Look for 1894 Grant stamp from First Bureau Issue

Stamp Market Tips by Henry Gitner and Rick Miller

In 1894, the United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing produced its first set of stamps (Scott 246-263) for the U.S. Post Office Department. Known as the First Bureau Issue, these stamps are perennial favorites of U.S. stamp collectors.

The 5¢ chocolate President Ulysses S. Grant stamp (Scott 255) was issued to pay the ½-ounce letter rate to any member nation of the Universal Postal Union. The engraved stamp was printed on unwatermarked paper and is perforated gauge 12. The stamp was issued in September 1894. The earliest documented use is Oct. 23, 1894.

As the U.S. Army’s first general of the armies since George Washington, Grant was the architect of Union victory in the Civil War. After the conclusion of hostilities, he served as acting secretary of war under President Andrew Johnson from Aug. 12, 1867, to Jan. 14, 1868. Elected as the 18th president of the United States, Grant served two terms from 1869 to 1877.

In office he was a strong proponent of fair treatment of American Indians and voting and civil rights for African Americans. After his time in office, near bankruptcy and dying of throat cancer, he wrote Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, which restored both his family’s finances and his reputation.

Grant died on July 23, 1885, shortly after the book’s publication. A grand mausoleum in New York City was designed to hold his mortal remains, but its slow rate of financing and construction meant that he was not laid to rest in it until 1897, leading to the witticism, “Who is buried in Grant’s Tomb?” The answer, “No one.”

The Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers values the 5¢ chocolate President Grant stamp at $120 in very fine grade and unused, original gum condition and at $375 in mint, never-hinged condition. The stamp is a good buy in very fine grade at around 80 percent of Scott catalog values.

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