#2 - 10¢ Washington - black

The historic 1847 10 Cent Washington is the Black Pearl of U.S. Philately.  It was released simultaneously with U.S. #1 the 5 Cent Benjamin Franklin but very few of these early stamps survived.  The government had authorized but not required the prepayment of postage at that time.  And, because people were accustomed to sending their mail "collect" (the recipient had to pay the postage) the purchase of prepaid postage stamps was slow to catch on and only a relatively few of these beautiful classic issues remain. 

The 10 Cent Washington Issue was designed for a postal destination of 300 miles or more at a time when most generations of families "clustered" around the same or adjacent towns or cities.  Consequently, usage was not high ... and the 10 Cent stamp became considerably more scarce than the 5 Cent Issue. US Scott #2  10¢ Washington

Order 24mm Mount Strips (No Pre-cut size available)