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HISTORY OF THE Postage Stamps — OF THE — UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
HISTORY OF THE Postage Stamps — OF THE — UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
BY JOHN K. TIFFANY, Author of THE PHILATELICAL LIBRARY, President of the American Philatelic Association and of the St. Louis Philatelic Society. Honorary Member of the Philatelic Society of London. Corresponding Member of the Societe Francaise de Timbrologie, the Societies of Dresden, Wurtemburg, Etc. 1887: C. H. MEKEEL, PHILATELIC PUBLISHER, ST. LOUIS, MO. Copyrighted by J. K. Tiffany. 1886. All Rights Reserved....
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Errata.
Errata.
Page 96 , 3d line from top, for 25 c lilac read 24 cents. Page 102 in lines 5, 6, 7 and 8 from bottom in last column for F 2 G 2 H 2 I 2 read F 4 G 4 H 4 I 4 . Page 103 in lines 16 to 20 in second column for S 2 T 2 U 2 V 2 W 2 read S 3 , T 3 , U 3 , V 3 , W 3 . Page 104 5th line from bottom, omit u in "prolongued." Page 143 , 9th line from top for " follows " read " above ." Page 144 , last line supply " test of " in the blank. Page 196 , 4th line from top for (") read " cochineal ." Page 196 ,
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Preface.
Preface.
In seeking for information concerning the postage stamps of the United States, we shall turn in vain to sources which have furnished, in other countries, such accurate details in regard to the stamps issued by their postal authorities, for the stamps authorized by the United States Post Office Department are not manufactured by the government, and there is no "stamp office" to authenticate each plate, and register the number of sheets made from it, and no edict, proclamation or law informs the p
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Introduction.
Introduction.
In 1676 John Heyward, by the authority of General Court of the Colony of Massachusetts, established his postal system with its office in Boston. In 1683 the government of Penn established a postal system for the Colony of Pennsylvania. In 1700 Col. J. Hamilton organized "his postal establishment for British America" including all the English colonies, but soon after disposed of his right to the English crown. In 1710 the English Parliament established by law the first governmental postal system
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United States City Dispatch Post.
United States City Dispatch Post.
Hardly had the discussion of Postal reform begun in England than the subject was taken up in the United States. The daily press was full of it. Pamphlets were distributed broadcast. In nearly every city, private companies undertook to distribute mail matter at less than the government rates. Some even carried letters from city to city. In Congress, members related the expedients resorted to for sending letters at a reduced rate. In New York, a certain A. M. Greig had established a local delivery
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NEW YORK.
NEW YORK.
Issue of August, 1842. Portrait of President Washington turned ¾ to the right on plain oval, enclosed by plain oval band bounded within and without by two colored lines and inscribed: United States City Despatch Post * Three Cents *, the lower legend separated from the upper by a star on each side; rectangular frame of two colored lines, corners filled with rayed ornaments between frame and oval. Plate impression 18 × 22 mm., in black on colored paper....
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Uniform Postage.
Uniform Postage.
The "arrangement" put in operation in New York does not seem to have been a great success for it was not extended to other cities, and local posts continued to flourish and do the work at less than the government rates. The demand for better service and lower rates, for "reform" as it was called grew louder and louder, until the Postmaster General in his report dated November 25th, 1844, recommended to Congress a reduced uniform rate according to distance and weight. Stamps were recommended but
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Postmaster's Stamps.
Postmaster's Stamps.
Notwithstanding the failure of Congress to adopt postage stamps, and to authorize the Postmaster General to issue them, and to provide an appropriation for their manufacture, public attention had been drawn to the advantages of the system, and the convenience, to the business community particularly, of mailing and receiving letters at hours when the post office or business houses were closed. The question as to whether the Postmaster General might not issue postage stamps on his own authority wa
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Stamp of the New York Postmaster.
Stamp of the New York Postmaster.
The stamp issued by the postmaster of New York was chronicled in the earliest American Catalogue, (Kline, 1862,) but its true character was not established until the resuscitation and republication in the communications of the author of this work to the Philatelist and Le Timbre Poste, in 1873-4, of the following articles from contemporaneous newspapers. The Express of New York in its issue of July 1st, 1845, contains an editorial mentioning, that the Act of March 3rd, 1845, went into force on t
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Stamps of the St. Louis Postmaster.
Stamps of the St. Louis Postmaster.
