1895 8¢ Sherman - U.S. #272

U.S. #272 1895 8¢ Sherman

• Issued: July 22, 1895
• Issue Quantity: 96,217,820
• Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
• Watermark: Double line USPS
• Perforation: 12
• Color: Violet brown

U.S. #272, the 1895 8¢ Sherman stamp, was issued on July 22, 1895. With an issue quantity of 96,217,820, it was primarily used to pay the registration fee. This stamp was later replaced on December 2, 1902, by the Series of 1902 issue.

In response to the 1895 counterfeiting scandal, where over 70,000 counterfeit stamps were confiscated, the decision was made to introduce watermarked paper for postage stamps. The watermark, consisting of the letters USPS (United States Postal Service), was double-lined and repeated across the entire sheet. While the watermark served as a security measure against counterfeiting, errors occurred during printing, such as using paper watermarked with USIR (United States Internal Revenue) for stamps, potentially due to a shortage of properly marked paper.