72-E7e – 1861 90c Washington Essay, Blue, Premiere Gravure on India Paper

1861 Plate Essay Washington Stamp Documents Slight Design Changes

Now you can own #72-E7e, a plate essay of the 90¢ Washington stamp issued as part of the Civil War series.  The proof was printed on India paper using blue ink.  It differs slightly from the previous essay in that lines were added to the triangle in the upper left corner.  Leaves were also added to the outside of the “U” and “S” along the bottom of the stamp.

Private firms submitted essays to demonstrate the high quality of their work – so very few were produced.  And that’s a shame – these masterpieces represent an important step in philatelic history.  Now you can get this seldom-seen, handsomely engraved treasure for your collection.

More About Essays

Essays are designs for stamp vignettes, stamp borders, or both combined, which were never approved and used in the final printing of a stamp. Even though a design is finally adopted with only slight modifications, it is still an “essay”. To attain the status of a proof, a proposed design, or essay, must be exactly like the issued stamp for which it was submitted.

Private bank note companies made all US stamps from 1847 to 1894.  Essays and printing bids were submitted by those firms. As early as 1851, the US Post Office Department established a policy of advertising for stamp proposals to be accompanied by essays, or examples of the stamps to be furnished. After the bids were opened, an Expert Committee was asked to rule on the designs, colors and paper.