Question About Official Release Dates And "First Known Usage"

HI,I've been here on this forum for a few years now and have learned a lot but I have a question I can't seem to find the answer too.

Stamps have official release dates but sometimes I see covers sold as "first known usage",what does all this mean guys ? I bought a postcard the other day (just for 3 bucks) because it has a Scott 300 on it,the official release date for a Scott 300 is Dec 2nd/1908 but it has a Oct/1908 postmark,is this just a post-office mistake or it is actually possible that back then some stamps could make it out before the official release date ? I ask because I have found covers advertised as"first known usage",please don't make fun of me for asking,I'm trying to learn,thanks.

A little intro.

http://www.stampsofdistinction.com/...own-use.html

Also, many collecting areas now have a catalog and a census. EKU's are popular sought after collectible.

Hello, I will not make fun of you for having a good question. Especially in the early years of stamps it was not common to have a first day of issue. In the early years nobody gave this much attention. Although they do exist of course. When a new series of stamps was issued, the earlier issued stamps were often sold of first. This could mean that a new stamp issued on let us say the first of january would maybe not be used untill mid February. Some collectors try to find the earliest use of a stamp. So if it is described as earliest known use, that might be right at that moment, but a earlier example can be found at anytime. I hope my answer helped. I will post a Netherland Indies example tomorrow, it is getting late here in Europe and I am going to sleep. Kind regards, Johan.

Huffy, the term "earliest known usage" comes up quite a lot in my field, plate number coils. Some of the stamps never see a first day ceremony. Others do have a first day of issue for some of the earlier plate numbers, but not for later plate numbers. A very good example is the Flag and Clouds issue, Scott 5052. The stamp was issued last year with a "P" prefix plate number. A few months later the stamp was discovered with a "B" prefix plate number, a "B" number because the printer was sold to the Banknote Corp. of America, The new version of the stamp was never announced, let alone officially issued with a First Day Ceremony. What is worse, Scott is not going to give it a number!


Peter

Earliest known use is also used to describe town postmarks.
Case in point; I have a small postal history collection of two major redwood producing counties of California. My post mark catalogue is a book by John H Williams California Town postmarks 1850 to 1935. Each town post mark has number and an EKU and a LKU (Latest Known Use) A total of 923 town marks for my two counties. Tomorrow I'll show a New EKU for one of those town postmarks in the Cover Calendar for Month And Day thread here

https://goscf.com/t/11887&whichpage=136

OK,thanks,that's real good info,I meant Scott 331,not 300 as I put down in my post,sorry.

My instructor at air traffic school at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi was assigned as a controller during the airlift. He told me he didn't have to pay for a beer for months on end during the crisis.

The date appears to be unclear. Could it be 1909 rather than 1908? The current EDU is 12/01/1908 (2017 Scott Specialized). Max Johl states the issue date is 12/02/1908. The Berkun-Siskin EDU data base indicates the master die was not approved by the PMG until 11/11/1908 and that the first day of sale in Washington, D.C. (where, I believe most W/Fs were first placed on sale) was 12/14/1908. Its possible that #331 could have been available sometime in late November and was available in early December at Washington, D.C. #331a (booklet panes), according to Johl were issued 11/18/1908. The EDU for #331a is 12/02/1908 (2017 Scott Specalized). Berkun-Siskin states that the Bureau of Engraving and Printing shows first to press as 11/18/08 for #331a and 12/2/1908 for #331. Its very unlikely (pretty much impossible, if these dates are correct) that they would have been available in October. The cancel appears to be Baltimore, MD. Although not too far from Washington, although possible, its not likely they would have #331 on sale before Washington, D.C. Best guess?....doubtful #331 could be found used before late November 1908, if at all before December.

For an early regular issue, the exact date of issue may be known but there are no known used examples from that date so that the closest one found so far for it is the earliest known use date or for some stamp variety change whose exact date of issue is unknown then its earliest known use date is as close as it gets to knowing when it was first probably issued around. This is all based on the earlier the date you find, the closer you are to the official first day of issue even though sometimes stamps can be unofficially released beforehand.

This thread has called out for a better image of the date cancel since first posted...hopefully huffy will post a better scan once the card is received and in-hand.
Don

In addition to my first post.

Good example of a First known usage. Netherlands Indies 1913. I know not US Postage, but still a good example. The 2 cent stamp was issued on the 1st of January 1913. First known usage according to the catalogue 12th of March 1914(yes more than a year later). Why did it take so long? Often old stock/older issues were sold of first. This date can and will shift when earlier examples are found. The card shown is dated 7th of November 1913. So already 4 months less then catalogue indicates. This is at this moment the earliest known usage of this 2 cent (101)stamp, but this could change quickly someone may find a earlier use. Maybe a first day exist.

Johan

Lovely! Would the 1 January date have been when stamps were available for use in a particular colony or when they were made available by Dutch agents - I presume a Dutch equivalent of the UK's Crown Agents existed - at home?

Geoff

This one I have high hopes for too,in the mail to me now also,I've bought a few of these over the years and all so far have been 1908's though.

I meant"for this one too" not "for too",typo LOL.

Sorry I forgot something,when the date stamp "1903" is put on the perfs it looks like 1903 a lot of times but all I've found were 1908's so far.

In reply to GeoffHa's question. Yes as far as I can determine, the stamps would be available in the colonies on these dates. Example: the 50 cent William III stamp was issued on the 1st of January 1870 and first known use is 5th of January 1870. This means the stamps must have been in the Dutch Indies. Netherlands to Dutch Indies in 5 days is impossible in 1870. I do know that Dutch Colonies stamps where sold from the Philatelistic selling point in Amsterdam. I do not know if there were more selling points. So Colonies stamps would be available to collectors in the Netherlands. Johan.