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Return To Catalogue - United States locals overview - Hussey's issues - Moody to Pomeroy - United States
Note: on my website many of the
pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the catalogue;
contact me if you want to purchase it.
(Genuine, reduced size, image obtained from a Siegel auction)
In 1850 two values were issued 2 c black on yellow and a 1/2 c black on blue. The 1/2 c has the '1/2' changed to '1' manually. The inscription of both stamps reads: "Care of MASON's New Orleans CITY EXPRESS Paid- cent.".
Inscription "CITY DESPATCH M.W. MEARIS" or "City Despatch M.W.MEARIS":
(Image obtained from a Siegel auction, reduced size)
(Image obtained from a Siegel auction, reduced size)
(Image obtained from a Siegel auction, only one copy known to
exist, reduced size)
Several stamps were issued by M.W. Mearis in Baltimore in 1846 (4 different designs, 6 different stamps in the values 1 c and 2 c). All these stamps are very rare. They all have a control handwritten overprint "MWM". More information can be found at: http://www.siegelauctiongalleries.com/enc/carriers/mearis.htm.According to this website, the 1 c and 2 c were printed next to each other, in 2 columns of 5 stamps each (1 c at the left and 2 c at the right). This resulted in 5 different types of the 1 c and 5 different types of the 2 c. The corner ornaments are different (flowers or squares) and the lettering is also different (captial vs. non-captal lettering and letters with or without serifs).
(Image obtained from a Siegel auction)
The only stamp issued by this company has a red colour and was issued around 1853. Only four copies are known to exist according to this Siegel auction (http://www.siegelauctions.com/2000/830/y830161.htm).
Most likely some kind of reprint or forgery.
The following stamp is probably a bogus issue of this stamp:
I have seen in this design stamps in the colours: red on yellow, green, black on blue, red on blue, black on lilac, blue, black on green and black (above image). This forgery has the words "EXPRESS" with shading.
Similar design, but with no shading to the word
"EXPRESS". I've also seen this forgery in the color
red.
Yet another forgery, with shading in "EXPRESS", and
this word is now slanting.
Genuine
Images obtained from a Siegel auction
5 c black on brown 5 c black on yellow 5 c blue 6 c black on brown 10 c black on yellow
On http://my.execpc.com/~nixlt/alarticle some history of the Mercantile Library and other interesting libraries on stamps can be found. Quote from this website: "In 1870, the library had a collection of over 140,000 volumes, and circulated hundreds of thousands of items a year. Many of the books were sent directly to the homes of members by delivery wagon. In order to get home delivery, members prepaid for this service by purchasing delivery stamps. They would then affix these stamps to one side of a book-order form that included regular postage on the opposite side. The form was then mailed to the Mercantile Library."
(Postal stationery in the same design, image obtained from a
Siegel auction)
Delivery check, image obtained from a Siegel auction
(Genuine, reduced size, image obtained from a Siegel auction)
Genuine stamps
The only colours that were issued in 1849 are black on green and black on lilac (5 stamps are only known of the black on lilac colour). I've seen a stamp with a penstroke on the name "MESSENKOPES" (apparently after the service was taken over by another owner):
The American Philatelist, Vol. XXXIII, January
1920, no. 4 (see also http://www.archive.org) mentions that
'Counterfeits were made in both New York and Boston. The oval
is good but the type throughout is larger, particularly
noticeable in the "P" of "Post". The rays
from the candle are too decided and greatly differ from original'.
Most likely a forgery, note the larger "S" in
"SQUARE".
Forgeries made by S. Allan Taylor; the
Boston forgery
Probably forgeries:
The "P" of "POST" is very close to the
"I" of "UNION". I've also seen this forgery
in the color black on green.
Genuine
The values 1 c red, 2 c red (envelope), 5 c red, 10 c red and 20 c red were issued in 1855. Many reprints have been made, also in different colours, (probably all the stamps shown next are reprints):
Might be genuine, but I'm not 100% sure.
Reprints/forgeries:
Bogus issue in blue color.
Forgery, possibly made by Scott
Looks like a lithographed forgery to me. The "O" of
"METRO" is too narrow and there is a much wider space
between the "R" and the "O" and the
"O" and the "P" of "POLITAN". I've
also seen the 10 c of this particular forgery.
Another lithographed forgery, but different from the above ones.
Issued in 1852, first design:
(Genuine, reduced sizes, images obtained from a Siegel auction)
The stamp first had the inscription "L.WILLIAMS" (red only), this was later erased (red only), then replaced with "WH. LAWS" (red or blue). Reprints seem to exist.
I do not know if the following stamp is genuine (it could be a reprint):
Probably a forgery, the "M" of "METROPLITAN"
is placed much higher than the "B" of
"BIBLE".
most likely a Taylor forgery, the "13" is different.
Note the weird shape of the "C" of "AMERICAN"
New design, issued in red or blue:
With embossed design, I'm not sure if this stamp is genuine.
I've been told that this is a reprint, but it looks more like a
forgery to me.
Forgeries exist (at least five different types).
Probably all forgeries.
(Genuine, reduced size, image obtained from a Siegel auction)
Only this black on green stamp was issued in 1847 by the Mill's Despatch Post. In this genuine copy I've seen the "h" of "Despatch" is placed under the "EE" of "FREE". The "t" of this word is placed exactly under the "R" of "FREE".
The "h" of "Despatch" is placed under the "EE" of "FREE". The "t" of this word is under the front part of the "R" of "FREE". There is no dot behind "Post". This forgery looks rather deceptive. I've seen it in black on green color.
The "h" of "Despatch" is placed under the first "E" of "FREE". The "t" of this word is under the front part of the "F" of "FREE". There is a dot behind "Post". I've seen it in black on green color.
The inner frameline and outer frameline are too far apart. "DESPATCH POST" is written in capital letters. There is a dot behind "POST". I've seen it in black on green color, black on yellow, black on red and black on lilac (see image above).
Reduced size
"DESPATCH POST" is written in capital letters. The inner and outer frameline are as in the genuine stamps. There is no dot behind "POST". The word "POST" is very far from the right border. I've seen it in black on green color.
The words "G.A.MILLS'" are very close to the upper inner frameline. The words "Despatch Post" are very close to the lower frameline. I've seen it in black on green color.
Bogus issue with text in white on colored background. I've seen black, orange on yellow, black on green, black on lilac. The words "DISPATCH POST" are in capital letters and with "DIS" instead of "DES". Also note the strange shape of the "G".
This forgery has the word "FREE" very small. I've only
seen it in the color black on lilac.
Another forgery seems to exist.
