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The First Bureau Series - 1898 issues In 1898, the Universal Postal Union set some international standards regarding colors to be used for various denominations of stamps. The lower values of the 1895 stamps were reprinted in the new colors to meet the new regulations. The U.S. followed the UPU color standards for definitive stamps for more than half a century: the 1¢ denomination was green, the 2¢ denomination red, the 3¢ denomination purple, the 4¢ denomination brown (except for the Prexy and Liberty issues), the 5¢ denomination blue, and the 10¢ denomination yellow or brown, throughout the Second Bureau issue, the Washington-Franklins, the Fourth Bureau issue, the 1938 Prexy series, and the 1954 Liberty series. USPS even held to the color scheme for the 1¢, 3¢ and 5¢ issues in the 1965 Prominent Americans series. In addition, for commemoratives from 1901 through the 1940's, the vast majority of 1¢ values were green, 2¢ values were red, 3¢ values were purple or red violet, and 5¢ values were blue.
Scott 279, 1¢ Franklin, deep green, horizontal watermark, plate number 1052
Scott 279P var, proof plate number 529, printed in 1897 with the original blue color for 1¢ stamps. When the stamp was issued in 1898, the color was changed to green to conform with UPU regulations that took effect that year. Plate 529 only printed green stamps and was never used to print in the old color. (Image courtesy of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum)
Scott 279P3, proof plate number 1411, prepared in 1902 after the color change, so the proof sheets were printed in the new standard color of green for 1¢ values (Image courtesy of Len McMaster)
Scott 279a, vertical watermark (upright "P" visible in selvage), plate number 819 Type II (1 is above AT) (Image courtesy of Anthony's Stamps and Coins)
Scott 279a, vertical watermark (upright and inverted "P" visible in selvage), plate number 819 Type I (1 is above A)
Scott 279B, 2¢ Washington Type IV, red, plate number 1364
Scott 279Bc, 2¢ Washington Type IV, rose carmine, plate number 780
Scott 279Bd, 2¢ Washington Type IV, orange red, horizontal watermark, plate number 1035
Scott 279Bf, 2¢ Washington Type IV, carmine, plate number 562
Scott 279Bg, 2¢ Washington Type IV, pink, plate number 513
Scott 279B var, 2¢ Washington Type IV, double transfer, used, plate number 746
Scott 279BP, proof plate number 802 (Image courtesy of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum)
Scott 279Bj, 2¢ Washington Type IV, carmine, single from booklet pane with horizontal watermark, plate number 990
Scott 279Bk, 2¢ Washington Type IV, red, from booklet pane with vertical watermark, plate number 1370
Scott 279BjSE, 2¢ Washington Type IV specimen, red, from booklet pane with horizontal watermark, plate number 990 This stamp may also win the award for "most suffixes for a catalog number!" The capital B is part of the major catalog number, required when the newly discovered Type IV needed to be inserted in the proper numbering sequence between 279 and 280, and 279a had already been assigned. The lower case j denotes the booklet pane format. The S is for the Specimen overprint. The E signifies that it is the fifth type of Specimen overprint.
Scott 279BjP, proof plate number 988 from the unique press sheet of 60 booklet panes (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)
Scott 280, 4¢ Lincoln, rose brown, plate number 532 The outline of the double-line watermark "S" can be seen in the selvage.
Scott 280a, 4¢ Lincoln, lilac brown, plate number 792
Scott 280b, 4¢ Lincoln, orange brown, plate number 1100
Scott 280P, proof plate number 530 photographically cropped from the unique press sheet (Image courtesy of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum)
Scott 281, 5¢ Grant, blue, plate number 408
Scott 281P var, proof plate number 408, printed in 1897 with the original chocolate color for 5¢ stamps. Proof sheets for plate numbers 407, 409 and 410 were also prepared in 1897 and were printed in chocolate. When the stamp was issued in 1898, the color was changed to blue to conform with UPU regulations that took effect that year. Plates 407, 408, 409 and 410 only printed blue stamps and were never used to print in the old color. (Image courtesy of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum)
Scott 281P, proof plate number 834, prepared in 1899 after the color change, so the proof sheets were printed in the new standard color of blue for 5¢ values (Image courtesy of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum)
Scott 282, 6¢ Garfield, lake, plate number 924
Scott 282a, 6¢ Garfield, purple lake, plate number 554 The outline of the double line watermark "U" can be seen in the selvage.
Scott 282P, proof plate number 554 photographically cropped from the unique press sheet (Image courtesy of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum)
Scott 282C, 10¢ Webster, brown Type I, plate number 302
Scott 282CP, proof plate number 932 photographically cropped from the unique press sheet (Image courtesy of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum)
Scott 283, 10¢ Webster, brown Type II, plate number 997
Scott 283a, 10¢ Webster, orange brown Type II, plate number 1339
Scott 283P, proof plate number 996 photographically cropped from the unique press sheet (Image courtesy of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum)
Scott 284, 15¢ Clay, olive green, plate number 264 The same plate was used to print the dark blue 15¢ example of the 1895 series.
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This page last updated March 22, 2026.
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Scott
282 var, 6¢ Garfield, claret,
plate number 923
