Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-31
A NEW POSTAL CARD
Head of the Late President
Mckinley.
THIRTEENNI;sCENT STAMP
THIS WILL BEAR GEN. HARRI-
THIS WILL BEAR GEN. HARRI-
SONS PICTURE.
Trouble Experienced With the First
Mckinley Die-Plates Condemned
and New Ones Made.

Within few weeks two new faces will
appear upon the postal issues of the
United States.
The new postal card, to be officially
known as the Mckinley card, bearing
the portrait of the late President, will be
on sale some time during the month of
June. The first stamp in the new series
ordered by the department-the new de-
nomination, 10 cents-having as its central
picture the photograph of former Presi-
dent Harrison. will follow little later.
The designs for the Mckinley postal
card and the Harrison stamp have been
approved by Third Assistant Postmaster
General Madden. Electrotypes from the
completed die of~the first named now
being made and engravers are at work
upon the die for the 13-cent stamp.
1t was announced last fall that the Nc
Kiney postal card would be on sale about
January l. The design was completed
and the die engraved and approved in am
pie time. Electrotypes were made and put
upon the presses and the work commenced.
Samples of the printing were submitted to
the department, but they were so unsatis-
factory that an order was given to suspend
operations pending an investigation. Major
]. H. Reeve. chief of the stamp division,
was sent to the factory in Maine, where
spruce trees pass in at one entrance and
emerge in the form of completed postal
cards at the other to ascertain the cause
of the inferior work.
Plates Rejected.
After numerous experiments it was de-
cided that the plates were defective and
new elettrotypes were ordered from the
bureau of engraving and printing. No bet
ter results were obtained from the last
electros. 1t was claimed by the experts
at the factory that the lines in the en-
1rirorr f,,n n,l1 hn CHI inc CO
delicate that satisfactory work could not
be obtained from the plates furnished On
the other hand the bureau officials claimed
that the plates were perfect; that they
were identical with plates previously fur
nished: that the trouble was with the poor
paper stock, poor ink and fast presses;
the contractor having taken the job at a
figure compelling him to use poor grade
of paper and push the presses to the limit.
The department finally condemned the
plates and ordered the bureau to design
and engraVe a new die.
The Two Dies.
The first die, finally rejected, represent
ed President Mckinley almost full facing,
the photograph having been selected by
Mr.. Mckinley; this photo being one re-
garded by the late President, while in life,
as the most natural of himself. The die
proof was very fine. the features coming
out clear and strong: Printed upon steam
presses and cheap paper, the design became
an indistnct, blurred spot upon the corner
of the card. the fine lines filling up so that
one side of the features was unrecogniZ-
able. On
About the 1st of April the second die was
completed. This die was rejected at once,
even before electrotypes were made. While
free from the objections raised against the
first die, the second proof showed the Pres
ident as a man not more than forty-five
years of age; SO youthful that it did not
oil y0rfro no lSan
as he appeared during his term of office.
The bureau was instructed to prepare
another die and this has just been APPROX
ed 1t depicts President Mckinley facing
due west Ito the lefD and is a profile, SINH
lar to that of Washington upon the two
cent stamp. The lines of the engraving are
not so close, and it is predicted the effect
upon a card will be fine. The portrait, while
satisfactory is not really all that could be
desired, There is an extraordinary shaggi-
ness to the eyebrows and turn to the
lower lip which gives hint of troubled
or cross" expression that was not pres
ent in the original. The bureau experts
saw that this cannot be avoided under the
process required in making plates for pos
tai cards; that the method of engraving is
the reverse of that required in producing
postage stamps which is the particular spe-
cialty of the bureau.
The Medallion.
The new card has a medallion at the up
per lett COTHcT pleClStly VI Tic SdhiS SiLS
as the oval containing the portrait of Presi-
dent Mckinley. The medallion contains a
figure of an eagle with outstretched wings
and bearing in its claws a bundle Of ar
rows and an olive branch Altogether the
design is very attractive and the card will
be the finest ever produced by this gov
eminent.
Connoisseurs in stamp matters say that
the new 13-cent stamp, the finished draw
ing Of which will excel in artistic merit
and conception Of design, any previous
stamp produced by the bureau of engrav-
ing and printing. A new series of postage
stamps is INDUCED in by the department
only about once In ten years-that is Sc
ries for regular, continuous, unlimited use
and, the present having been in use
nearly twelve years, it has been the am
bition of Third Assistant Postmaster Cen
eral Madden to produce series that shall
be superior to anything in that line ever Of
fered by any postal department to it's peo-
ple With this end in view when the bu-
reau was asked to submit designs for the
new series a special request was made
that the new set should incorporate the
best ideas and afford an example Of the
product Of the most expert talent that
could be secured
Stamp experts say the drawing, or