New ECA GARD Machine

First day operational at Detroit Main PO ... Wed Nov 9, 1994 New machine was operational earlier at Renaissance Center and possibly at Ann Arbor Main PO.

Some changes from old ECA GARD

+New printer ... different font; greatly increased speed

+Cuts stamp from roll after last stamp of transaction

+New printing on receipt ... including new machine number

+Color screen ... activated by touching screen

+Will accept Credit Cards ... not yet operational

+Will print/process Change of Address..not yet operational

+Will print up to 50 stamps per transaction

Same old same old ...

+BEP printed surface tagged paper "old solid tagged paper"

+Limited to 3 different denominations per transaction ... this means that with printer cutting the last stamp of a transaction ... strips will be possible with only three different denominations.

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ECA GARD machines used two types of paper both printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP). Both types were phosphored paper ... that is, the taggant was on the stamps before the image was printed. Viewed from below, a stamp was composed of gum/paper/taggant/printed image.

The first (old) paper had dull gum with taggant that looks solid under Short Wave (SW) Ultraviolet Light (UV). (This is now called coated paper Oct 1999)

The second (new) paper had shiny gum with taggant that looks mottled under Short Wave UV. (This is now called uncoated paper Oct 1999)

I am very sure of these paper/tagging differences/definitions as I was involved in the process of first discovering the new phosphored paper. (In fact, a US coil stamp on phosphored paper is described as "Lenz Paper" ... it is the 29¢ Rushmore Flag coil stamp)

A short chronology of these ECA GARD printings...

August 20, 1992 first day of issue Oklahoma City

August 21. 1992 first day of operations at other sites

November ? 1992 United States Postal Service (USPS) issues

order to change lowest value printed to 19¢ which was then the First Class post card rate. This order was implemented immediately at some locations, including Detroit, and at other locations was "ignored" until the spring of 1993. Low values (1¢ - 18¢) were reported from Oklahoma City, Norman Oklahoma and Miami Florida as late as April 1993. At the time, these "late" low value printings were considered by many to be "favor-printings".

January/February 1993 ... Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) uses new paper for printing ECA GARD stamps. The earliest reported use was in Oklahoma City and Norman Oklahoma.

November 1994 ... new machines installed (see above)

January 1, 1995 ... New Domestic Postal Rates caused reprogramming of machines to create rates of 20¢ or more. The First Class post card rate changed to 20¢.

From the above time line, you can see why some types are "rare" in some denominations. The l¢ - 18¢ values on the new paper are most expensive. The new font 19› values on either paper are not common; the harder being the 19¢ new font on old paper.