Could This Be Some Type Of Essay For The "Navy Issue" Scott# 790-794

Hi all, I have had this a while but still can't figure out exactly what it is.

It is fairly large at 9-1/4" x 3-1/2" and on gummed paper.


It has all the correct people associated with the different values from the "Navy Issue", but all the Vignette type images are different than the finished stamps.

What is also very strange about this is that there is a clear uneven coating of some kind just over the inked portions of the images, in some cases just over individual lines and dots, and other cases missing in some spot. This appears to have been done by hand, most like under magnification.

I have included a reduced scan of the sheet, and sections of the upper left vignette scanned at 2400 dpi

Any ideas or comments from all the knowledgeable people on these boards are welcome.

The printing quality looks too poor quality to be an official essay. Also essays don't normally need to be gummed.

I'd say it was probably a souvenir that was handed out by the academy, possibly for people to cut up and use as a paste-on cachet for a first day cover, or simply as stickers to add to someone's letters. The National Wildlife Association and other charities send out stickers all the time (albeit normally in the shape of perforated stamps). Just my 0 cents opinion.

Thanks Zebraman,

Originally, I was thinking something similar (of course it certainly could be). But because of the obvious association to the "Navy Issue" and the amount of work to add the clear coating, it made me wonder if there might be more to it.

I think you are correct that it is not line engraved, thus not as sharp as an official essay. When I first looked at it, I thought it was line engraved.
Then I noticed the ink had a bright shine/reflection that was not normal. That is when I checked it under 20x magnification and saw the clear coating on the ink (I believe the ink is some type of engraving, may be photogravure). The only reason I could think to apply such a coating so carefully, is to try to add depth and enhance the appearance of the design, which in my opinion it does.

That is why I thought it may be some type of design phase, pre-production test of some sort.

Edit: To clarify I believe the ink is some type of engraving, not the coating

On March 6, 1936 the series was announce but without details.

The actual persons and designs selected for the series were not announce until May 5, 1936.

After the election, on November 23, 1936 it was announce that the designs were created and announced in text with illustrations via photographs of the official drawings. These drawing were used as models for then engraving the final stamps. The final engraving used various paintings or statues as the designs guiding the engravers of the actual stamp dies.

The above information quoted or gleaned from The United States Postage Stamps of the Twentieth Century, Volume 4 Commemorates 1933-1937 by Max G. Johl (a great uncle)

Given the fact the series of stamps had been kicking around almost 20 year, the sheet in the OP could have been an attempt to influence the series creation (as far as the navy portion). After the series were announce, without design details, the examples shown in the OP could have been created to influence the selected individuals as well as used as the basis for the original drawing and as such the quality of the engraving did not matter.

Lastly it could have been created after the drawing were announced and shown. However, the suggestion that they were to be cut out and affixed as cachets for the various first days falls flat as such are not found on FDCs as far as I am aware.

Edited to correct flawed text copied/pasted in quote.

Great info Parcelpostguy, I never would have guessed that the series was proposed so long before it was actually issued.

Givin that information, it does seem plausible that this could have been used to either try to influence the design team, or as a basis for the design.

As I said before, I can't see any other reason why someone would go to the trouble to apply this clear coating. If you look at the scan with the lettering you can see in some cases how precise they were in applying it (the shadows around the lettering and lines is the extent of the coating.

In my search for info, I did find a set of FDC's by Kapner (according to the seller), that appears to have similar images of 4 of the vignettes.
The 1c John Paul Jones, 2c MacDonough, and the 4c Sampson and Dewey. I don't know much about FDC'S but I bought them anyway, just because the images seemed to match. (link below)

Although I'm not sure if finding the similar images on the Fdc's helps determine when the sheet was made.

https://www.hipstamp.com/listing/19...emy/55590193

I will remind you that there is essay and proof artwork done by cachet makers before they settle on the final design(s) they place on the envelopes for FDC servicing.

Edited to add the example you have may have been done by thermography printing. Such was not uncommon for cachets.

Yes, when I found the FDC's that did cross my mind.

Somewhat related, a while back, I purchased some Captain Cook material, and it included some of the printing plates for the Cachets.

I am not familiar with thermography printing, so using the good old Google, below is the AI result.
It does seem like it may be a possibility, but the coating is very unevenly applied, and the coating is pretty distinctly on top of the ink, (not blended with the ink). Not sure if the ink being to dry when the powder was applied would cause this.

But the line "The result is a textured, glossy finish that gives a three-dimensional appearance." certainly does seem to apply.



How it works
A printed sheet is dusted with a low-melting polymer powder while the ink is still wet.
Excess powder is blown or shaken off.
The sheet is heated, causing the powder to melt and form a raised image.
Features
The powder can be transparent, matte, or glossy.
The powder takes on the color of the ink.
The result is a textured, glossy finish that gives a three-dimensional appearance.
Thermography can be used with any ink colors.
It can be combined with foil-stamping, embossing, or silk screening.
Uses
Thermography can make printed materials stand out and adds a tactile element.
It can be used to create a professional first impression on potential clients.

It seems like something from the 50's or 60's meant to be applied in an album to dress up a page. Something promotional. IMO it only makes sense to have been done after the stamps were produced since the images seem more derivative than anything.

At least it's the Navy series, rather than the Army series with it's Confederates included.

Thanks Parcelpostguy, and everybody for your help.

I believe this is thermography printed, a much easier process than I first thought, so for now this will just go as a very large cinderella.