Now available from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing is its USS San Diego Intaglio Print, the second of three cards from the Panama Canal Commemorative series.
This year’s series celebrates the 100th anniversary of the opening celebration for the Panama Canal, a narrow land bridge between North and South America which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Last year’s Defenders of Freedom print series commemorated the five branches of the United States Armed forces.
"The ‘USS San Diego’ print features a compilation of images representative of the 1915 World’s Fair in San Francisco and the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in San Diego," describes the Bureau of Engraving. "It also features two Panama-Pacific Exposition issued postage stamp images."
Officially named the Panama Canal Commemorative USS San Diego Intaglio Print, each measure 8 inches by 10 inches and is priced at $22.50. This latest print features several decorative designs:
- Top right – Medallion Portrait of ‘Vasco Nunez de Balboa’. Engraved in 1915 by Louis S. Schofield and Joachim C. Benzing.
- Center – Cruiser, U.S.S. San Diego. Engraved in 1915 by Marcus W. Baldwin (cruiser) and Louis K. Siggons (lettering).
- Bottom right – 1¢ Panama Canal Commemorative Stamp, Series 1913 (Vasco Nunez de Balboa). Issued on Jan. 1, 1913, San Francisco, California. Engraved in 1912 by John Eissler (portrait), Edward M. Hall (lettering), and Louis S. Schofield (frame).
- Bottom right – 2¢ Panama Canal Commemorative Stamp, Series 1913 (Pedro Miguel Locks, Panama Canal). Issued on Jan. 18, 1913, San Francisco, California. Engraved in 1912 by Marcus W. Baldwin (vignette), Edward M. Hall lettering), and Louis S. Schofield (frame).
Ordering
Collectors can order the 2015 USS San Diego Intaglio Print directly from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing at www.moneyfactorystore.gov/intaglioprints.aspx.
Past and upcoming Intaglio Prints in the series include:
- Panama Canal Commemorative Eagle Intaglio Print launched on Jan. 8, 2015.
- Panama Canal Commemorative USS San Diego Intaglio Print, the current release.
- 100th Anniversary Panama-Pacific International Exposition (PPIE) Certificate Intaglio Print launches on June 9, 2015.
About the BEP
While the Bureau of Engraving and Printing makes and sells detailed intaglio prints and engravings, it is best known for producing U.S. currency. The bureau prints billions of Federal Reserve Notes for delivery to the Federal Reserve System each year. These notes are produced at facilities in Washington, DC, and Fort Worth, Texas.
while I understand the connection between San Diego’s World Fair of 1915 & the USS San Diego, it is more than misleading to have Opening of the Panama Canal 1915-2015 on anything. The Canal opened on 15 August 1914, not 15. This intaglio print is a year late.