8c Dwight D. Eisenhower Stamp (1971): How to Identify It

8c Dwight D. Eisenhower, Prominent Americans Series (1965-1978), issued 1971-05-10: design, perforation, printing and 4 varieties to check, with the issue notes quoted from stamp references and USPS.

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At a glance

Denomination: 8c
Series: Prominent Americans Series (1965-1978)
Issued: 1971-05-10
First-day city: Washington, DC
Scott catalog number: 1395
Printing: Giori press (sheet/booklet printings, Scott 1394/1395); rotary press (coil printing, Scott 1402)
Perforation: 11 (Scott 1394); 11 x 10 1/2 (Scott 1395 booklet); 10 vertical (Scott 1402 coil)
Color: Black, red and blue gray (sheet/booklet, Scott 1394/1395); deep claret (rotary-press coil, Scott 1402)

How to recognize the 8c Dwight D. Eisenhower stamp

Design subject: Dwight D. Eisenhower, who as General of the Army led the Allied forces to victory in Europe during World War II and was later elected the 34th U.S. President.
Coil vs. sheet/booklet color: the coil stamp (Scott 1402) uses a deep claret hue instead of the sheet/booklet color.

Varieties to check

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

Sheet stamp, Giori press, perf 11 (Scott 1394): Uniform perforation of 11 all around, printed on the Giori press, colored black, red and blue gray.
Booklet-issue perforation, perf 11 x 10 1/2 (Scott 1395): Same black/red/blue-gray Giori-press design as 1394 but with a different perforation gauge, 11 x 10 1/2, from booklet production.
Booklet panes (Scott 1395a/1395b/1395c/1395d): Sold bound as booklet panes of 8, 6, or 4-plus-labels stamps rather than as full sheets.
Rotary-press coil, perf 10, deep claret (Scott 1402): Printed on the rotary press rather than the Giori press, perforated 10 vertically, and colored deep claret instead of black/red/blue gray.

Why this stamp is so common

Issued when the first-class letter rate rose to 8 cents in 1971, so it saw heavy everyday use across sheet, booklet, and coil formats.

Checks that apply to any U.S. definitive

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.

How to photograph it for 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.

FAQ

When was the 8c Dwight D. Eisenhower stamp issued?

1971-05-10, first day in Washington, DC, as part of the Prominent Americans Series (1965-1978).

How do I know it is the 1971 Dwight D. Eisenhower and not another one?

Design subject: Dwight D. Eisenhower, who as General of the Army led the Allied forces to victory in Europe during World War II and was later elected the 34th U.S. President.

Are there different versions of the 8c Dwight D. Eisenhower stamp?

Yes. Sheet stamp, Giori press, perf 11 (Scott 1394): Uniform perforation of 11 all around, printed on the Giori press, colored black, red and blue gray. The page lists 4 in total.

Is my copy worth anything?

This page identifies the stamp; it does not price it. Most definitives were printed in the hundreds of millions, so what matters is which variety you have and its condition. Identify it here first, then use the varieties list to see if you have one of the scarcer printings.

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