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The 2¢ Reds

Red was the color designated by the Universal Postal Union for internal or domestic postage stamps. Except for a brief period at the end of World War I, domestic postage rates were 2¢ until 1933. Virtually all of the 2¢ commemoratives from 1898 through the early 1930s were red (or "carmine" or "scarlet" or...), and the few that weren't predominantly featured red. The nickname "2¢ reds" applies especially to the single-issue commemoratives issued from 1926, beginning with the Liberty Bell issue, Scott 627, through the Lake Placid and Arbor Day issues of 1932, Scott 716 and 717.

1926 issues

Scott 627, 2¢ 150th anniversary of independence, plate number 18540

Scott 627 var, local precancel, plate number F18573

Scott 629, 2¢ Battle of White Plains, plate number 18768

Scott 629 var, local precancel, plate number 18767

Scott 629 var, 2¢ misperfed horizontally, plate number 18766

Scott 630a, 2¢ Battle of White Plains, single from souvenir sheet of 25, plate number 18771. The stamp is canceled on Oct. 18, 1926, the first day of issue.

Scott 630a, 2¢ Battle of White Plains, single from souvenir sheet of 25, right plate number F18773. Virtually all F "finished" designations were placed before the Top Right plate number. While there are a number of erroneous placements at the left and right sides, at the bottom, and at top left instead of the traditional top right, this is the only occasion known to this writer where the "F" intentionally appears in a different position.

Scott 630a var, 2¢ Battle of White Plains, dot over first S of "STATES", plate number 18773

1927 issues

Scott 643, 2¢ Vermont, plate number 19035

Scott 643 var, 2¢ Vermont, dark red, used, plate number 19036

Scott 643 var, Bureau precancel, plate number 19040

Scott 644, 2¢ Burgoyne, plate number 19064

Scott 644, local precancel, plate number 19068

1928 issues

Scott 645, 2¢ Valley Forge, plate number 19495

Scott 645 var, local precancel, plate number 19495

Scott 645 var, reverse offset, plate number 19493 (Image courtesy of Bill Langs)

Scott 645a, 2¢ lake, plate number 19501

Scott 649, 2¢ and Scott 650, 5¢ International Aeronautics Conference, plate numbers 19665 and F19659

Scott 649 var, local precancel, plate number 19679

Scott 649 var, ink flaw at UR due to string on paper, plate number 19656 (Image courtesy of Bill Langs)

Scott 650 var, local precancel, plate number 19661

1929 issues

Scott 651, 2¢ George Rogers Clark, red plate number 19726 and black plate number 19733

Scott 651 var, local precancel, plate number F19729

Scott 651 var, 2¢ George Rogers Clark, vignette misregistered low and to the right, black plate number 19733

Scott 651 var, pre-printing paper fold, carmine plate number F19721

Scott 651 var, unlisted lake variety, plate number 19726

Scott 654, 2¢ Edison, plate number 19777 (flat plate), Scott 655, plate number 19779 (rotary press), and Scott 656 (coil, showing partial plate number 19782)

Scott 654 var, 2¢ Edison flat plate precancel,  plate number 19775

Scott 655 var, 2¢ Edison rotary precancel,  plate number 19780

Scott 657, 2¢ Sullivan, plate number 19786

Scott 657 var, local precancel, inverted, plate number 19785

Scott 657 var, pre-print paper fold, plate number F19786 (Image courtesy of Bill Langs)

Scott 657a, 2¢ Sullivan, lake, plate number 19784

Scott 680, 2¢ Wayne, plate number 19830

Scott 680 var, Bureau precancel, plate number F19825

Scott 681, 2¢ Ohio River Canalization, plate number 19838

Scott 681 var, Bureau precancel, plate number 19839

Scott 681 var, 2¢ Ohio River Canalization, pre-print paper fold, plate number 19841

1930 issues

Scott 682, 2¢ Massachusetts Bay Colony, plate number 20056

Scott 682 var, local precancel, plate number 20054

Scott 683, 2¢ Charleston, plate number 20064

Scott 683 var, local precancel, plate number 20063

Scott 688, 2¢ Braddock, plate number 20170

Scott 688 var, local precancel, plate number 20170

Scott 689, 2¢ von Steuben, plate number F20269

Scott 689 var, local precancel, plate number 20268

Scott 689 var, misperfed vertically, plate number 20268 (Image courtesy of eBay / sheetguy2)

Scott 689 var, 2¢ dark carmine rose error, plate number 20281

1931 issues

Scott 690, 2¢ Pulaski, plate number 20418

Scott 702, 2¢ Red Cross, top plate strip of 3 with plate numbers F20503 and F20437

Scott 702 var, local precancel, plate number 20450

Scott 702 var, unlisted "lake" shade, plate number 20446

Scott 702 var, red shifted down and right, plate number (F)20503

Scott 702 var, red shifted down and left, plate number F20499 (Image courtesy of eBay / sheetguy2)

Scott 702 var, misperfed vertically, red plate number 20493, black plate number 20516 (Images courtesy of eBay / sheetguy2)

Scott 702 var, misperfed due to paper fold, plate number 20466

Scott 703, 2¢ Yorktown, carmine plate number 20481 and black plate number 20476

Scott 703 var, local precancel, pair with carmine plate number 20463 and black plate number 20512

Scott 703, 2¢ Yorktown, mis-registered, also misperfed at right, black plate number F20477

Scott 703a, 2¢ Yorktown, lake (error), black plate number F20506

Scott 703b, 2¢ dark carmine lake (error), black plate number 20470

1932 issues

Scott 716, 2¢ 1932 Winter Olympics, carmine, plate number 20825

Scott 716 var, local precancel, carmine, plate number 20824

Scott 716a, 2¢ carmine lake error, plate number 20820

Scott 717, 2¢ Arbor Day, plate number 20874

Related pages:

Rotary press printings of the Fourth Bureau Series

1930 commemoratives

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This page last updated February 4, 2024.