FREE: MINT VF OG 1901 2¢ Fast Express,carmine & black - US Scott # 295

The listing, MINT VF OG 1901 2¢ Fast Express,carmine & black - US Scott # 295 has ended.

MINT, never hinged, Fine + condition, Original Gum.

$67.50 retail value!!!

U.S. #295
1901 2¢ Pan-American Commemorative

Issue Date: May 1, 1901
Quantity issued: 209,759,700
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Method: Flat plate
Watermark: Double line
Perforation: 12
Color: Carmine and black

The Pan-American stamps issue is a series of six stamps commemorating a 1901 World’s Fair held at Buffalo, New York. The Pan-American Exposition and World’s Fair was a celebration of technology and its impact on America. The expo was held from May 1 through November 1, 1901. The Pan-American commemoratives salute the marvel of the mechanical age. The stamps are so popular among modern collectors that all six denominations were selected to be included in 100 Greatest American Stamps – and each ranked in the top 50.

In recognition of the tie that truly united America’s East and West, the 2¢ issue illustrates the Empire State Express. In 1901, this four-car locomotive was a truly modern machine and could easily travel over 100 miles per hour. The Empire State Express was the world’s first high-speed passenger train, and it transported more than half of all the Expo’s visitors.

The decision to picture the Empire State Express on a commemorative stamp was controversial at the time. Critics charged the choice was political, pointing out that the Empire State Express was still in use as the flagship of the New York Central and Hudson railroad, which served the Exposition’s host city. Because of their protests, and the longstanding prohibition of advertising on U.S. stamps, the Pan-American series is simply inscribed “Commemorative Series, 1901.”