Unrecorded Sawtooth Perfs, NYC Roulettes, And Chicago Perfs... OH My

I posted this item in another thread but didn't want to hijack it any further. For some reason the SCF image optimizer really changed the color of the stamp. The color is an 1857 claret. Here is the full cover. It is Ex. Phil Rose.


The stamp.

Here is an example that should match other NYC roulettes. It would be the earliest documented use of a NYC roulette and is not in Hulme's census. Thank you ebay


The stamp.

Here is a rare Chicago Perf. I think one of finest out there. If the cost of getting a certificate was reasonable I would have this stuff certified. There may be some other barriers that I won't mention but cost is the big one. Well, at least I have ebay to thank. Thanks ebay!

No time right now to critically study these - but the Middletown is amazing and the New York one at first glance looks right. The Chicago I'd have to spend a bit more time on - to see if the bump is in the right place for these. If so, then I agree it's a great example of the perfs.

These are amazing items Winston. You have a sharp eye.

edit: my other comment on the Chicago is I hope it isn't 'too' good to be true.

Rog, the George Costanza in me wants to know what is the funny part?

Winston, I just realized that your Middletown cover is addressed to Waterbury CT. There is a Waterbury roulette - albeit 'not' a sawtooth. It raises the question if the same person made or used more than one device in their own experimentation with this. That is quite interesting, actually. You might research the Waterbury items, and see if any names agree with the one on this letter... possibly there is a relation.

There are Chicago perfs (at least one) addressed to Chicago but not mailed within the windy city. I can't remember if any RK Swift connection was found with sender of them or not.

Another item plucked from the bay... Once in a lifetime purchase.

Nice. Proof that there is still good stuff to be had out there. :)

This piece is more than merely good.

Really is a beautiful DT.

Yep, and the interesting thing about this Chicago perf (48R2) is that it was already a known, and recorded one in the Hulme census. Wilson Hulme sent his raw data on Chicago perf 1c'rs for plating to me in 1996. This was in there - a crappy scan of just the stamp. Wilson never saw the cover, but he did describe it so someone related it to him.

The dealer who bought the collection with this in it, obviously didn't know what it was. It possibly passed through many hands before a sharp-eyed collector finally rediscovered it.

Nice job, Winston !

I just saw what you got it for. A tip of the hat to you, sir !

Are these early unofficial private precursor perforations?
Was Wilson Hulme the foremost expert on these perforations?

jogil - yes and yes.

The "Chicago Perfs" as they are known, are the first perforated stamps in the US, that were perforated on a real perforating machine. These were privately done, by a dentist named Elijah Hadley, in Chicago. He constructed a perforating machine of his own design around 1854. There were other attempts at private separation of stamps, that were kind of all over, mostly using roulette type of devices (pizza cutters, I liken them to). Hadley's device was the first full-fledged perforating machine in the US, even if it was privately made.

Around that time, people in the US were starting to see these perforated Great Britain stamps, from the Archer perforator patent, and they got interested. Hadley got a banker, named R.K. Swift, also of Chicago, to help promote and probably monetarily back, his effort. Together, they lobbied the US government to buy Hadley's patent, and adopt his process for perforating US stamps.

In parallel, the Bemrose perforator patent in England was filed in 1855, which constituted a better machine than either Archer's or Hadley's. Toppan Carpenter actually purchased a Bemrose perforator in 1856, and put it into production in the US, in February 1857.

The earliest known use of an officially government perforated US stamp is the 3c stamp, on February 28, 1857. I think there are about 3 covers known.

So this left Swift and Hadley out in the cold. We are left with some pretty cool relics, however, since Swift obviously used and distributed some of these. Most are used from or near Chicago, so even before Philatelists knew about Hadley and Swift, the name "Chicago Perfs" was adopted. Ashbrook personally identified Winston's cover, sometime around 1938.

The Chicago perfs are experimental private perforations. They are found on the 1c and 3c 1851-issue stamps. On the 1c, you can find both Ty II (plate 2) and Ty IV (Plate 1L) with Chicago perfs.

There are only 4 intact covers known with a 1c Chicago perf stamp. So you can see why Winston's find is really important. This is significant. It was a previously known cover, which went missing for about 80 years.

More covers are known with a 3c stamp, than a 1c stamp, but they are still rare.