About This Stamp
The Post Office Department issued a series of four commemorative stamps during 1958 and 1959 recognizing the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth in 1809.
The fourth and last stamp in the series — a four-cent value — was issued in Washington, D.C., on May 30, 1959, the anniversary of the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial (1922). The First Day Ceremony was held at the Lincoln Memorial.
Perforated 11 x 10 1/2, the stamp was printed on the rotary Cottrell press from 400-subject engraved plates. Each sheet was cut into four panes of 50 stamps for distribution to post offices.
Charles R. Chickering of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing modeled the stamp from a design by Ervine Metzl and an etching by Fritz Busse of a portion of the Lincoln statue in the Lincoln Memorial. Charles A. Brooks engraved the vignette; George L. Huber engraved the signature, lettering, and numeral. Stamps were printed from four plates: 26271, 26272, 26273, and 26274. Perforated 11 x 10 1/2, the stamp was printed on the rotary Cottrell press from 400-subject engraved plates. Each sheet was cut into four panes of 50 stamps for distribution to post offices.