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| New Express Mail parcels definitive depicting Capitol Dome with value
$13.65 released on July 30, 2002 in the nation's capital. The stamp depicting
the same design with the former $3.50 Stamp while with different color.
The stamp has special hiden images incorporated into the designs: a hidden
flag visible only through the clear acrylic USPS Stamp Decoder lens
in the upper-right corner and just above the horizontal bar..
The U.S. Capitol building is part of the design of numerous previously
issued U.S. stamps. On Sept. 18, 1793, President George Washington laid
the cornerstone of the Capitol, located in the building's southeast corner.
The original building was designed by Scottish physician William Thornton.
His plan called for a building made up of three sections. The central section,
topped by a low dome, was to be flanked by two rectangular wings (one for
the Senate and one for the House of Representatives) on the north and south.
Construction proceeded with fits and starts for the better part of 20 years.
During the War of 1812, the Capitol was significantly damaged by a fire
set by British troops. If not for a sudden rainstorm, the building would
have been completely destroyed. Architects Benjamin Henry Latrobe
and Charles Bullfinch directed the restoration effort during 1815-19. Bullfinch
replaced the original dome with a larger, copper-covered wooden dome. He
completed the last part of the building in 1826. During 1830-68,
the Capitol grew even more to accommodate the increasing numbers of senators
and representatives from states newly admitted to the Union. As the
building expanded, it became apparent that Bullfinch's dome was no longer
proportional with the rest of the structure. Architect Thomas U.
Walter designed a larger fire-proof dome of cast iron that Congress approved
in 1855. Walter's dome is the one shown on the Capitol Dome stamp. This
massive dome, weighing nearly 9,000,000 pounds, was hoisted atop the Capitol
using steam-powered derricks. Sitting atop the dome is Freedom, the statue
designed by Thomas Crawford and cast in bronze by Clark Mills. Weighing
in at nearly 15,000 pounds and standing 19 feet tall, Freedom was married
to the dome in 1863.
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Original information from USPS News and
Linn's Stamp News
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On January 29, 2001, the $3.50 Capitol Dome stamp, featuring a nighttime view of an illuminated Capitol dome, graced the new 1-pound Priority Mail rate, and the $12.25 Washington Monument featuring an eastward view of a silhouetted monument at sunrise, with the Capitol silhouetted in the background, graced the single new 8-ounce Express Mail rate were released to replace the former space shuttle high values in fit with the new postage. Technical Details
Original information and images from USPS News |
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