#38 1860 30¢

Basic Information

Color: Orange, yellow orange, reddish orange
Subject: Benjamin Franklin
Printing Method: die-to-relief-to-plate intaglio engraving process
Printer: Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Co.
Perforations: 15½
Watermark: none
Scott #: 37
Quantity Issued: 736,000
Issued: July 7th, 1860

Value

An unused stamp with perfect gum: $1,400-$1,600
An unused stamp with gum and a hinge mark: $250-$300
A used stamp: $90-$160

Usage

The earliest recorded date of use of #38, August 8th, 1860

Usage
#38 was primarily issued to pay for postage on heavy or overseas, international letters. Introduced in 1860, this stamp was part of a new series designed to facilitate higher-rate mail, specifically for destinations outside the United States.

The inspiration for the design

Bust of Franklin

Jean-Jacques Caffieri

The design of the US Stamp #38 was a direct adaptation of the earlier 1851 1-cent Franklin. This was a departure from the more common portraits by Joseph Siffred Duplessis that appeared on later issues.

The primary inspiration and model for the central portrait of Benjamin Franklin used on this stamp was a marble bust by the French sculptor Jean-Jacques Caffiéri, created in 1777.