The portrait of Ulysses S. Grant on U.S. #640 came from a photograph by renowned Civil War photographer Matthew Brady. While the 8¢ stamp had many uses at the time, it saw an increase in demand in 1932 when the Airmail letter rate was raised from 5¢ to 8¢. 

 

Perfecting Perforations on Rotary Stamps

When the Bureau began printing sheets on the rotary press, they found 11-gauge perforations were too fine, causing the stamps to separate prematurely. This resulted in the perforations being changed back to 10-gauge perforations, which had first been used in 1915. Once again, objections were raised, and the Bureau began looking for a way to perforate the stamps, so they were strong enough to resist premature separation, yet fine enough to be separated without difficulty. The solution was found in a compromise that resulted in a new perforation – the 10 1/2 gauge.

 

This perforation seemed to please everyone and was adopted as the new standard for rotary press sheets. In the words of Linn’s author Gary Griffith, the 1926-28 Compound Perforation rotary stamps represent “if not perfection, then at least a high degree of achievement...”