(US) P.O.D. Experiment with Automobiles
The Post Office Department early recognized
the advantages of the automobile. In 1899
the Third Assistant Postmaster General,
John A. Merritt, announced that the Department
would experiment with the use of automobiles
in the postal service in the District of
Columbia.
He was convinced they would prove useful
in the collection of mail and would result
in a great saving of time. The trials were
to be conducted in Washington because of
its asphalt streets and the almost entire
absence of hills.
In the following year, the Department saw
to it that an automobile was pictured on
one (the 4˘ value) of the forthcoming
Pan-American stamps which were then in
process of designing for issue in 1901.
http://www.1847usa.com/images/296.jpgScott 296 - 4c Pan-American issue
5,737,100 issued - First Day: May 1, 1901
Apparently no automobiles were yet in
the postal service and to picture one
it was necessary to make a courtesy
arrangement with the Baltimore & Ohio R.R.
The B. & O. R.R. obliged, and so that
a satisfactory photograph could be
secured for use on the new stamp one
of their electric coaches was drive
down to the Capitol grounds.
The coach was one of the vehicles which
the B. & O. was using in cab service at
their Washington terminal, then at New
Jersey Ave., and C Street, one block
from the Capitol.
- George B. Sloane
Sloane's Column
Stamps
September 28, 1946
Note: The 4˘ Automobile stamp
The four cent stamp portrays an electric
automobile, or more appropriately an
"Electric Vehicle Service" as illustrated
in the turn of the century Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad flyer from which the
engraving of the stamp was based, complete
with Capitol Dome in the background.
There has been some debate as to whether
this stamp was the first U.S. stamp to
depict a living person. It is argued that
the 2˘ Trans-Mississippi stamp holds that
distinction and there is merit in Gary
Griffith's argument that the two men
depicted in the "front" seat are both
chauffeurs and that the man in the
passenger compartment is actually
the "first living man" depicted on
a U.S. stamp - Samuel P. Hege.
Click here to link to the most interesting
Griffith article for more on this fascinating
subject.
http://www.ggriffith.com/car.htmMisregistration of the vignette was
not as widespread on this stamp as on
the 1˘ and 2˘ stamps. Inverts are known,
but are the result of deliberate
manipulation, not the result of error as
were the one cent and two cent inverts.
Still, this has not diminished the
desirability of the contrived four cent
invert, it actually brings a higher
premium than the one cent invert, a
non-philatelic invert, and is nearly
equal in stature to the non-philatelic
two cent invert.
The 4c Pan-American Invert was not
regularly issued by post offices
and is actually a special printing
released to collectors through
official channels. If the reported
numbers are correct, a total of 203
4c Inverts was released. One sheet
of 400 stamps was printed. An
unknown quantity was overprinted
with a small "Specimen" handstamp.
Some of these, both with and without
overprint, were given away by Third
Asst. Postmaster General Edwin C.
Madden. When postal authorities
learned of the practice, they
destroyed 194 of the remaining
copies and put one pane of 100
into the official archives,
which was stuck down on a page.
At a later date, 97 of the 100
stamps in the official archives
were traded with stamp dealers
for rarities missing from the
official archives. This accounts
for the disturbed state of gum
on virtually all of the 4c
Pan-American Inverts without
overprint. There are seven
blocks of four contained in
dealers records.
It was rumored that sheets of
the 5c, 8c and 10c were also
prepared as inverts, but that
these were destroyed after
officials learned of the
unofficial release of the
4c stamps. No examples are known.
Posted 07/03/2010 10:42 pm
