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UNITED STATES POSTMASTER ISSUES part 2

Return To Catalogue - Postmaster issues part 1 - Postmaster issues part 3 - United States - Locals, carriers, postmasters and bogus issues; overview

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Postmaster issues exist for Alexandria, Baltimore, Boscawen, Brattleboro, Lockport, Millbury, New York, Providence and St.Louis. Furthermore envelopes were issued for Annapolis Md, Baltimore and New Haven. The postmaster issues have often the inscription 'POST OFFICE', the private local posts of this same period bear often the inscription 'Express' or 'Despatch'.

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MILLBURY

1846 Millbury, inscription "POST OFFICE PAID 5 cts" in a circle, with head of Washington in the middle

  5 c black on blue

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Forgeries, examples:

Forgery

NEW YORK

1845 New York, head of Washington, inscription "NEW YORK POST OFFICE FIVE CENTS"

  5 c black on grey or blue

These stamps are handsigned 'ACM' (as in the two pictures above, the signature of Alonzo Castle Monzo) or 'RHM' (Robert H. Morris, the postmaster), or 'MM' (M.Monson) in red ink. The 'ACM's are the most common.

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

Forgeries, example:

A very primitive forgery.

Album Weeds describes a forgery (first forgery) where the word "FALSCH" (=forged in German) is engraved twice at the bottom of the stamp and once below the head of Washington:

"FALSCH" in bottom left and right, also the same forgery with "SPECIMEN" inscription.

(Note the words "FALSCH")

I believe this is a Senf forgery.

I've been told that this is an essay in blue, made in 1846. However, it might be a reprint.....

This stamp in red is probably a reprint:

Reprints of these stamps also exist, they have the dimensions 20 1/2 : 28 1/4 mm instead of 20 3/4 : 27 3/4 mm and were made around 1862. According to John.N.Luft in 'Some notes on the New York postmaster provisional five cents, black, 1845' (1911), the reprints were made by George A.Hussey. Hussey not only reprinted the black stamp (on white or blue paper), but also invented new colors (green, brown, blue and red).

The forger Sperati made a forgery of this stamp:

(Sperati forgeries, left image obtained from Richard Frajola's website: http://www.seymourfamily.com/rfrajola/Sperati/speratiindex.htm )

In all the Sperati forgeries I have seen, there are some small black dots and stripes below the stamp (one at the left bottom, one under the 'E' of 'FIVE' and one under the right bottom). I've also seen an uncancelled Sperati forgery. Others have an orange 'PAID' cancel with red signature or a pencancel (also with red signature)
There seem to exist forgeries of Sperati forgeries(!); as the next pictures show:

(Forgery of a Sperati forgery, the seal of Sperati on the backside is much too small)

('Proof' made by Sperati, Sperati's signature can be found at the right hand bottom side)

Modern forgeries also exist, one of them has the word 'FACSIMILE' printed many times at the back.

Literature:
'The New York Postmaster's Provisional', by Stanley M. Piller, published in 1991, 127 pages; with information concerning: essays and proofs; plating; validating initials; varieties; postal history and the Sperati forgery (I haven't read this book myself).

'Some notes on the New York postmaster provisional five cents, black, 1845' by O.S.Hart, H.E.Deats and John.N.Luft, 1911 (viewable on http://www.archive.org).

NEW HAVEN

1845 New Haven, envelopes (the impression was applied by the postmaster E.A.Mitchell to envelopes offered by the public at his post office)

Images obtained from a Matthew Bennett auction; only 5 to 6 red stamps still exist.

Envelopes
  5 c red
  5 c blue

vc = very common
c  = common
*  = not so common
** = uncommon

*** = very uncommon
R   = rare
RR  = very rare
RRR = extremely rare

1871 reprint (only 20 were produced)

1874 Cyrus B. Peets (chief clerk of Mitchell) reprints of the 5 c red value (only 30 were produced)

Another reprint of the 5 c red. I've noticed that in this and the previous reprints, there is always a break in the frameline to the left of the 'P' of 'POST'. I've also seen a 5 c blue of this particular reprint.

I've been told that this is a 1932 reprint from which only 260 stamps were issued.

I'm not sure if this envelope is genuine, it is probably a reprint or forgery. It could be a Seebeck reprint of 1872.

Forgeries, no green colored stamp was ever issued. Also note that the signature is printed instead of written by hand. These forgeries could have been cut from a Tercentenary Celebration sheet that was issued in 1938 (with the outer text cut off, see next image).

1938 Celebration 'reprint' with text still intact.

Forgery, a black colored stamp was never issued! Also note that the signature is printed instead of written by hand.

Another forgery.

Reprint made in 1932 with 'NEW HAVEN DEC 25 Ct.' and red '5' cancel

These forgeries of New Haven and Providence are not listed in the House of Stamps catalogue, but the first envelope is similar to the one used for other forged envelopes. I've seen the 'James Morris New Orleans Louisiana' envelope with forged Oldenburg stamps from Peter Winter.

A bogus stamp for "NEW HAVEN AND N.Y. Exp. Post." made by the forger Taylor.

Taylor forgery; it exists in many colors (also on colored paper).

Another bogus issue for New Haven shows a man on a horse (similar to the Wells Fargo Pony Express stamps) in an ellipse, with inscription 'NEW HAVEN CITY DESPATCH' written around it. The value is 2 c and the color is black on yellow (sorry, no image available yet). They were apparently made by a certain Wuesthoff (source: Mock United States local posts).

Postmaster issues part 3

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer