The winter of 1912 saw the first printing of the 1-cent Washington, a single-line "USPS" watermark. This 1-cent stamp marked the first time in American philatelic history that Franklin and Washington appeared on the same denomination.
The 1-cent Washington went through thirty different renditions, including booklets from its first printing in 1912 through its last version in 1922. Among its printings include some of the most sought-after stamps of the entire Bureau Period. These include the Compound Perforation stamps of 1914 and the Rotary Press Sheet Waste of 1922. The 1-cent Washington design was also used in making the one cent denomination American Expeditionary Forces Booklet Pane in World War I.
The 1-cent Washington frequently paid the card rate of one cent. It was also commonly used with other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination rates. When the last 1-cent Washington was sold in 1925, over 45 billion had been issued.
Glossary
