1895 6¢ Garfield - U.S. #271

U.S. #271 1895 6¢ Garfield

• Issued: August 31, 1895
• Issue Quantity: 20,712,875
• Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
• Watermark: Double line USPS
• Perforation: 12
• Color: Dull brown

U.S. #271, the 1895 6¢ Garfield stamp, was issued on August 31, 1895. It had an issue quantity of 20,712,875 and was printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The stamp features a double-line USPS watermark and is perforated with a gauge of 12. Its color is a dull brown shade.

Following the "Chicago Counterfeits" scandal, where over 70,000 counterfeit stamps were confiscated, the decision was made to introduce watermarks on U.S. postage stamps as a security measure. The watermark, consisting of the letters USPS (United States Postal Service), was double-lined and repeated across the entire sheet. Despite efforts to prevent counterfeiting, errors occurred during printing, such as using paper watermarked with USIR (United States Internal Revenue) for stamps, possibly due to insufficient properly marked paper.