Arago: 6-cent Garfield

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6-cent Garfield

Two American presidents were assassinated during the nineteenth century—Abraham Lincoln and James Garfield. John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln at Ford's theater, Washington, D.C., in 1865; a soldier named Charles J. Guiteau, disgruntled about the outcome of the 1880 general election, assassinated Garfield in 1881.

Interestingly, the two 6-cent stamps issued after 1870 featured the two assassinated presidents. All regular-issue 6-cent stamps until 1909 featured Garfield. This stamp could have paid the triple-weight, first-class rate or, in combination with other denominations, higher rates. American Bank Note Company printed approximately 9,253,400 stamps of this 6-cent issue.

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum
May 16, 2006

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  • 6c brown red Garfield block of four
  • 6c brown red Garfield block of four
  • 6c brown red Garfield block of four
  • 6c brown red Garfield block of four
  • 6c brown red Garfield block of four
  • 6c brown red Garfield block of four
  • 6c brown red Garfield block of four
  • 6c brown red Garfield proof block of four
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