In continuation to my earlier post on high face value US stamps, here are ones from the presidential / famous personality / great americans series
1938 Presidential Series
$2 Warren Harding, 1921-1923
$5 Calvin Coolidge, 1923-1929
Known affectionately as the “Prexies,” the 1938 Presidential series is a favorite among us stamp collectors. The $5 denomination pictures Calvin Coolidge.
Calvin Coolidge first served as Vice President and then as the 30th President of the US, following Harding's death in 1923. His ability to stabilize the adverse effects of the Teapot Dome oil scandal earned him a second term in office. Chief Justice William Taft administered the Presidential oath and became the first former President to do so. When it was broadcast by radio, Coolidge's inaugural address was the first one to be heard throughout the country and around the world.
1954-61 Liberty Series
$5 Alexander Hamilton, Statesman-Politician
The image of Alexander Hamilton on the $5 stamp is based on a painting by John Trumbull. This stamp is generally considered one of the most beautiful U.S. portrait stamps of the 1900s. It was also one of the last U.S. stamps printed on the Flat Plate Press. Due to its high face value it was used primarily on registered mail, typically to mail money between small post offices and Federal Reserve Banks.
1986-94 Great Americans
$1 John Hopkins, Philanthropist
$2 William J. Bryan, Statesman
$5 Bret Harte, Author
A writer of fiction about the American West, Bret Harte's stories centered around his life in California. Capturing the characteristics and speech of the gold miners, gamblers, and prostitutes like no other writer, his style of "local color writing" brought him instant success. Today, his tales are considered American classics. Harte is pictured on the $5 Great Americans stamp.
1994-95 Regular Issue Stamps
$5 Washington & Jackson
This diamond-shaped stamp is based upon an essay whose design had been created about 125 years earlier. The exact source of the design is unknown, but it is speculated the stamp was created as a three-cent design by a printing contract.
Two of America's most famous Presidents, George Washington and Andrew Jackson, are featured in the vignette of the five-dollar stamp. The image of Washington is taken from a Gilbert Stuart portrait, but was reversed in order to make Washington face right instead of left. A portrait by John Wood Dodge is the basis of the Jackson image.
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NOTE: Please click on the images for a larger view / closer look.
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