (five across and ten down). Mr. Zip, “MAIL EARLY IN THE DAY,” electric eye markings, and a plate number in each corner are printed in the selvage.
San Jose was California's first civic settlement, founded November 29, 1777, by Mexican colonists who named the community 'El Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe'. The name honored both St. Joseph and the Guadalupe River, which flowed near the town site. The town was to support the military by producing agricultural products in the Alta (upper) California territory. Each settler was issued animals, farm implements, seeds, and a monthly stipend. These farmers joined Spanish missionaries already in the area. The Native American inhabitants of the region were the Olhone, who eventually succumbed to the disruption of their culture by the missionaries and farmers and the spread of diseases.
References:
Scott 2005 Specialized Catalogue of U.S. Stamps and Covers
http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-West/San-Jose-History.html
mint
Data Source
National Postal Museum
Date
September 9, 1977
Object number
1980.2493.6222
Type
Postage Stamps
Medium
paper; ink
Place
California
United States of America
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
Title
Scott Catalogue USA 1725
Topic
Hispanic Heritage
Architecture
U.S. Stamps
Record ID
npm_1980.2493.6222
Usage
Not determined
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm83aec0579-9903-44d3-b339-da8d955e7261
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TEMPORARILY CLOSED
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Admission is always free!

2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002

street map of Postal museum

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