History of the Postage Stamps of the United States of America Part 2

NEW YORK POST OFFICE.

ISSUE OF JULY 14, 1845.

Portrait of President Was.h.i.+ngton, faced to left in an oval, 19 mm.

wide by 21 mm. high, with a back ground of colored lines, crossed at right angles and bordered by a colorless line. Solid colored label bordered by a colorless line above and below the oval, inscribed in colorless ordinary capitals, above "_Post Office_," below "_Five Cents_." Foliated ornaments in the four corners, the upper enclosing small colorless labels inscribed in small colored capitals "_New_," at the left "_York_," at the right, the whole surrounded by a colored line forming a rectangle.

Engraved on copper at New York by Messrs. Rawden, Wright and Hatch.

Plate impression 20 by 28 mm., on slightly bluish paper.

5 cents black.

In most of the catalogues this stamp has been described also, as on white paper. Such specimens are shown, but they are produced by some chemical action of the gum used to fasten them to letters, or of the composition of the paper or other accidental causes. Specimens may be also found of a buff color as if steeped in coffee, another changeling produced by the action of strong gum.

Each stamp is signed A. C. M. in red ink. They are generally cancelled with a pen and blue ink, or by the word "Paid" hand stamped in red ink, or by the dating stamp.

There is another type of stamp said to have been issued by the postmaster of New York in 1849. The design is two concentric circles, the inner 13, the outer 17 mm. in diameter. In the center, "_One Cent_" in two lines of ordinary colored capitals, about 2 mm. high.

Between the circles, above, "_U. S. Mail_;" below, "_Prepaid_" in similar letters 2 mm. high. They were printed in black on small squares of rose colored paper, and afterwards on paper varying from bright yellow to pale drab and generally glazed.

This stamp was chronicled in Kline's Manual, first edition, 1862, as a "Carrier Stamp," and has since been alternately considered a governmental, or a local stamp. Upon what ground it is so confidently a.s.serted to have been issued by the New York postmaster, and its date a.s.signed to 1849, seems never to have been stated. It is certain however that if it were issued prior to 1851, it did not prepay any authorized government postage, and if issued after 1847, such an issue was forbidden by law unless authorized by the Postmaster General. It is hardly to be supposed that the postmaster of New York City would have openly violated the law. The inscription, "U. S. Mail," does not prove anything but probably means "prepaid to the U. S. Mail," and the stamp is probably the issue of some of the local delivery companies.

V.

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 ent.i.tled to the credit of discovering the third die of each.

It is unnecessary to repeat the numerous discussions, pro and con, concerning the authenticity of these stamps, since the present author discovered, and republished in Le Timbre Poste, in May, 1873, the following articles from contemporaneous daily papers, which leave no further room for doubt concerning the two values, 5 and 10 cents.

_Missouri Republican._ July 17th. 1845.

"Free stamped envelopes. For the convenience of those who may wish to prepay their packages at any hour of the night, Robert H. Morris, the postmaster of New York, as we learn from the Express, has prepared a variety of stamped envelopes. They are marked five cents, ten cents, &c., and under these words is the name R. H. Morris. The five cent envelopes will be sold by the postmaster at 6 cents each, or 16 for a dollar of the common kind and common size, and the others in proportion. This will be as cheap as they can be bought in small quant.i.ties at the stationers. A thin envelope will contain two letters and be subject only to a single postage. Envelopes of various sizes will also be furnished and of fine quality when desired by the purchaser. The plan has also been adopted by the postmaster at Was.h.i.+ngton and has met the approval of the Postmaster General.

We think it not only a convenience to the public but that it will add to the revenue of the Department very considerably. The above arrangement would be a great convenience to many persons.

Why should not the postmaster here adopt the same plan. We believe the public generally would buy them."

This article, although a mere repet.i.tion of the article of the Express, and like that mentioning envelopes of New York and Was.h.i.+ngton which no one has ever seen, contains at the end a reference which was evidently the inspiration of the St. Louis postmaster to issue his stamps, for we read in the Missouri Republican of November 5th, 1845, the following:

"LETTER STAMPS. Mr. Wimer, the postmaster, has prepared a set of letter stamps, or rather marks to put upon letters, indicating that the postage has been paid. In this he has copied after the plan adopted by the postmaster of New York and other cities.

