Bogus Chas Osgood Canx???

All,

I will be up front with this - I know very little about these canx.

That said, I see them on ebay constantly, and they scream bogus to me every time I see them. Always too perfectly centered, and way too many of them for my comfort. The canx is always fresh and dark - never faded or washed out looking.

One dealer has at least seven of them on ebay right now.

That said, they may be completely legit and I am completely wrong.

Any of you more enlightened types able to chime in on this?

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge!

Charles Osgood is a very well known and fairly common cancel which is generally found on six cent values of both documentary and proprietary revenues. The six cent proprietary first issue was issued specifically because of an Osgood request; the company had a $1.50 retail product. These cancels were usually done in the sheet as pre-cancels, which is why they are usually perfectly centered and dark. Since technically the tax was paid when the stamp was purchased, it did not matter when the stamp was cancelled as long as it went to the proper use.

revcollector - thanks for the reply! I had forgotten about the 6 cent stamp request.

So did they have a 75 cent retail product as well? I found nine of these canx on ebay - eight on 6 cent stamps and one on a 3 cent.

Is it your opinion these are all legit as there isn't enough market to create bogus canx copies?

They still seem bogus to me

I am of the opinion that this is a greatly underappreciated use of the 6¢ documentary. Note the date of the cancel, October 9, nine days after most of the documentary taxes were rescinded. There is no legitimate use for a 6¢ documentary stamp. It was used in lieu of the availability of proprietary stamps! In my collection is the same 6¢ documentary stamp with a November 12, 1872 cancel, again I am quite sure used to pay the proprietary tax.

Finally, I have a September 24, 1872 cancel on the same 6¢ documentary stamp. Although possible it was used on a document, I rather think that it, too, was used to pay the proprietary tax. By that time the first issue, R31c, that was produced at the request of the Osgood firm was no longer available. Throughout the 1870's one finds frequently the Osgood cancel on the then current 6¢ proprietary stamps.

Hi Ron,

Thank you!

Now that is interesting and useful info, and shows true knowledge of proper usage, effective dates, etc.

Not that you have held back, but I encourage you to continue passing your incredible revenue knowledge to us.

My revenue collections are pretty decent. Doesn't mean I have the comprehensive knowledge regarding the stamps I own or the backgrounds on what they were used for or dates they were used.

Great info - please keep it up!