United States, Scott #3755, used(o), 2004, Americana Design Series, Chippendale Chair; the fourth stamp in the series; Thomas Chippendale (1718-1789) was a British cabinet maker whose designs were published, as order books, and copied on both sides of the Atlantic; records dating from before the American Revolution prove that there were many skilled cabinetmakers at work in the colonies; Boston and Philadelphia had over 150 known cabinet makers; another center was Newport, Rhode Island; in the the South, craftsmen-slaves produced equally fine work. and since all had access to Chippendale's London ‘Order Book’, all these American cabinetmakers were producing Chippendale-style furniture before the American Revolution; since most were undocumented and unsigned, collectors need to look to form and attributes; the chairs are typically unique in their yoke shaped top rails, their intricately pierced back splats, and cabriole legs, and originals will show evidence of hand planing and sawing, handmade nails, shrinkage in the wood, dense grain of slow-growth ancient trees, and the like; issued at the definitive rate of 4 cents, serpentine die cut simulated perforations: 10¾x10¼, photogravure printed by Ashton Potter USA (APU), issued on non-water soluble self-adhesive gum, red, tan, and brown, Scott 2025 catalog value: 25¢, very slightly off-centered (extremely fine), light, non-descript, black-inked, cancellation mark on lower right corner, stamp has a surface crack at the top left and again at the left middle, good perforations, stamp was soaked from the mailing envelope using the Bestine solvent and placed, first on a piece of white paper to show color contrast, then on a piece of black trimmed card stock for an attractive and uniform album appearance; centering, mounting, and image clear cancel warrants a selling price premium. This is not a 'bait-and-switch;' the stamp you see will be the one you receive.
Please review my terms of sale. If you are not ordering from the United States, there is a $US1.55 additional postage expense that needs to be added to the price of the stamp. If you are ordering from the United States, there is only a $US0.68 added postage expense. Also, if you make additional purchases from my offerings, they can all go in one mailing at no extra shipping expense for the added purchases. I will send the purchase by US first class mail, since the relatively low value of the stamp does not warrant signature or tracking mail. Hence the buyer assumes risk of loss or non-delivery. I will keep a scan of my mailing to verify that the correct mailing address was used. If not satisfied, return the stamp to me at your own expense, and I will refund the cost, but not my postage to you. If the stamp is not as described, I will refund the cost and reimburse you for postage both ways.
By way of reference, I am an American Philatelic Society member (195176) and an American Stamp Dealers Association (ASDA) member. Thank you for looking, and I hope this is the perfect stamp to fill that gap in your collection.