Of all the stamps of this character, those issued by the St. Louis Postmaster have been most discussed in the Philatelical Press. The ten cents was first noticed in an article in the Stamp Collector's Magazine in November, 1863, and the five cents was mentioned in Kline's Manual, 3rd edition, 1865. Mr. L. W. Durbin first mentioned the second die of the 10 cents, Mr. Pemberton the second die of the 5 cents, and Mr. Scott is entitled to the credit of discovering the third die of each. It is unnece
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Stamp of the Brattleboro Postmaster.
Stamp of the Brattleboro Postmaster.
The stamp issued by the Postmaster, of Brattleboro, Vermont, is catalogued as a local as early as Kline's Manual, 2nd edition, 1863. The first magazine to describe it was Taylor's Record, February, 1865, which states that it was issued in 1848, by F. N. Palmer, to supply a temporary lack of the current five cents and gives a fair description of it. The American Journal of Philately, in January, 1869, in an article by Dr. Petrie, gave the first correct account of it. The article gives a letter pu
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Stamp of the New Haven Postmaster.
Stamp of the New Haven Postmaster.
This stamp was discovered in an old collection by Mr. Wm. P. Brown, and described by him in his Curiosity Cabinet in May, 1871. The New Haven Palladium of May 11, 1871, has the following account of the discovery, which, though it contains some errors as to the former postal rates, and some ignorance as to the history of the stamps of the United States, is worthy of insertion here. "A CURIOSITY." "An old envelope post office stamp, issued at New Haven, of the denomination of 5 cents, marked 'PAID
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Stamps of the Providence Postmaster.
Stamps of the Providence Postmaster.
These stamps, of which the 5 cent value was catalogued as early as 1863, and the 10 cent in June, 1865, were issued by Mr. H. B. Sayles, postmaster at Providence, and engraved by a Mr. Kidden, of that city in 1846. None of the daily papers of the locality, which we have been permitted to consult, seem to have noticed the issue. The plate has however been preserved among the archives of the State of Rhode Island. PROVIDENCE POST OFFICE. Issue of 1846. " Post Office ," in a curved line, " Prov. R.
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Stamp of the Alexandria Postmaster.
Stamp of the Alexandria Postmaster.
This stamp was discovered by the present author, and was first chronicled in an article by him in Le Timbre Poste, of February, 1873. A second specimen is chronicled in Durbin's Philatelic Monthly, of August, 1879. They are both postmarked with the ordinary dated hand stamp of Alexandria, D. C., the word "PAID," and large numeral "5." The first postmark is dated July 10th, that of the second is illegible, but the letter was dated Sept. 9th, 1846. ALEXANDRIA POST OFFICE. Issue of 1846. Large roun
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Stamps of the Baltimore Postmaster.
Stamps of the Baltimore Postmaster.
This stamp was first chronicled in the Philatelical Journal in 1874. The copy there described was the only one known, until very recently, a second copy was described in the New York World, and subsequently that and another were mentioned in the Alexandria Gazette, of August 3rd, 1886, as having been in possession of Mr. Thomas Semmes, of Alexandria. These are described as postmarked respectively, January 15th, and 31st., 1847, with the other marks usual upon letters of the period. From 1845 to
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Stamp of the Millbury Postmaster.
Stamp of the Millbury Postmaster.
In the collection of letters received by Col. Isaac Davis, of Worcester, Mass., now in the library of the American Antiquarian Society, were found, in 1884, two letters written and posted at Millbury, in August and December, 1846, postmarked with the ordinary dating stamp of Millbury, of the dates August 21st, and December 16th, respectively, and stamped with an adhesive stamp, cancelled with the word "PAID," in large capitals, partly on the letter and partly on the stamp. The earliest also bear
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Stamped Envelopes of the Washington Postmaster.
Stamped Envelopes of the Washington Postmaster.
The Daily Union, published at Washington, Wednesday, July 23rd, 1845, and the National Intelligencer, of Friday, July 25th, 1845, contain the following advertising editorial [A] : " Interesting to Citizens and Sojourners in Washington. Upon inquiring at the city post office, we learn that Col. Gardiner has had franked (or rather prepaid) envelopes prepared, which do away with the necessity of personal application at the delivery window when one wishes to pay postage on sending off a letter. They
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Stamps of the Philadelphia Postmaster.
Stamps of the Philadelphia Postmaster.
