1857 Uspo Bid Request For Postal Stationery

I recently bought a number of antique newspapers and was happy to come across this article in the June 27, 1857 edition of the Washington Union. The US Post Office Department was soliciting bid proposals for their series of postal stationery. The first series was printed by George Nesbitt & Co. and first issued in 1853. I'm not sure who printed the second series, but it was not released until 1860, so perhaps they did not receive any acceptable bids from this request.

Nesbitt produced envelopes for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th envelope contracts, 1853 through 1870. Nesbitt died in 1869. The first public bidding for contracts was for the contract period beginning in 1870. More details are available on the UPSS 19th Century envelope catalog edited by Dan Undersander in the section called "Historical Notes".

Apparently bids were solicited for the first contract but no information is given in the historical notes on bidders. Other printers were not pleased at the negotiated contracts Nesbitt received for the 2nd thru 4th contracts.

Below is a pertinent item from my Paying the Postage exhibit that was in 2006 Washington show in the Court of Honor. I purchased this at auction years ago and offered to the postal stationery collectors and no takers. So, I sold it into the coin market (Mike Myers) as one of two known "patterns" (the other owned by the Library Company of Philadelphia) for into five figures.

The whole "Paying the Postage" exhibit is on my website here
https://www.rfrajola.com/Wash2006/w...06frame3.htm