I Miss Engraved US Stamps!

Does anyone else miss the modern engraved stamps the US used to issue? Stamps like Scott #2592, the $5 Washington/Jackson issue. That is one of my favorite modern US stamps.



This Madison issue is no slouch, either!

Also...

Yes I DO!! I really dislike these "printed SA" stamps. I understand that many are done by artists and it truly is art in its own right, but they just seem to be lacking that special something that an engraved stamp has. Not to mention that most of the US SA stamps are extremely difficult to soak well. I have found that most of the European SA stamps are much more easy to soak than the US ones. It's almost like they are two separate items IE: Glue is one and the stamp is another. When soaked they break apart clean and easy, and I rarely have to double wash them for extra gum/glue residue. Where when I soak US SA stamps I have to have at least three trays one to soak ... another to do a second soaking and the third as a wash to remove any extra residue. Then even after that they still have a tacky feel sometimes.

I soaked two Kilos of German SA's a week or so ago and not a single one had any issues. I also miss the taste of gum :) Yes I'm a weirdo... but there is just that weird aftertaste you get from licking a stamp.... Almost like the odd craving I have sometimes for sticks of bubblegum from baseball card packs... Sure it really tasted like crud but there was something about getting both a collectable and candy at the same time.... a treat in a treat... I also miss that "feel" of an engraved stamp...You can almost feel the effort put into the design and its creation.

Chief

I miss them, too. I believe the old Washington/Jackson $5 stamp shown in the initial scan is still available from the USPS today ... and it is probably the last engraved one to be featured.

Here's a simple quiz: What was the last engraved stamp issued by the US Postal Service? I don't know the answer off the top of my head, but I'd be interested in some responses to that question.

Engraved stamps are like paper money. High quality
printing. I enjoy looking at the portrait stamps of
the Liberty issue.

I didn't include part-engraved issues, like the Lewis & Clark ones. Don't forget also the Trans Mississippi reprints!