The Henry Clay stamp was issued May 27, 1903, and primarily found use on registered mail, parcels, and heavy letters.
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Registered from Hawaii to Scotland
One of the two stamps issued in 1902 the 13¢ William Henry Harrison stamp found use on multiple rates and registered foreign destined mail. The stamp also saw use well into the 3rd bureau series (the Washington-Franklins) and was sold as late as 1911. Solo uses of the Harrison stamp are most commonly found on registered foreign destined covers.
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Registered from Puerto Rico to Italy.
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The 10¢ Webster stamp was issued in February 1903 and found use on registered and special delivery letters, multiple rates, and two times the UPU rate (pre-Oct. 1, 1907) of 5¢ per ounce.
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Registered to Turkey
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The 8¢ Martha Washington stamp was the first US definitive or commemorative stamp to feature a woman. One of two 2nd Bureau stamps issued in November 1902, the 8¢ stamp primarily sought use on domestic registered letters. Solo frankings are uncommon but can be found on four times the 1st class 2¢ / ounce rate and the two ounce UPU rate (after October 1, 1907, the UPU rate changed to 5¢ for the first ounce and 3¢ for each additional ounce).
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Registered to Barbados, West Indies.
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The 6¢ James Garfield stamp was issued in 1903. The stamp saw minimal use compared to the other lower denominations. The most common use for the Garfield stamp was to make-up the 8¢ or 10¢ registry rates. Solo frankings are challenging to find.
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Registered to Sumatra, East Indies.
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Like the 2¢ 2nd Bureau stamps were to domestic mail, the 5¢ Lincoln sought similar use on international destined mail. In 1875 the Universal Postal Union (UPU) set a standardized rate equivalent to 5¢ per half an ounce for all 1st class mail traveling to foreign countries. The rate remained into effect until Oct. 1, 1907, when it changed to 5¢ per ounce and 3¢ each additional ounce. The Lincoln stamp was issued early in 1903. Varieties include imperforate and coil stamps as well as U.S. Possessions, Canal Zone and the Philippines, overprints.
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Sent to the Channel Islands.
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The 4¢ Ulysses Simpson Grant stamp primarily saw use in combination with other stamps or postal stationery. However, solo uses are not uncommon on double weight domestic letters. As with the 1¢ and 2¢ 2nd Bureau stamps, imperforate and private vending coils were released but are considerably rarer. The 4¢ Grant was placed into circulation in March of 1903.
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Triple UPU rate to Switzerland
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Twice the letter rate (4¢) for up to two ounces, plus 8¢ fee for registry service on an advertising cover sent from Chicago to Mexico City. Handled in St Louis, Missouri the cover received an exchange label before entering Mexico. There are 17 St Louis exchange labels recorded in the USSS census.
The purple 3¢ Andrew Jackson stamp was placed into circulation in March 1903. During the reign of the 2nd Bureau series, there was no 1st class solo franking opportunity for the 3¢ Jackson denomination. The stamp found uses combined with other stamps or stamped envelopes. Less common frankings include 3rd and 4th class mails.
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Double UPU rate to Java.
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Like the 1¢ issue, the 2¢ Washington sought use on a variety of mail and was issued in January 1903. The public immediately disliked the ornate design claiming the first president appeared weak. Later in 1903 the stamp was redesigned and reissued. There are several common solo franking possibilities from 1st class letters to twice the weight 3rd and 4th class mails. The stamp also sought use on foreign destined postcards and postal treaty covers to Mexico and Canada. Varieties include booklet panes and the Philippines overprint.
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UPU rate to the Azores
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Issued in February 1903, the 1¢ stamp was one of the workhorse stamps of the 2nd Bureau issue. During the turn of the 20th century, the boom in the popularity of the penny postcard created considerable demand for the 1¢ franking. The stamp sought use on every form of mail paying virtually every rate.
Several Franklin varieties were produced including booklet panes, imperforate stamps, and coils.
There are numerous solo franking possibilities, including the penny domestic postcard, unsealed newspapers or magazines (2nd class mail, 1¢ / 4oz.), circulars (3rd class mail, 1¢ / 2oz.), and samples or merchandise (4th class mail, 1¢ / 1oz.).
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Postal card to Gabon, Africa
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