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United States of America

Thursday, July 1, 1847.

Imperforate, unwatermarked, engraved.
Printed by Rawdon, Wright, Hatch and Edson.

Description	# printed	# issued	Scott	SG†	Mi	Y&T
5 cents red brown on thin bluish paper	4,400,000	3,717,500	1	1		1
10 cents black on thin bluish paper	1,050,000	892,802	2	2		2

Description

# printed

# issued

Scott

SG†

Y&T

5 cents red brown on thin bluish paper

4,400,000

3,717,500

10 cents black on thin bluish paper

1,050,000

892,802

† Scott (sc1a-d) and especially Gibbons (SG1a-g) identify colour variants and shades in the first US stamp.

The stamps were ready for delivery to the Post Office Department on June 26. They were printed in sheets of two panes of 100 stamps each.

Initial deliveries
Date	Place	Copies of 5¢	Copies of 10¢
July 1	New York City	60,000	20,000
July 2	Boston	40,000	10,000
July 7	Philadelphia	40,000	10,000
July 9	Washington, D.C.	3,000	1,000
July 16	Baltimore	500	?
July 23	Baltimore	?	?

Initial deliveries

Date

Place

Copies of 5¢

Copies of 10¢

July 1

New York City

60,000

20,000

July 2

Boston

40,000

10,000

July 7

Philadelphia

40,000

10,000

July 9

Washington, D.C.

3,000

1,000

July 16

Baltimore

500

July 23

Baltimore

Approximate numbers of surviving items
Value	Minimum ~ 3%	Maximum ~ 6%	On cover
5¢	110,000	225,000	15,000
10¢	25,000	55,000	3,500

Approximate numbers of surviving items

Value

Minimum ~ 3%

Maximum ~ 6%

On cover

5¢

110,000

225,000

15,000

10¢

25,000

55,000

3,500

Most estimates use a survival rate of between three and six percent. Numbers are rounded.

5 cents Benjamin Franklin printings
Printing	# printed	Description
The brown ink used was abrasive and thus caused plate wear.
I	600,000	Clear, proof-like impressions as well as the presence of dark brown and black brown hues, including the rare, almost black 'seal brown', known on the very early July 9, 1847 Ishakawa cover.
II	800,000	Ordered on May 13, 1848. It was the printing distributed to route agents on the rail lines. Typical colors are brown and pale brown. Impressions are less crisp than the first printing but still very good.
III	1,000,000	Ordered March 19, 1849. It is well-known for its worn, dirty impressions. Colors include the grayish browns and worn red browns.
IV	1,000,000	Ordered February 14, 1850. It was made after the plate had been cleaned by an acid bath so that impressions are softer and fuzzy but clear. The 5¢ ink formulation was also changed to include chrome orange. Both the fourth and the fifth printing yield brown orange stamps which will 'dip' orange.
V	1,000,000	Ordered December 7, 1850. This printing includes the very rare orange and the rare red orange hues. The A.B. Slater 'orange' was the first imported of that shade. There is also a peculiar 'stressed' brown orange, typically and properly sold as orange brown.

5 cents Benjamin Franklin printings

Printing

# printed

Description

The brown ink used was abrasive and thus caused plate wear.

600,000

Clear, proof-like impressions as well as the presence of dark brown and black brown hues, including the rare, almost black 'seal brown', known on the very early July 9, 1847 Ishakawa cover.

800,000

Ordered on May 13, 1848. It was the printing distributed to route agents on the rail lines. Typical colors are brown and pale brown. Impressions are less crisp than the first printing but still very good.

III

1,000,000

Ordered March 19, 1849. It is well-known for its worn, dirty impressions. Colors include the grayish browns and worn red browns.

1,000,000

Ordered February 14, 1850. It was made after the plate had been cleaned by an acid bath so that impressions are softer and fuzzy but clear. The 5¢ ink formulation was also changed to include chrome orange. Both the fourth and the fifth printing yield brown orange stamps which will 'dip' orange.

1,000,000

Ordered December 7, 1850. This printing includes the very rare orange and the rare red orange hues. The A.B. Slater 'orange' was the first imported of that shade. There is also a peculiar 'stressed' brown orange, typically and properly sold as orange brown.

10 cents George Washington printings
Printing	# printed	Description
I - IV	1,050,000	The 10¢ printings are not readily distinguishable. The first printing had razor-sharp impressions, but even the last, the fourth, 10¢ printing has distinct, clear impressions. Plate wear from the non-abrasive black ink was minimal and the quantity printed was less than 25% of the 5¢. The 10¢ color variations are probably the result of lighter or heavier inking.

10 cents George Washington printings

Printing

# printed

Description

I - IV

1,050,000

The 10¢ printings are not readily distinguishable. The first printing had razor-sharp impressions, but even the last, the fourth, 10¢ printing has distinct, clear impressions. Plate wear from the non-abrasive black ink was minimal and the quantity printed was less than 25% of the 5¢. The 10¢ color variations are probably the result of lighter or heavier inking.