1869 USA Pictoral Issue

Although I collect the whole world, selecting my favorite page is a no-brainer.  Ever since I was a kid my favorite stamp has always been the 90 cent Lincoln of the 1869 USA Pictoral issue.  That being said several of the other stamps in the set would be close runners up. It was the first time that a U.S. stamp showed anything other than a president or statesman on a stamp.  It was also the first time that the U.S. printed bi-color stamps.  It would be another 24 years before any other stamps would be printed with designs other than presidents or statesmen and 32 years before another bi-color was produced.  It was also the first time that the shape of the stamps was other than vertically inclined rectangles.  The stamps were more or less square and this among other things caused an uproar with the populace.  These days it seems Unbelievable but the Stamps were not well accepted when issued.  The first page shows the actual stamps as issued (note the 90 center at bottom is a shaved, perfed and gummed proof, which I could not resist for the $25 I paid for it)
The second page are the proofs of the set. 
Happy Stampin,
Mitchell
Antonius-Ra.com