4c ordinary envelope working die

Bureau of Engraving and Printing · c. 1958

Working die on curved plate depicting Goethals, Panama Canal chief engineer; blue ink; rust. The 4-cent die was used for embossing (on rotary press) envelopes for the Canal Zone Postal Administration. The recessed vignette of Goethals was embossed onto the paper uninked; the accompanying 4-cent frame, also recessed and uninked during the printing process, did not leave an embossed impression. C. Z. Scott U17.