George C. Howard Philadelphia PA

Someone told me that Wilson Hulme found a Howard perforator while looking for a Bemrose perforator. However, I believe that they may have mixed up two different things that some have attributed to Hulme. One being the Howard perforator patent and the other being the Crown Cork and Seal web-fed bar and wheel perforator that is in the Smithsonian National Postal Museum (NPM). However on closer research, the patent is found in http://chronicle.uspcs.org/PDF/Chro..._20/5678.pdf and reference to the NPM perforator is found in http://75.101.135.193/PDF/Specialist_746/32824.pdf

"He built the first perforating machine for the use of the government in the stamp department;" (This was for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.)

"When postage stamps were required to be perforated in 1857, he was selected to make the machines, and operated them for the contractors, Toppan Carpenter & Co.," (Thus, he made the first perforators that perforated U.S. postage stamps in 1857.)

"When the Bureau in 1861 commenced to furnish the post office with stamps, he built the rotary perforators." (It wasn't until 1894 that the BEP printed postage stamps. Thus, it may refer to some U.S. revenue stamps in 1866.)

Everyone interested in this topic will find the presentation, "THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERFORATIONS ON U.S. POSTAGE STAMPS DURING THE TOPPAN, CARPENTER ERA, 1855 - 1857" by Dr. Charles DiComo, interesting and informative.

The presentation is on The Philatelic Society of Lancaster County website and is the fourth link down on the "Presentation" page at https://lcps-stamps.org/presentations/

The Philatelic Society of Lancaster County is Chapter #173 of the APS & Chapter 118 of the ATA.

George C. Howard printing press patents:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US28864A
https://patents.google.com/patent/US446635A