Home Catalogue index Volume 1 index Volume 2 index

Preview of Stamps Catalogue: VOLUME 1

UNITED STATES POSTMASTER ISSUES part 1

Return To Catalogue - postmaster issues part 2 - Postmaster issues part 3 - United States - Locals, carriers, postmasters and bogus issues; overview

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.

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'.

ALEXANDRIA

1846 Alexandria, inscription "ALEXANDRIA POST OFFICE PAID 5"

(Genuine, reduced size, image obtained from a Siegel auction)

  5 c black on yellow
  5 c black on blue

Two types exist, the first type having 39 rozettes in the circle and the second type 40 rozettes. According to the book 'Fabulous stamps' by John W. Nicklin (1943), only seven stamps were ever discovered. An image of another genuine stamp can be found in this book.

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

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

Forgeries exist, example:

A forgery of the 5 c black on blue value on a letter adressed to 'D.Edwin D. Newton at the Hospital Richmond Va' with 'NEW ORLEANS', 'PAID' and 'PAID ALL' cancels, this forgery was probably made by the forger Peter Winter. I've seen exactly the same envelope with two forged Canadian stamps in the 'House of Stamps' catalogue edition '88.

ANNAPOLIS

1846 Annapolis

  5 c red (envelope)

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

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

This issue could very well be bogus all together! The book 'Fabulous stamps' by John W. Nicklin (1943) states that only two of such stamps (actually more seals with a value inscription) were ever found. In this book an image of a supposedly genuine stamp can be found. It bears similar cancels as the envelopes shown above.

(A handstamped envelope in a similar design exists, image obtained thanks to a Siegel auction, reduced size)

BALTIMORE

1846 Baltimore, inscription 'James M. Buchanan'

(Genuine, image obtained from a Siegel auction)

(Genuine stamp on envelope)

  5 c black
  10 c black

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

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

Forgeries exist, examples:

Envelopes exists also with inscription 'James M.Buchanan' (see above) in 5 c blue (and other colors red, blue/red?), and 10 c red (and blue?). The above shown envelope is a forgery!

BOSCAWEN

1846 Boscawen, inscription 'PAID 5 CENTS' in a rectangle (only 1 specimen known)

(Sorry, no picture available yet)

  5 c blue

A picture of a genuine Boscawen stamp can be found at: http://www.theswedishtiger.com/usstamps/.

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

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

This issue could very well be bogus all together! The book 'Fabulous stamps' by John W. Nicklin (1943) states that only one such stamp exists. In this book an image of a supposedly genuine stamp can be found (the image is not very clear though). The famous collector Ferrary once owned this stamp and subsequently Athur Hind bought it. In 1933 it was sold to Frank Marquis. The book explains that the dealer Hiram E. Deats bought the stamp in 1894 from H.H. Lowie who claimed to have posessed the stamp for 29 years.

BRATTLEBORO

1846 Brattleboro, inscription "BRATTLEBORO VT P.O." and initials of Frederick N. Palmer

(Image reproduced with permission from http://www.sandafayre.com and a Siegel auction)

Image obtained from a Matthew Bennett auction.

  5 c black on yellow 

Eight different types exist (other sources say five or ten...). On http://brattleborohistory.com/customs-music-misadventure/the-brattleboro-stamp.html a reconstructed sheet of 10 stamps can be seen by George C. Slawson:

Reconstructed sheet of 10 stamps by George C. Slawson; it looks like type 1 was misplaced? Type 8 has text at the bottom.

It looks like this is the exact same stamp as illustrated in position 4 of this sheet, with a blue "5" cancel.

Above a (partial) reconstruction of the sheet.

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

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

I've only seen these stamps with a red 'PAID' cancel. According to a Siegel auction, only 52 stamps have survived (20 on cover). In the bottom margin of each sheet the words 'Engd. by Thos. Chubbuck, Bratto.' are printed. Parts of this print can be seen in the second image shown above.

Forgeries, example:

S.Allen Taylor forgery with different intials. I have seen this forgery in black on blue and black on yellow as well.

Forgeries

Rather deceptive block of 2 forgeries with a red "PAID" cancel. Even the types are different.

LOCKPORT

1846 Lockport N.Y. ellipse with inscription 'LOCKPORT PAID 5 N.Y.'

Forged letter made by Peter Winter.

  5 c red and black on yellow

A picture of a genuine Lockport stamp can be found at: http://www.theswedishtiger.com/usstamps/.

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

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

This issue could very well be bogus all together! The book 'Fabulous stamps' by John W. Nicklin (1943) states that only one stamp was ever found. In this book an image of a supposedly genuine stamp can be found. It bears similar cancels as the envelopes shown above, including the 'LOCKPORT 3 NY' and red 'PAID' cancel (but it is placed on the envelope, not the stamp). The famous collectors Ferrary and Arthur Hind once possesed this stamp.

Click here for postmaster issues part 2

Copyright by Evert Klaseboer