1909 Bluish Paper 15-Cent Washington (Scott #366)

Scott #366 occupies a special place in US philately: it is one of the rarest Washington-Franklin stamps in existence, not because of political significance or printing error, but because of a paper experiment that most people at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing probably considered routine. Only 4,000 stamps were issued, making it one of the smallest printings of any US regular-issue stamp from the classic era.

The Bluish Paper Story

In early 1909, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing faced a persistent production problem. Stamps were printed by a wet method, which meant the paper absorbed moisture during printing and then shrank as it dried. The shrinkage caused the perforations to misalign from the stamp designs. Some estimates suggest that as many as 20% of sheets had to be discarded because the perforations were too far off-center to be acceptable.

The Bureau experimented with modifying the paper stock to reduce shrinkage. One approach was adding 35% wool rag content to the standard wood pulp paper. The resulting paper had a slightly different texture and, notably, a subtle bluish tint when examined under proper lighting. The bluish color comes not from the paper face but from the gum on the reverse, which takes on a grayish cast compared to the standard yellowish gum.

Stamps printed on this experimental paper were issued beginning February 16, 1909, in eight denominations from 1 cent to 15 cents. They were not treated as new varieties by the Postal Department and were distributed through normal postal channels without any special notice. This meant most were used on actual mail and discarded, with only a fraction surviving for collectors.

The 15-Cent Issue: Extremely Scarce

Of the eight denominations printed on bluish paper, the 15-cent ultramarine (#366) has the smallest surviving population. The total issued quantity was only 4,000 stamps, and since they were not recognized as collectable varieties when distributed, almost none were saved unused. Most that survive today are used examples, and many of those show the damage typical of 19th and early 20th century mail handling.

For comparison, the 1-cent and 2-cent values in the bluish paper series had issue quantities in the hundreds of thousands to over a million. The 15-cent denomination saw essentially no demand in regular commercial mail at that denomination, hence the tiny print run.

Identification and Authentication

Identifying genuine bluish paper stamps requires care, because the visual tint alone is not sufficient. The key identifier is the gum on the reverse:

• Standard paper gum: Yellow-tinted, typical of era

• Bluish paper gum: Grayish tone, visible when compared side by side

The stamp design is standard Washington-Franklin: the Washington portrait in the standard oval frame, denomination in the lower margin, "U.S. POSTAGE" above.

Forged bluish paper stamps are well-documented in the philatelic literature. Stamps have been created by chemically treating or painting ordinary stamps to simulate the bluish tint. For #366 specifically, fraudulent perforations on related imperforate varieties are also a concern.

A certificate from the Philatelic Foundation (PF) or Philatelic Stamp Authentication and Grading (PSAG) is essentially mandatory for any serious purchase. The PF has extensive comparison material and can definitively authenticate genuine bluish paper stamps.

Values by Grade

Scott 2024 Catalogue values and market reality:

Scott 2024 Catalogue lists the used value at approximately $300 and unused (OG) at around $1,200 for F-VF grade examples. Certified examples consistently sell at or above catalogue.

Why This Stamp Matters

For collectors of Washington-Franklin issues, completing a set of the bluish paper varieties is one of the great challenges of US philately. The more common denominations can be found with patience, but the 15-cent #366 requires both significant budget and genuine luck. Finding a certified VF example is an event.

The stamp's scarcity is not manufactured or artificial: it comes directly from the postal economics of 1909, when 15-cent rates applied to heavy foreign mail and very few businesses needed that denomination. Those who kept and saved stamps simply had no reason to look for this variety, and by the time collectors understood the bluish paper issue's significance, most examples were long gone.

For a collector who loves the documentary evidence of postal history, there is something compelling about a stamp whose rarity comes directly from the mundane reality of printing chemistry in an era before anyone thought to preserve it.

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