These stamps are engraved to represent the Missouri Coat of Arms, and are five and ten cents. They are so prepared that they may be stuck upon a letter like a wafer and will prove a great convenience to merchants and all those having many letters to send post paid, as it saves all trouble of paying at the post office. They will be sold as they are sold in the East, viz: Sixteen five cent stamps and eight ten cent stamps for a dollar.

We would recommend merchants and others to give them a trial."

And a few days later in the same paper of November 13th, 1845, we again read:

"Post Office Stamps. Mr. Wimer, the postmaster, requests us to say that he will furnish nine ten cent stamps and eighteen five cent stamps for one dollar, the difference being required to pay for the printing of the stamps."

The above articles contain nearly the whole history of the stamps of St.

Louis. We learn the name of the postmaster who had them made, (the name, however is incorrectly spelled) their use and price, the date and object of their issue. A thorough search of all the files preserved, of the daily papers published in St. Louis from January, 1845, to December, 1848, resulted in no further discoveries concerning them.

ST. LOUIS POST OFFICE.

ISSUE OF NOVEMBER 5th, 1845.

Arms of the State of Missouri. A round s.h.i.+eld parted per pale; on the dexter side, gules (red or vertically lined ground), the grizzly bear of Missouri, pa.s.sant guardant, proper; on a chief engrailed azure (horizontally lined), a crescent argent; on the sinister side, argent, the arms of the United States, (the stamp is dotted or gold) the whole with a band inscribed "United we stand, divided we fall" (The buckle below on the left, in the 5 cents, should be omitted). Supporters on each side, a grizzly bear of Missouri, proper; rampant guardant, standing on a scroll inscribed "Salus Populi Suprema lex esto." Above, the value is expressed in large outline numerals, ornamented and shaded.

In the corners "_Saint_" and "_Louis_" with numerous flourishes. Below the arms "_Post Office_" in large ordinary capitals. The whole in a rectangular frame of a thin and thick colored line.

Engraved on copper by J. M. Kershaw, at St. Louis. The plate consisted of six stamps, three of each value, and was delivered to Mr. Wymer, and is said to have been lost with other of his effects during the war. The engraver thinks he printed about 500 sheets, at three different times, upon such paper as he happened to have at hand, and that as the plate deteriorated easily, he probably retouched it slightly each time in parts, before printing. He denies positively the possibility of the figures upon the twenty cent value being his work. These are all the facts he can now vouch for, and states that many of the statements from time to time attributed to him "were the ideas of his interviewers, who tried to refresh his recollection and may have mixed him up."

Plate Impression in black upon three qualities of bluish paper, 3 varieties of each value.

5 cents, black 17 by 22 mm.

10 cents, black 18 by 22 mm.

These stamps are printed on a rather thick greenish blue paper, on a thinner grey-blue paper, and on a very thin greyish paper, which agrees with the recollection of the engraver that he printed three different lots of them. A pair is also known on a coffee colored paper. They were taken from buff envelopes, and are undoubtedly discolored by the action of the paper or gum. Those on white paper have been made so by chemical action.

The varieties may be thus distinguished:

FIVE CENTS. The dashes in the corners form a sort of triangular ornament, or branch. The letters are block capitals, shaded by a fine line. There are no lines or dashes under "_Post Office_."

_First Variety._ (_a_) The buckle on the garter has the point and tongue turned up to the left.

(_b_) There are six dashes above "_Saint_," and eight above "_Louis_,"

of which the top and bottom ones on each side are long strokes.

(_c_) One long and two short lines and a speck under "_Saint_," and one long and three short lines under "_Louis_."

(_d_) A long diamond in top of numeral, and a mis-shapened diamond in the bow of the numeral, with four dots above and nine below it, and a dot in the ball of the numeral.

(_e_) The bear in the s.h.i.+eld is on a vertically lined ground.

_Second Variety._ (_a_) The buckle has the tongue and point turned down to the right.

(_b_) There are eleven dashes above "_Saint_," and ten above "_Louis_,"

one of which cuts the frame on the right.

(_c_) One long and two short lines, a dot, and a horizontal stroke below "_Saint_," one very long, and three short lines under "_Louis_," two above and two below the level of the bear's ear.

(_d_) A triangle in the top of the numeral, and a diamond in the bow of the numeral, with four dots above and nine below the latter. No dot in the ball of the numeral. The right end of the scroll is double, and touches the frame.

(_e_) The bear is on a vertically lined ground.

_Third Variety._ (_a_) The buckle has the point turned down to the right.

(_b_) There are twelve lines above "_Saint_," and seventeen above "_Louis_."