| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Date of Issue | May 29, 1926 |
| Year | 1926 |
| Denomination |
5¢
|
| Denomination Value | $0.05 | Color | Purplish blue |
| Issue Location | New York, N.Y., Chicago, Ill., Minneapolis, Minn., and Washington, D.C. |
| Size | 1.44 by 0.84 inches |
| Postal Administration | United States |
| Condition | Name | Avg Value |
|---|---|---|
|
M-H-F
|
Mint - Hinged - Fine | View price |
|
M-H-VG
|
Mint - Hinged - Very Good | View price |
|
U-F
|
Used - Fine | View price |
|
U-VG
|
Used - Very Good | View price |
A new postage stamp of 5-cent denomination was issued as a memorial to John Ericsson, builder of the Monitor, and in connection with the unveiling of his statue by the Crown Prince of Sweden at Washington, D.C., on May 29, 1926.
The subject of this stamp is a model similar to the John Ericsson memorial statue designed by J. E. Fraser.
The new stamp is an upright rectangle, 1.44 by 0.84 inches in size, printed in purplish blue ink. The central design is the white marble figure of John Ericsson seated in a large chair resting on a stone base. Upon the base appear the words "John Ericsson Memorial" and "Cents" in white Gothic letters with the numeral "5" in both corners. Extending from either side and in the rear of chair on darker stone appear the years of his birth and death, "1803–1889." On an ornate base, above and to the rear of the figure of Ericsson, is a group of allegorical figures in white marble, of which only the center one, representing "Vision", is shown. The background for this statue is a dark sky with darkly silhouetted evergreens showing on each side. A narrow white line border surrounds the stamp with a shield of the United States in the upper left corner and a shield of Sweden in the upper right corner. Connecting the two shields is a panel supported on each side by small ornamental brackets and containing the words "U.S. postage" in whiteface Gothic letters.
The Ericsson stamp was first placed on sale May 29, 1926, at the post offices at New York, N.Y., Chicago, Ill., Minneapolis, Minn., and Washington, D.C.