2¢ - Pale carmine rose, carmine rose
Printing Method: Flat plate
Subject: Lexington-Concord
Number issued: 26,596,000
Perforations: 11
Watermark: Unwatermarked
Scott #: 618
Issued: April 4th, 1925
Used
50¢ - $1
No postmark with gum (MH)
$2 - $3
Full perfect gum, no postmark
no trace of stamp hinge mark (MNH)
$3 - $6
A pane of 50 of #618, there were four panes to a sheet of 200
#618 was issued with the following plate #'s
16801-04, 13-16
17004
A first day cover of #618, April 4th, 1925
This stamp was one of a series of stamps that commemorated the 150th anniversary of the Revolutionary War. This series was issued to commemorate Lexington and Concord, which were the precursor to the revolutionary war. As such, only two stamps were supposed to be issued, a Lexington and a Concord, with which the minutemen were associated. The original designs are shown in the third image above. There was a movement to include Paul Revere in this series with perhaps a depiction of his midnight ride to Concord, but alas, he did not make the cut.
The vignette design depicts the Battle of Lexington, this was based on Henry Sandhams painting of the event (second image above) which in turn was based on Doolittles print (top image).
The vignette design essay (618-E3) is the third image, followed by two other essays (618-E2 and E1).