4c Abraham Lincoln Stamp (1954): How to Identify It

• Portrait source: the portrait of Lincoln was inspired by a photograph of an original portrait by artist Douglas Volk.
• Color: printed in red violet.
• Designer credit: designed by Charles R. Chickering of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

The same design was issued in more than one form. Which one you have changes the catalog listing:

• Booklet pane of 6 (Scott 1036b): Issued the same day as the sheet stamp but sold bound as a pane of 6 with straight (unperforated) edges on the sides that were bound.

The Liberty Series 4c Lincoln (Scott 1036, 1954) is printed in red violet; the later Prominent Americans 4c Lincoln (Scott 1282, 1965) is printed in black. See the 4c Abraham Lincoln page.

Became the most widely used stamp in the country once the basic first-class letter rate rose from 3c to 4c on August 1, 1958.

• Measure the perforations with a gauge; the same design often exists in two or three gauges, and that is usually what separates the common one from the scarce one.
• Sheet, coil or booklet: coils have two straight edges on opposite sides; booklet panes have one or two straight edges from the pane edge.
• Tagging: hold it under a longwave UV lamp; tagged and untagged printings of the same design are listed separately.
• Condition (centering, gum, cancel) is a separate question from identification.

Lay the stamp flat on a dark background in daylight, fill the frame, and keep the phone parallel so the perforations are not distorted. Photograph the back too if there is a watermark or gum question. The app reads the design and denomination; the perforation and tagging checks above settle which listing it is.