Sc C11 RED TOP PNB OF 10 5c AIRMAIL " BEACON OVER ROCKY MOUNTAINS " OG/MNH
Item History & Price
This Plate Number Block of 10 stamps from more than 91 years ago celebrates a remarkable period of growth for civil aviation and air mail. Early air mail letters were carried by pilots in a limited area of the Eastern United States, but the industry soon developed a transcontinental chain of aircraft carriages from New York City to San Francisco, with intermediate stops at Cleveland, Omaha, Cheyenne, Salt Lake City and Reno and smaller airports to change aircraft and pilots and p...ermit mail to be unloaded for distribution in the area.
In the sixty years from 1860 to 1920, from the Pony Express to trains to airmail, transit time for mailed correspondence was reduced from weeks to days to mere hours. It was soon recognized that navigation assistance was required by the mail pilots and, by 1924, a series of aircraft beacons (essentially land-based lighthouses) was completed, each with a range of some 40 miles in good weather.
The most treacherous leg of the transcontinental journey was between Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyoming, where the towering Rocky Mountains and shifting winds made flying and navigation extremely hazardous. To assist pilots in covering that dangerous leg, a beacon was erected at Sherman Hill in the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of 8, 000 feet, the highest beacon in the world. It held a 5 million candlepower rotating lamp to guide pilots at night and in bad weather.
By 1928, use of airmail post had grown enough that the Post Office elected to try to jump start air mail use by reducing the airmail rate by 75%, to just 5c per full oz. The new 5c stamp issued was designed to honor that "Beacon over Rocky Mountains, " the Sherman Hill Beacon. Some oldsters like me may well remember the night-time flashing of the local beacon light until the last were dismantled when radio made navigation much surer.
This issue had a short life. Because it was printed by the Bureau of Printing and Engraving in two colors from two different printing plates and of a different size which only yielded 100 stamps per sheet instead of the normal 200, it was arduous to produce and frequently unavailable. By early 1930, it was succeeded by the first 5c Winged Globe (Sc #C12).
This C-11 block of 10 stamps carries Plate Numbers #19550 (Carmine) and 19548 (Blue). It is a "Red Top" and has resided for many years in the dry climate of Reno, Nevada, one of those original stops on the transcontinental chain. Original Gum/Mint Never-Hinged. You can judge condition and grading from the attached scans. Please contact me if you have any questions.
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Shipping by USPS First Class Mail only within the United States. I accept payment through PayPal only. eBay may collect sales tax in states where applicable. Returns are accepted within 14 days when the product is returned in original condition with original packaging at Buyer's cost. Returns will be credited through Pay/Pay at the original auction sale price, not including shipping.
Thanks for your interest!
In the sixty years from 1860 to 1920, from the Pony Express to trains to airmail, transit time for mailed correspondence was reduced from weeks to days to mere hours. It was soon recognized that navigation assistance was required by the mail pilots and, by 1924, a series of aircraft beacons (essentially land-based lighthouses) was completed, each with a range of some 40 miles in good weather.
The most treacherous leg of the transcontinental journey was between Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyoming, where the towering Rocky Mountains and shifting winds made flying and navigation extremely hazardous. To assist pilots in covering that dangerous leg, a beacon was erected at Sherman Hill in the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of 8, 000 feet, the highest beacon in the world. It held a 5 million candlepower rotating lamp to guide pilots at night and in bad weather.
By 1928, use of airmail post had grown enough that the Post Office elected to try to jump start air mail use by reducing the airmail rate by 75%, to just 5c per full oz. The new 5c stamp issued was designed to honor that "Beacon over Rocky Mountains, " the Sherman Hill Beacon. Some oldsters like me may well remember the night-time flashing of the local beacon light until the last were dismantled when radio made navigation much surer.
This issue had a short life. Because it was printed by the Bureau of Printing and Engraving in two colors from two different printing plates and of a different size which only yielded 100 stamps per sheet instead of the normal 200, it was arduous to produce and frequently unavailable. By early 1930, it was succeeded by the first 5c Winged Globe (Sc #C12).
This C-11 block of 10 stamps carries Plate Numbers #19550 (Carmine) and 19548 (Blue). It is a "Red Top" and has resided for many years in the dry climate of Reno, Nevada, one of those original stops on the transcontinental chain. Original Gum/Mint Never-Hinged. You can judge condition and grading from the attached scans. Please contact me if you have any questions.
I take my eBay reputation seriously.
Shipping by USPS First Class Mail only within the United States. I accept payment through PayPal only. eBay may collect sales tax in states where applicable. Returns are accepted within 14 days when the product is returned in original condition with original packaging at Buyer's cost. Returns will be credited through Pay/Pay at the original auction sale price, not including shipping.
Thanks for your interest!