From 1845 to 1849, Dr. Geo. F. Lehman was postmaster of Philadelphia. It is asserted that he adopted for use in the post office at Philadelphia, a number of peculiar devices of his own, which appear to have been a substitute for postage stamps. They are described as bands with the names of the persons who mailed the letters upon them, which were fastened around the letters, and upon receipt at the post office, were removed by the clerks and kept as vouchers, the amount of postage due being charg
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Stamps of the Worcester Postmaster.
Stamps of the Worcester Postmaster.
In the National Aegis, published at Worcester, Mass., September 2nd, 1846, may be found the following item: " Post Office Stamps. The postmaster has issued postage stamps of the denomination of five cents and ten cents. They are very convenient, and will save the trouble of making change at the post office, and will enable people to send prepaid letters at times when the office is closed. To cover the expense of engraving and printing, these stamps are sold at five per cent advance upon the regu
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Stamps of the Pittsfield Postmaster.
Stamps of the Pittsfield Postmaster.
A short notice published in one of the Springfield, Mass., papers, in the summer of 1874, asserts that in overhauling the vaults of the Berkshire Mutual Fire Insurance Company, of Pittsfield, a number of stamps were found that were issued by the Pittsfield postmaster, in 1846-7. Phineas Allen was postmaster of Pittsfield at the time. No further information concerning these stamps, has rewarded inquiry....
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Observations.
Observations.
It is by no means improbable that other similar devices were in use in other towns and cities at this period, by which prepayment of postage was secured. The salaries of many of the smaller offices depended on the amount of postage collected, and the importance of all offices was estimated by the revenue collected. It was natural, therefore, as the public demand for such accommodation grew, that the postmaster should adopt a device tending to their own benefit. There are in the possession of the
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The Issue of 1847.
The Issue of 1847.
Notwithstanding these manifest dangers, noticed by the Courier and Express, the public continued to demand and use, and the postmasters to issue, as we have seen, these unauthorized stamps, without action on the part of Congress, or interference by the Department, until the beginning of 1847 when, apparently in response to the necessities of the case the following law was passed: Statutes of the United States , XXIX Congress, Session II, Chapter LXIII, Section 1, approved March 3rd, 1847. An Act
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The Issue of 1851.
The Issue of 1851.
The Act of the XXXI Congress, Session II, Chapter XX, approved March 3rd, 1851, and entitled: "An Act to reduce and modify the Rates of Postage in the United States, and for other purposes" reads: "Be it enacted, etc., that from and after the 30th day of June, 1851, in lieu of the rates of postage now established by law, there shall be charged the following rates, viz: For every single letter in manuscript, or paper of any kind, upon which information shall be asked for, or communicated, in writ
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The Issue of 1857.
The Issue of 1857.
Without any change in the law, and, so far as is known, without any announcement of the improvement, on the 24th of February, 1857, the three cent value of the type of 1851 was issued perforated, and the other values of the series speedily followed with the perforation, and so remained without addition until the middle of 1860. Issue of 1857. Same values, types and colors as the prior issue, perforated with 15 holes in the space of two millimetres. Plate impression, in color, on white paper, per
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The Issue of 1861.
The Issue of 1861.
The reason for the introduction of this issue is not to be found in any change in the law. The report of the Postmaster General, dated on December 2d, 1861, states that: "The contract for the manufacture of postage stamps having expired on the 10th of June, 1861, a new one was entered into with the National Bank Note Company of New York, upon terms very advantageous to the Department, from which there will result an annual saving of more than thirty per cent, in the cost of the stamps. In order
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The Issue of 1867-9.
The Issue of 1867-9.
The Act of the XXXIX Congress, Session I, Chapter 114, Section 7, approved June 12th, 1866, entitled an Act to amend the Postal Laws, had provided among other things. "Sec. 7. And be it further enacted: that whenever it shall become expedient in the opinion of the Postmaster General to substitute a different kind of postage stamps for those now in use, he shall be, and is hereby authorized to modify the existing contracts for the manufacture of postage stamps, so as to allow the contractors a su
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The Issue of 1869.
The Issue of 1869.
The New York Evening Post of October 6th, 1868, also contains a notice of " The New Contract For Postage Stamps. In June last, Postmaster General Randall, advertised for proposals for furnishing the Government with postage stamps for a term of years. The Committee of experts appointed for the purpose, decided in favor of the National Bank Note Company, and on Saturday last, the Postmaster General awarded the contract to that Company for a term of four years. We have been shown proofs of the new
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The Issue of 1870.
The Issue of 1870.
