A pair of hard-to-find covers add to Washington-Franklin exhibit

Two recently acquired covers of flat plate-printed coils in the Washington and Franklin series will find homes in an exhibit by GP member Greg Shoults. The first, top, is Scott 354, a 4-cent coil paying the double (2 ounces) first class rate. The second, bottom, is Scott 355, a 5-cent coil paying the first class international first ounce rate.

Note: Shoults has shown his acclaimed exhibit on Washington-Franklin coils over many years nationally and internationally.

By Greg Shoults

I recently picked up two new items through a trade with Mick Hadley, another collector/exhibitor and good friend who has been collecting Washington and Franklin coils longer than I have.

Hadley has been helpful over the last 20 years with selling or trading items to me needed for my exhibit on the various types of coils.

One cover is franked with Scott 354, a 4-cent coil, perforated 12 vertically with the double-line USPS watermark. It paid the double (2 ounces) first-class letter rate.

The second cover is franked with Scott 355, a 5-cent coil, with the same perforation measure and watermark. It paid the Universal Postal Union first-class international first-ounce letter rate.

Postal history collectors understand the concept of finding certain rates for the stamps they collect and/or exhibit. Solo uses of single stamps paying the rate for which they were intended are prized possessions in many cases.

Solo uses of single stamps paying the rate for which they were intended are prized possessions in many cases.

The first Bureau of Engraving and Printing coil issue was produced in 1908 and was not well received by collectors because of the straight edges and the fact they looked just like the sheet stamps. Coil stamps were not available for sale at the post office and had to be ordered by the postmaster for a nominal fee. Such factors make many of the early coils scarce and difficult to find. In addition, the stamps were used on common everyday domestic mail, most of which was discarded.

Both of these items have been off the market for over 30 years. The population of each stamp on cover is based on what has been found in the Philatelic Foundation, American Philatelic Society, and Professional Stamp Expert websites for genuine usages. There are six documented uses of each stamp, both of them the only solo uses known.

These two items fill important places in my exhibit on flat plate coils.