1880–84 American Bank Note Co. Special Printings
	4¢ Deep Blue Green, American Special Printing (Scott No. 211D) Siegel Sale 804 — lot 404

From 1880 until July 1884, the Special Printing program was continued under the Arthur administration with a series of emissions from the American Bank Note Company. A total of sixteen stamps were printed by American under the program.

The American Special Printings can be distinguished from the Continental Special Printings by the soft, porous paper, which was ungummed. The 2¢ Brown, 7¢, 12¢ and 24¢ were never regularly issued on soft paper, so the Special Printings cannot be confused with regular stamps.

In 1882 the 5¢ Garfield replaced the old 5¢ Taylor design, resulting in a new stamp (Scott 205) and a new Special Printing (Scott 205C). This Special Printing was the subject of an article by William E. Mooz in the Chronicle (Feb. 1992). Mr. Mooz has a well-reasoned theory that a small delivery of the Special Printing (400 stamps) was available at the offices of the Third Asst. Postmaster General before the stamp was issued. Of these, it is possible that only 100 looked like the 5¢ Garfield stamps recognized as Special Printings today. Mr. Mooz has offered evidence and analysis to show that the majority of 2,463 5¢ Garfield stamps sold as Special Printings were regular issues.

The Third Asst. PMG supply records indicate that when the Special Printings program was discontinued in July 1884, 55 copies of the 2¢ 1883 Special Printing (211B) and 26 copies of the 4¢ 1883 Special Printing (211D) had been sold. The 2¢ stamps now classified as Scott 211B actually come from an 1885 steam-press printing and are not the same stamps sold through the Third Asst. PMG. The census figures for Scott 211D pose a true enigma. Only 26 copies were sold, the exact number identified in our census of Scott No. 211D. A 100% survival rate is extraordinary. Two blocks of four of the 4¢ Special Printing that existed at one time, but have since been broken into singles.

The table from page 211 is repeated below with the 1880–4 American Special Printings (Scott 205C and 211D) added. The 2¢ (Scott 211B) is excluded because of the confusion between the Special Printing and the steam-press printing, which makes any census statistics inaccurate.

Census Information for
American Bank Note Co. Special Printings

1¢ Dark Ultramarine (scott no. 192) American Bank Note Company — Special Printings 3¢ Blue Green (scott No. 194) American Bank Note Company — Special Printings 2¢ Scarlet Vermilion (Scott No. 203) American Bank Note Company — Special Printings 5¢ Deep Blue (Scott No. 204) American Bank Note Company — Special Printings 5¢ Gray Brown (Scott No. 205c) American Bank Note Company — Special Printings 4¢ Deep Blue Green (Scott No. 211d) American Bank Note Company — Special Printings