$2.00 Trans-Mississippi (293). Top imprint and plate no. 613 block of four, original gum, lightly hinged, deep rich color, selvage reduced somewhat from original size, few perf separations, small faint thin at lower right

FINE-VERY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL AND RARE IMPRINT AND PLATE NUMBER BLOCK OF FOUR OF THE $2.00 TRANS-MISSISSIPPI ISSUE. ESPECIALLY DESIRABLE FROM THE TOP POSITION.

The design of the $2.00 Trans-Mississippi depicts the Eads bridge, which spans the Mississippi River at St. Louis. The original engraving was used on the admission ticket to the Republican Convention of 1896, which nominated William McKinley as candidate for president. The stamp, issued during the McKinley Administration, illustrates the natural boundary between East and West and so was appropriate for the Trans-Mississippi Issue. All of the $2.00 Trans-Mississippi stamps were printed in a single day's run on June 3, 1898.

There are perhaps three imprint and plate number blocks of six in existence. The imprint and plate number block of four format is also extremely scarce, especially from the top position.

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