A 3-cent stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Gadsden Purchase was issued in Tucson, Arizona, on December 30, 1953. The Gadsden Purchase (1854) was an agreement between the United States and Mexico in which the United States agreed to purchase a 29,670 square mile portion of Mexico. The region later became part of Arizona and New Mexico.
The stamp's overall design features a scene showing a pioneer group in their ox-drawn covered wagon. Shrubs and cactus plants native to that area are shown on a characteristic terrain. Forming a background for the scene is a map sharply defining the border of the area purchased. All lettering on the map area is dark Gothic. The Gadsden Purchase Territory, prominently white in color, carries the wording "1853 Gadsden Purchase" arranged in three lines, in dark modified Roman. Appearing in the lower left corner of the stamp is the wording "3c US Postage" in dark Gothic.
The stamp is 0.84 by 1.44 inches in dimensions, arranged horizontally in a single outline frame, printed by the rotary process, electric-eye perforated, and issued in sheets of fifty. The color of the stamp is brown (copper shade). An initial printing order of 110 million stamps was authorized.
Postal Bulletin (December 3, 1953).
U.S. Department of State. "Gadsden Purchase, 1853-1854." http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/dwe/87721.htm.