About This Stamp
The 12-cent Stanley Steamer coil stamp features the steam-powered automobile produced by the Stanley Motor Carriage Company in 1909. The Stanley Rocket set the world land speed record in 1906 at 127.7 mph at the Daytona Beach Road Course. The stamp was issued on April 2, 1985, at Kingfield, Maine, the hometown of the Stanley brothers who produced the automobile. There were 173,998 first day covers.
The stamp was printed in blue ink on the Cottrell press. Plates 1 and 2 alternated every 24 stamps. There is a vertical line on the perforations to the right of the coil number. The tagged collectors’ version was issued in rolls of 500 on the issue date. A few days later, untagged precancels overprinted PRESORTED FIRST-CLASS in black ink between parallel lines were released in coils of 500 and 3,000. It also was printed on the Cottrell press using alternating plates 1 and 2.
The stamp was issued to pay the presorted first-class mail rate which began on November 1, 1981, and continued until April 2, 1988. The overprinted stamps were permitted for false franking until February 28, 1989.
When additional supplies were needed in 1987, the stamp was reprinted on the B Press. It was issued on September 3, 1987, at Washington, District of Columbia. Plate 1 was spaced at intervals of 52 stamps. There is no joint line to the right of the plate number.
Ken Dallison of Indian River, Ontario, designed the 12-cent Stanley Steamer issue. The vignette was engraved by Gary Chaconas, and Gary J. Slaght engraved the lettering. Both worked for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.