In the report of the Postmaster General for the year ending the 30th of June, 1870, under date of Nov. 15th, 1870, he says: The adhesive postage stamps adopted by my predecessor in 1869, having failed to give satisfaction to the public, on account of their small size, their unshapely form, the inappropriations of their designs, the difficulty of cancelling them effectually, and the inferior quality of gum used in their manufacture, I found it necessary in April last, to issue new stamps of large
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Postage Due Stamps.
Postage Due Stamps.
From the adoption of compulsory prepayment up to 1879, various regulations had been made from time to time regarding insufficiently paid letters, in order to relieve the Dead Letter Office as far as possible, and yet enforce the prepayment of all mail matter. Nevertheless mistakes continued to be made and the practice of forwarding all letters upon which one full rate was paid, and collecting the balance of the receiver had finally been adopted, the amount to be collected being written or stampe
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Special Delivery Stamp.
Special Delivery Stamp.
The history of the introduction and usage of these stamps is contained in the following extracts from two circulars, both dated at Post Office Department, Office of the Postmaster General, Washington, D. C., August 11th, 1885, and signed by William F. Vilas, Postmaster General. The first directed to postmasters reads as follows: " Sir :—On the first of October, 1885, you are directed to establish at your office, a system for special delivery of letters, in accordance with sections 3, 4, 5 and 6
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Newspaper and Periodical Stamps.
Newspaper and Periodical Stamps.
Issue of 1865. The newspaper stamps issued by the United States Post Office Department do not correspond in their usage very nearly to the stamps denominated newspaper stamps in other countries. The series under review had a very limited and peculiar use. While the dissemination of learning and information had always been fostered in every way by the Acts of Congress, and the distribution of newspapers and periodicals had always been undertaken by the post office at rates that did not pay for th
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Official Stamps.
Official Stamps.
A thorough understanding of the use of these stamps will best be obtained by a brief review of the system it for a time supplanted, which was briefly designated as the "Franking Privilege." As early as the 1st Session of the Second Congress the necessity and propriety of providing for the carriage of official correspondence and the correspondence of Government officers and Members of Congress upon public business was recognized, and Chapter 7, Section 19, approved February 1st, 1792, of the Acts
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Official Seals.
Official Seals.
The Post Office Department of the United States, besides the stamps for the collection of postage, has employed from time to time for special usages certain seals which, as they are adhesive and in the form of postage stamps and officially used, are here described, although they are of no postal value and not properly stamps, but are all employed to indicate that the packages which bear them are properly secured and have not been tampered with in transit. Registered Package Seal. This is a large
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Reprints.
Reprints.
There seems to have been no special law authorizing the Postmaster General to issue reprints of the stamps of the United States, or as the authorities choose to call them, "Specimen Postage Stamps." On the other hand his general authority under the law is sufficient to make any re-issue for postal purposes of any of the issues of the Department legal, for none of them except the official stamps have ever been made invalid for postal purposes by any authority but his own, and this authority he un
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THE Philatelic Catalogue
THE Philatelic Catalogue
This work is fully illustrated with engravings, also gives full description of all stamps, particulars as to printing, perforation, paper, watermarks, colors, as well as market price. Also valuable notes by the author on subjects pertaining to the stamps. The following is the plan of the work: Each part is divided into sections. Each section is divided into groups, the groups of Part 1, Section 1 are now ready and are as follows: The price of each group is 10c; a new one will be published every
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THE Improved Stamp Album.
THE Improved Stamp Album.
With a rational plan for the arrangement of a collection of stamps. Copyrighted. This is a blank album manufactured expressly for the purpose. Good paper is used; size of pages 8½ by 11 inches; a neat border surrounds each page and an ornamental band at top for the reception of the name of the country. Neatly printed names are provided on adhesive paper. Guards or stubs are bound between the pages, so that when filled it will not bulge, it is equally well adapted for postal cards, stamps or enve
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THE Philatelic Journal of America.
THE Philatelic Journal of America.
A large monthly magazine published in interest of stamp collecting. Contributed to, by the leading philatelic writers of the day, including, Major Edw. B. Evans, R. A., James M. Chute, John K. Tiffany, Edw. B. Hanes, Lieut. J. M. T. Partello, Joseph J. Casey, E. B. Sterling, Wm. E. Stone, and many others. The latest information regarding newly issued stamps and discoveries may always be found. Reports of the proceedings of the leading American philatelic societies. Answers to questions, and open
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