About This Stamp
The 4-cent Stagecoach was issued at the annual meeting of the American Philatelic Society in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on August 19, 1982. There were 152,940 first day covers. Plates 1, 2, 3, and 4 are found on first day covers. The stamp was issued with all-over tagging, primarily as a change-maker in post office vending machines. A new design featuring a larger stagecoach was issued in 1986.
The 4-cent Stagecoach also paid the rate for five-digit presort nonprofit mailings. Stamps intended for this purpose were precanceled with two horizontal bars and the words “Nonprofit Org.” printed between the bars. The precancel was applied with mats applied to the press in such a way that there are gaps between the precancel bars every 12th stamp. These precancel gaps are avidly sought by specialist collectors, usually on strips of five or seven stamps that also include the plate number. Plate numbers, both in used and in mint strips, are scarcer on the precanceled stamp than on those that are not precanceled. Mint strips with precancel gaps are even scarcer. The precanceled stamp was untagged.
The precanceled stamps did not appear until November 22, 1982, and the rate lasted only until January 8, 1983. The same precanceled stamps were later authorized to pay the 4.3-cent and later the 4.9-cent rate with the additional fee to be paid at the post office.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing printed the 4-cent Stagecoach on the Cottrell press. There were 29.4 million stamps issued in coils of 500 or 3,000 stamps. Plate numbers 1–6 were issued with plate numbers 5 and 6 being the scarcest in both mint and used condition. On the printing cylinders, plate 1 was paired with plate 2 and plate 3 with plate 4.
James Schleyer of Burke, Virginia, designed the stamp, and Clarence Holbert of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing modeled it. Kenneth R. Kipperman engraved the vignette, and Gary J. Slaght engraved the lettering. Both worked for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.