Lincoln Stamps U.S. #367 – Celebrating 100th Anniversary of His Birth in 1909

After his assassination in 1865, the portrait of Abraham Lincoln appeared in every new series of stamps until 1902. People became very upset, however, when he didn’t appear with the new Washington/Franklin issue. Especially upset were those planning a special 100th anniversary of his birth in 1809.

By joint resolution the Senate and House encouraged the Print Master General, Frank Hitchcock to design and issue a special commemorative stamp. Although Hitchcock was not bound by this resolution he commissioned the stamp shown here (Scott #367) which was published in 1909.

Being short on time designer Aubrey Huston used the existing .02 Washington-Franklin frame with the portrait of Lincoln in the center. Small changes were made to include dates in the ribbon but the design meant no new frame would be needed. The right-facing portrait of Lincoln was also a unique feature of this stamp.