Benjamin Franklin stamp minted in 1899 and issued after that date. They are minted long before the date issued and the minting on the stamp does not reflect the date of minting which is before the date on the stamp. The design was made long before the minting of the stamp and it has to go through Congress and then through the Secretary of the Treasury and then get minted through The United States Mint. The signing off on the design would have been in 1892 and up to the minting of the stamp of 1899. Approval of design would have been 1892 and approval the idea of the design would have been 1888.
