United States, Scott #2452B, used(o) coil, 1992, stamp from the fourth grouping of the long running Transportation Series; the Transportation Series was a run of 59 different stamps issued between 1981 and 1995; collectors tend to group them into four groupings depending on the ‘¢’ sign, fractional values, and postal use annotations; subjects on the stamps came from all over, from ice wagons, to baby carriages, to ferry boats; this stamp is from the fourth grouping (no fractions or value uses) and shows a Circus Wagon of the early 1900s (one of three 5¢ carmine Circus Wagons - this with a white background, and ‘05’ value, photogravure printing ‘dots’, and more shading on the left side of the wagon); America’s first permanent circuses opened in Philadelphia and New York City in the late 1700s; traveling circuses were later organized to bring the circus to the towns of rural American, thus the need for “big top” canvas tents and circus wagons arose; as circus owners began to advertise the arrival of their shows with grand street parades, the circus wagon became more ornate; gilded lettering, elaborate paintings, and decorative woodwork were gradually added – contributing to the spectacle which which would entice patrons to the circus grounds; the circus wagon shown on the stamp is typical of those used during the first decade of the 1900s; stamp paid the lower bulk mailing rate of 5 cents, photogravure printed by the American Bank Note Company, perforated: 10 vertical, carmine, Scott 2019 Catalog Value: 25¢, nicely centered, which is exceptional for a coil stamp, light, very faint, large, quarter-to-half circular, black-inked, single-rimmed, broken-up and hollowed-out, socked-on-the-nose cancel centered above the top right corner and extending over the main image; however, the lightness of the cancel and its broken-up and hollowed-out effects leave the the main image largely clear, sound back, good perforations; centering and image clear cancel warrants a selling price premium. This is not a 'bait-and-switch;' the stamp you see will be the one you receive.
Please review my terms of sale. If you are not ordering from the United States, there is a $US1.55 additional postage expense that needs to be added to the price of the stamp. If you are ordering from the United States, there is only a $US0.68 added postage expense. Also, if you make additional purchases from my offerings, they can all go in one mailing at no extra shipping expense for the added purchases. I will send the purchase by US first class mail, since the relatively low value of the stamp does not warrant signature or tracking mail. Hence the buyer assumes risk of loss or non-delivery. I will keep a scan of my mailing to verify that the correct mailing address was used. If not satisfied, return the stamp to me at your own expense, and I will refund the cost, but not my postage to you. If the stamp is not as described, I will refund the cost and reimburse you for postage both ways.
By way of reference, I am an American Philatelic Society member (195176) and an American Stamp Dealers' Association (ASDA) member. Thank you for looking, and I hope this is the perfect stamp to fill that gap in your collection.
