FREE: 1893 4¢ Fleet of Columbus - US Scott # 233

The listing, 1893 4¢ Fleet of Columbus - US Scott # 233 has ended.

U.S. #233
1893 4¢ Columbian Commemorative

Issue Date: January 1, 1893
Issue Quantity: 19,181,550
Printed by: American Bank Note Company
Method: Flat plate
Watermark: None
Perforation: 12
Color: Ultramarine

Columbus set forth on his journey with three ships, and each one played a significant part in the story of Columbus’ discovery. It was from the Pinta that land was first sighted. While exploring the islands, the flagship Santa Maria was run aground in strong winds and was totally disabled. Forced to sail on the Nina, Columbus feared he would never make it back to Spain because of severe weather. He wrote down the story of his discovery and threw it over the side. He was determined that the world would know his story even if he died before reaching Spain!

Printed by the American Bank Note Company
The 1893 Columbian Series was printed by the American Bank Note Company. The engraving was done by Alfred Jones and Charles Skinner. The stamps were printed in ultramarine ink in sheets of 100 subjects on soft porous white wove paper and perforated 12.

About the Columbian Series
The Columbian Series is a milestone in American history. Its impact on stamp collecting was so great that the series’ degree of completion is often the “yardstick by which a U.S. collection is measured” (Max Johl, 1947).

The series was issued in advance of Chicago’s 1893 World Columbian Exposition, an international fair celebrating the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ 1492 arrival in the New World. The series was used to advertise the event – the first time postage stamps were used to promote a commercial event.

The 1893 Columbian Exposition stamp series was like nothing before it. The Columbians were the first U.S. commemorative stamps, and they created a worldwide phenomenon. Expertly engraved and generous in size, the Columbians are among the most sought-after of all U.S. stamps.