1950 Statue of Freedom — National Capital Anniversary

The photographed unused pane of 50 United States 3-cent stamps, Scott 989, with plate number 24183 in the lower-left selvage. This is the Statue of Freedom on the U.S. Capitol, not the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.

What this pane preserves

• Ten stamps across by five rows, with the plate-number margin retained; total original face value $1.50.
• A post-office pane, not the complete uncut printing sheet. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing produced the issue in sheets divided into four panes of 50.
• The retained selvage and plate number offer a production detail that a detached single would lose. No scarce plate variety, printing error or premium numerical grade is claimed.

The image and its history

• Issued April 20, 1950, in Washington, D.C., the stamp opened the four-issue series commemorating 150 years of Washington as the national capital.
• Thomas Crawford designed the statue. Its final section was placed atop the Capitol dome on December 2, 1863.
• Foundry worker Philip Reid, enslaved during part of the casting work, helped solve the problem of separating the plaster model into sections. He was free by the time the statue was installed.
• The landmark survives: it was lowered for conservation in May 1993 and returned to the dome that October. This connects the 1950 stamp with a structure still cared for today.

Place in the family collection

According to the seller, this comes from the S.–F. family stamp collection maintained across four generations and was acquired by the original owner. Retaining the pane rather than breaking it into singles preserves the issue, repeated design and marginal production information together. This is a collecting context supported by the object; no particular family visit, occupation or collector intention is inferred.

Condition and purchase details

Please read the dedicated Condition description above for the visible toning, gum shading and photo limitations. Both sides of this actual pane are shown, rotated for easier viewing; no faults have been retouched. You receive this pane only. Postage and available services are shown in eBay’s shipping section; no separate flat international-postage promise applies.

Historical references: Smithsonian National Postal Museum, National Capital Sesquicentennial Issue; Architect of the Capitol, Philip Reid and the Statue of Freedom, and Statue of Freedom Conservation. Family provenance is seller-supplied.