Battle of White Plains - Carmine Rose

This stamp of 2-cent denomination was issued to commemorate the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of White Plains.

The new stamp is a horizontal rectangle, 0.75 by 0.87 inch in size, and is printed in red ink. The center vignette shows a gun crew in action, consisting of four men dressed in Continental uniform, with cannon and ammunition, copied from a painting by E. F. Ward, submitted by Dr. Jason S. Parker, of White Plains, N.Y. Over the vignette, in ribbon form, are the words "United States postage" in Roman letters. In the upper left corner appears the year "1776" and in the upper right corner the year "1926." Below the vignette in the center of the stamp is a circle, containing the large numeral "2", with the word "Cents" on both sides, and above the circle are the words "Battle of White Plains." In the lower left corner is the Continental flag and in the lower right corner the historic "Liberty or Death" flag, first used in the Battle of White Plains, both appearing in oblique position.

This stamp was first placed on sale October 18, 1926, at the post office at White Plains, N.Y., and for the benefit of philatelists it was also placed on sale the same date at the branch of the Department's Philatelic Agency which was temporarily established at the International Philatelic Exhibition held at Grand Central Palace, New York City, from October 16 to 23, inclusive. On October 28, 1926, the anniversary of the Battle of White Plains, the new stamp was placed on sale at the Philatelic Agency at Washington, D.C., and at a number of the larger post offices.

The Battle of White Plains stamp was also issued in special sheets of 25 stamps each, with the inscription "International Philatelic Exhibition, October 16 to 23, 1926, New York, N.Y., U.S.A.", appearing on the margins of each sheet. These sheets were all printed, gummed, and perforated at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and sent to the branch Philatelic Agency at the International Philatelic Exhibition, to be placed on sale October 18, 1926, the same date the regular sheets containing 100 stamps were also placed on sale. These special sheets were also placed on sale at the Philatelic Agency at Washington, D.C., on October 28, 1926. They were not issued to postmasters for sale to the public.

As a special feature of the International Philatelic Exhibition, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing installed a hand-roller press and printed 700 sheets of White Plains stamps from plate No. 18772. These sheets, containing four blocks of 25 stamps each, were not gummed or perforated, and none was sold. They were all returned to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and destroyed by a special committee appointed for that purpose. At the same time plate No. 18772, from which they were printed, was mutilated and later destroyed.