Additional information
| Catalog Number | O68 |
|---|---|
| Condition | F-VF, MH |
| Denomination | $2 |
| Cancel | uncanceled |
| Catalog Value | 1800.00 |
O68 $2 Department of State Official Stamp MH
$900.00
The original official stamps were authorized by Act of Congress, approved March 3, 1873, abolishing the franking privilege. Stamps for each executive government department were issued July 1, 1873. Penalty franks were first authorized in 1877, and their expanded use after 1879 reduced the need for official stamps, the use of which was finally abolished on July 5, 1884.
Stamps for departments other than the Post Office picture the same busts used in the regular postage issue: 1c Franklin, 2c Jackson, 3c Washington, 6c Lincoln, 7c Stanton, 10c Jefferson, 12c Clay, 15c Webster, 24c Scott, 30c Hamilton, and 90c Perry. William H. Seward appears on the $2, $5, $10 and $20. Designs of the various denominations are not identical, but resemble those illustrated.
