Show Your US 1857 Perforated Stamps

A Snow-affixed stamp would show identical cut edges at top and bottom in terms of any arc or slant, which the example posted here does not show that characteristic.

Is this what Scott's means when they say "Inner Line Recut at Right"?

I have this stamp and it is supposed to be a 24, I would appreciate comments and plating if someone would be so kind.

Probably top row plate 9 or 10?
Scott 24
Maybe 6L9. But wouldn't bet my life on it

Described by the Auction house as:

1¢ type IV & pair of 3¢ type I perforated (Scott 9, 25), tied by two strikes "PORTLAND, ME./PAID" c.d.s., Mar 2, 1858, on a cover to St. John, New Brunswick with lightly struck red "U. STATES/6d" handstamp; backstamped St. John on Mar 5; reduced somewhat at the right and a third 3¢ stamp required to make up the 10¢ rate is missing; still a pretty cover and a scarce mixed issue franking to Canada, Fine to Very Fine. Estimate $200 - 300


The pair is actually Scott #25A - which jumps the catalogue value up a lot.

They sometimes make mistakes for their advantage, and sometimes for our advantage.

This time, it was to my advantage.

They also missed the U.STATES marking by color and style.
Alexander's tracing #26 - from PORTLAND, ME - and not #28, from BUFFALO, NY.

Stan Shepp

Sharing today a couple #26's with cancels that you don't see every day.

Enjoy!

Stan Shepp

Very nice and interesting. Thanks for all of the sharing you are doing here in the community.

You are very welcome, Chipshot.

I appreciate you commenting.
I try to share things that people may not have seen previously, or stamps with cool stories, cancels, usages, etc.

I will keep showing things as time goes on. :)

Stan Shepp

I got this cover from somewhere, not sure where. And I saw that it was identified as a #26A, but I am pretty skeptical about such claims.

Scott's Catalogue warns of top row and bottom row #26 stamps being misidentified as #26A.

I can usually spot a top row - because of the damaged relief, but the bottom row is a little harder for me and I don't know that I can identify all of the repaired transfers.

Anyway, I scanned these in today at 1200 DPI and to my surprise, they looked like #26A's!!

I asked a few people, and Sinclair responded agreeing that they are type IV stamps.

I would not mind plating them, but for now, I am happy to know that they really are #26A's.

Stan Shepp

Scott #26, Vertical strip of 5 with Manuscript "Jenny Lind, Cal, Feb 25". Unplated stamps. A, B, C, D, & E reliefs. Ex-Simpson. Rotated vertically and horizontally below.

In 1864 the population was said to be 400, half of them Chinese.

Stan Shepp

Sharing today a twice forwarded cover with a Scott #26.

Here is how I see it. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

A Letter is addressed to:
Mr. L. A. Deschon
Plattsburgh,
Clinton Co.,
N.Y.

It gets dropped in the mail stream and cancelled with a postmarked "NEW YORK NOV 29"

On DEC 1, it arrives in PLATTSBURGH, NY and receives
1) The "PLATTSBURGH N.Y. DEC 1" CDS
2) The manuscript Ford
3) The Stamped "3" (due)
4) The lighter lines are drawn through "Plattsburgh" & "Clinton Co."
5) "Ogdensburgh" gets written between the two 'lined out' address lines

And it goes back into the mail stream

The letter then goes to Ogdensburgh, where it arrives, but no one is home, while there it receives:
1) The "OGDENSBURGH, N.Y. DEC 8, 1859" CDS
2) the manuscript "3"
3) The heavy line under the Plattsburgh stamped "3"
4) The manuscript total - "due 6"
5) The heavy line through "Ogdensburgh"
6) The very bottom manuscript "Plattsburgh"

It was then apparently sent to back Plattsburgh where it is finally delivered to Mr. Deshon - who saves the cover for me to collect 163 years later.

My understanding of the "DUE 3" is that it is generally for a double weight letter that was only prepaid 3c or forwarded letter sent after April 1, 1855 when the prepaid and post paid rate was the same.

Stan Shepp

Here is another cool (Twice?) FORWARDED letter from 1859.

Originally sent from DAYTON, O(hio) on "MAR 7, 1859" Where the two stamps were first applied and cancelled with that CDS.
Addressed to:
Dr. J.M. Wreting(?)
Syracuse
New York

Ten days later, on it arrives in Syracuse and receives the CDS "SYRACUSE, N.Y. MAR 17, 1859" It appears that the "DUE 3" & FORWARDED Handstamps that tie the 3c stamps to the cover match the ink from the SYRACUSE NY CDS, so I would assume that these markings joined this cover in Syracuse.

The Syracuse and Hew York are crossed out and two new addresses are now seen. My guess is that the added address of:
"At Bromfield House
Boston
Mass"
was added in Syracuse.

Now, I cannot tell exactly what happened next and I will wait to see who chimes in here, but it almost appears that in Boston, the fancy, manuscript, double line lettering "FORWARDED" gets added across the top and a new address of:
Mr Altiek
Dayton, Ohio
March 31, 59"
gets added.

Whether or not this was forwarded once or twice, the single "DUE 3" and the duplicate, but obviously different "FORWARDED" markings cause me to lean towards it being twice forwarded.

Sent from Dayton, Ohio to Syracuse, NY
Forwarded from Syracuse to Boston, Mass
Forwarded from Boston to Dayton, Ohio.

Anyway - an interesting cover to say the least.

Both stamps, shown enlarged, appear to be Scott #26A - top row, Relief A with repaired damaged area above the lower left rosette. The right stamp has a clear guide dot in the upper right corner.

I would assume that both of these stamps are plateable, but I do not yet have access to the required plating comparisons.

The closest I can come on this one is 11L8. The part that bothers me is I can't match the blur in the hair. Any suggestions?

I know plating Scott #26's is difficult at best, but I was hoping someone here has seen this double transfer before and might have a lead on it's plate position.

The doubling is most prevalent in the upper 1/3 of the stamp.

I'm leaning toward a bottom row 26 as no ink shows up on the lower perfs.

I received a reply from Charles DiComo on the 3c Washington I posted above - 99L11L, bottom row 26A!