Colorless U436 Or So

Pull this out of my storage box. I guess I didn't notice a stamp impression on it at first.





Here is a close up





the envelope is embossed from the inside like it should be, but there is no color.

Any clues?

That looks like a US 3c Washington stamped envelope from the 1920s. But I don't know if they did those in a blind emboss (ie no ink). The 3c were usually dark violet, though some other colours were used in error. Is there any trace of colour there at all? I wonder it it could have faded completely (sat on a desk by a window for 60 years?) or is a no ink error?
Someone with a Scott's US Specialized album may have an answer. I sure don't. Interesting though.

This is called an "albino" a quick check on e-bay shows one for sale @ usd@11.50, hope that this helps you.If it is u436.

It's not listed in the Scott Specialized Catalog. I suspect the UPSS (US Postal Stationery Society) catalog has a much better handle on some of these sort of items that are typically beyond the scope of the Scott Catalog.

Checkout this previous link where a similar postal stationery question was asked, but Scott catalog listings had no information, but the UPSS catalog did:

https://goscf.com/t/22261&SearchTerms=U619

Based on the annotation in pencil on the front, we can assume there is ink on the inside, which might lead you to think the stamp was on the inside. I will wager that the image on the inside is a mirror image. These are common and result when ink is deposited on the platen when an envelope blank fails to move smartly thru the press. The next envelope blank then gets the ink from the platen on its back side, ending up on the inside after folding. The colorless embossing on the front is highly indicative of an albino. An albino occurs when two envelope blanks are fed thru the press at one time. The one on top gets the ink, the one on the bottom doesn't, both get embossed, and if we're lucky and the second gets made into an envelope (i.e., glued, folded and gummed), we have an albino.

Probably.

There are envelopes from the early 20th century that were made on web-fed presses (named Smithe and Kenny), where albinos are impossible, that exhibit no color and should properly be called "missing color" errors. These are rare.

In 1965, when a new contractor began making envelopes for the USPS and converted over to web-fed presses entirely, you no longer could have albinos. All colorless envelopes were missing color errors.

Except.

Just recently the current contractor has started printing stamped envelope indicia on made envelopes. That is, they make blank envelopes, glued, folded and top flap gummed, then on a different press, they print the "stamps". With this new method, albinos are again possible.

The UPSS catalog doesn't list albinos. There is talk of developing an EFO Handbook, which would go into these things in gory detail.

Gentlemen thank you very much for the information. Learn something new every day.

Thomas, there is no ink on the inside. I guess somebody thought of it as a blank envelope and stored some stamp in it. I almost threw it away because I thought it is blank envelope too.

"I almost threw it away because I thought it is blank envelope too."

Don't do that!

Always check to see if the envelope has a watermark (specifically, watermarks used for U.S. stamped envelopes). Stamped envelopes exist without the embossed stamps (semantically that doesn't make sense, but you know what I mean). These guys are rare. But, if you have one, it's a nice addition to an eclectic collection. Confers bragging rights.

At the very least, you'll be able to sell it to me at a price that far exceeds the value of a plain ole blank envelope. Well, when I reach 50 posts you'll be able to sell it to me. I wonder how far I have to go?

Thought you might want to see one: