5c George Washington Stamp (1966): How to Identify It

• Subject and series: pictures George Washington, part of the Prominent Americans Series honoring individuals who played significant roles in U.S. history.
• Why a redrawn version exists: this printing has excessive shading around the lower part of Washington's face, which led the public to nickname it the 'dirty face' or 'unshaven' Washington.

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

• Redrawn design (Scott 1283B, 1967): The original 1283 printing shows heavy facial shading nicknamed the 'dirty face' or 'unshaven' Washington; public complaints led the Post Office to issue a redrawn 1283B version.

An earlier, separate 5c Washington regular-issue stamp (Scott 1213, 1962) predates this Prominent Americans 5c Washington (Scott 1283, 1966) by four years; check the issue date and any Scott number printed on dealer mounts to tell them apart. See the 5c George Washington page.

• 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.