UNITED STATES STAMPS

nown by collectors as the “Gingerbread Definitives” because of their ornate borders, the regular issues of stamps released between 1902 and 1908 in several series marked a departure for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP). The previous BEP definitive stamps had used the old American Banknote dies, these stamp were entirely fresh designs. The 14 different denominations featured some faces not seen on U.S. stamps before including Martha Washington (the first famous American woman to appear on a stamp), Benjamin Harrison the 23rd President, and Civil War hero Admiral David Farragut.