Washington 2c Stamp Or Cinderella?

Is this what is called "Cinderella"? It doesn't look much to me, but my eye is not trained...



Is this common?
It has a value?

Thank you guys

Bob

Bob, that is called a cut square. Basically a stamp is printed right on an envelope and sold as a complete piece. The 'stamp' is often cut out of the envelope, hence the name cut square.
Yours was issued 1903 or 1904. I'm afraid I don't have information about the different dies, but I'm sure someone will.

It is common. It is a cut corner from a stamped envelope (the catalog number escapes me). As such it would have minimal value

Got it, Thx Guys!
I have a bunch of these and also from the Canal Zone, I will post some for you guys can see

Bob

I think this is my #50 post, YAY!!

Please do, Bob.

Isn't it interesting that the design looks like it has perforations on the inside image all away around except near the tops of the "2"'s on the upper corners.

I think you have a Scott #U395 cut square. It is the re-cut die variety issued in 1904 (short vertical lines at the right of "CENTS" and at left of "TWO".) This re-cut die was available in regular, amber, oriental buff, blue and manila paper colors, some of which can be challenging to differentiate, especially as these cut squares get older and the paper ages. I think yours would be the regular variety (U395) which carries a minimum $0.20 value.

As a comparison to my previous post, here's an example I have cropped from a stamped envelope of the same series. In this case, it is a U385 (original die) issued in 1903. The difference is in the vertical lines to the right of "CENTS" having one short and two long vertical lines.



For whatever it's worth, the U385 carries the same minimal catalog value of $0.20, however, in my case I have the entire envelope, which increases its "value" to a whopping $0.35!

Are there any "cut squares" that have any value? I have a few kicking around that I inherited but I haven't given much attention to as I've sort of assumed they were of diminished value.

Yes, many! Post them for us to see, if you like.

Some of the earlier ones have value even as "cut squares". There are also some scarcer varieties using different dies in the embossing or watermarks or color of paper stock used that have some premium. However, most of the modern material is expected to be collected as an entire cover in which a cut square of the same variety would then have very diminished value. To recite from the Scott Specialized Catalog:

"Values for cut squares and most entires are for examples in the grade of very fine. Very fine cut squares will have the design well centered with moderately large margins. The margins on 20th century cut squares should be at least 1/4-inch on the cut sides unless otherwise indicated. Cut squares of modern issues should show full tagging bars when they exist...Precanceled cut squares must include the entire precancellation...Values for unused entires are for those without printed or manuscript address and for the most popular sizes. In a number of cases the larger envelopes are less expensive than the values shown here. First day covers are valued uncacheted."

To take an example of a "modern" embossed envelope, the used cut square is commonly worth $0.20; the entire $0.35. There are, of course, exceptions.

Some more













Bob

I don't generally collect cut squares. I've got a couple that came in auction lots, but they drive me crazy. This is supposed to be a relaxing hobby.
This one is the worst. It's 1884 I believe, but my Harris catalogue (I haven't bothered to check others) lists it by the month, number of links, colour of paper. It's too much
Plus someone has trimmed it within an inch of it's life.

jamesw:

Trimming stamps such as shown in your scanned example was very common in the early days of stamp collecting, as it was intentionally done to make them fit spaces assigned in some of the early stamp albums. This is often taken into account when valuing the early issues.

I'm no expert in these early issues but it seems to me the example you show appears to be either a U231 or a U236. The difference is whether you consider the wavy lines above and below "U.S. Postage" to be "fine and clear" or "thick and blurred" and I don't have anything close to really tell them apart. Either way, the cut square is catalogued at $2.50 or $4.00 respectively.

It may not add to your retirement fund, but still it's a nice addition to an early US cut square collection, as the example dates all the way back to either 1883 or 1884.

Bob:

The last set of scans you show are US (U551); CZ (UX12) Postal Card; CZ (UX11) Postal Card; US (U436); CZ (U17); CZ (U16); CZ (U10) and another CZ (U16). Most are listed at minimum catalog value of $0.20.

One interesting note on the postal cards is that as a general rule they are not collected as "cut squares" but as the entire cards, therefore no catalog value is listed for them in a "cut square" format. Therefore, one would consider them to be greatly diminished in value in that format. They do make good space fillers, though.

Catalog values aside, the posts do show a great array of different cut squares, particularly for the Canal Zone, which makes for a nice start to a collection of "back of the book" material that is not often seen.

Thanks for posting.

Of course it is postal.
If it were a Cinderella, it would have have
you in a state of wonder, awe, and imagination.