30¢
Orange, yellow orange, reddish orange
Printing Method: Engraved
Plate: 1
Printer: Toppan, Carpenter & Co.
Subject: Benjamin Franklin
Number issued: 357,000
Perforations: 15½
Scott #: 38
Earliest: date of use: August 8th, 1860
Used
$80 - $130
No postmark with gum (MH)
$350 - $1,200
Full perfect gum, no postmark
no trace of stamp hinge mark (MNH)
$4,000 (2003)
The stamp on the left is sulpharized, the iron oxide in the yellow ink has been allowed to turn the ink brown in the drying process. Sulphurized stamps have a discounted value.
The earliest recorded date of use, August 8th, 1860
This stamp typically was used in combination with other stamps to pay for large weight overseas packages. It was commonly used as a single stamp usage to Germany (an example is shown above) and France.
The largest known multiple, a block of 45
The largest known unused multiple, a block of 21
We are just with one example of the imprint and this has not been seen since 1995.
The vignette was based on Giuseppe Ceracchi's 1791 bust of Benjamin Franklin