E1 Or E2 Special Delivery Stamp?? 1885 Or 1888

Hello. I am a very new collector and found this in one of my books. It appears to be either an E1 or E2.. I don't know how to differentiate between them.. Any help would be great.

In your case it does not matter. For yours the watermark will be the indicator on whether it is an E4 or E5. Yours can be identified by the "Line under Ten Cents"

Thanks. I missed that. What is the best way to check for watermarks?

A dip in lighter fluid or watermark fluid and placed on a black background should reveal whether or not it has a watermark. If it does it will be the Double lined type.

http://www.1847usa.com/Watermarks/D...LineUSPS.htm

Thank you for all your help

Alberta Stamper, Welcome to the Forum!

The easiest way to differentiate between the E1 and E2 is from the text. The E1 reads "secures immediate delivery at a special delivery office" and the E2 reads "secures immediate delivery at any post office." The E2 also has a line of white dots under the words "post office."

The difference between the E2 and the E4/5 is the addition of a line beneath the words "Ten" and "Cents"

As stallzer has pointed out, you'll need to check the watermark to determine if your stamp is an E4 or an E5.

Thanks for pointing out the difference between the E1 and E2. Unfortunately I only have the 1 stamp. I couldn't believe the values. Better than the normal 20 cent ones I have. Lol.

Thanks for pointing this out Steve. I have both E1 and E2 and wondered how to tell the difference. Now I know.
Chuck