Show Your US 1851-57 Imperforate Stamps

Hi classic coins --

Nice straight line paid on an OB stamp!

Here is a pair with neat strikes of a black New York Christmas Day cds.

Color is a very pale late 1852 claret -- so probable X-Mas Day 1852 usage -- but impossible to know the year of usage for sure.

Stamps are Scott #11A -- positions 67-68R2L.

Note -- the usual disclaimer regarding identification of colors vis-à-vis online scanned images applies. More specifically -- because of variations in scanner settings, and because different display screens render colors differently, this image is not be suitable for confirming colors of stamps in hand or in other images.

Regards // ioagoa

Thanks, ioagoa. Nice Christmas day cancel! Those are scarce.

Here is a WAY cancel and a blue fancy 3 cancel:

#10 and #10A cancels, the first two were posted earlier in this thread, but they are shown again here in a group for color contrast.

The first is 24R5e with what looks like an yellow-orange grid cancel.
The second is 7R1e with a basic red CDS
The third is unplated, and has an unusual brownish-magenta-looking cancel.



Disclaimer: This image is provided to display variations in cancel colors between different stamps, all of which were scanned together. Because of variations in scanner settings, and because different display screens render colors differently, this image may not be suitable for confirming colors of stamps or cancels in hand or in other images.

Hi classic coins --

Those are some really striking and nice cancellation varieties you showed this morning -- I especially like the "blue fancy 3" -- and the 24R5E with the "yellow-orange" grid cancel. I have a 3 cent stamp with what I think is a true "orange" cancel -- but I need to dig it out and scan it -- so will post later today or tomorrow.

In the meantime -- here are a couple of other cancellation varieties:

The first one is a Scott #11 -- position 96R7 -- with a New Mexico territorial cds cancel.

The second one is also a Scott #11 -- position 50R4 -- with an "olive brown" JAN 27, 1857 year dated town cds (town name is indistinct ?). The "olive brown" cancellation color on this stamp was identified for me by Bill Amonette over 20 years ago now. Not sure it it would get a clean certificate as such -- but it is definitely an unusual color and I have never seen another one like it.

Note -- the usual disclaimer regarding identification of cancellation and stamp colors vis-à-vis online scanned images applies. More specifically -- because of variations in scanner settings, and because different display screens render colors differently, this image is not be suitable for confirming colors of cancellations on stamps in hand or in other images.

Regards // ioagoa

Thanks, ioagoa.

Nice cancels! Those territorials are tough to find.

I tried to figure out the town of your olive brown cancel, but so far I'm stumped.

The postal clerk apparently felt he needed four hard strikes of the grid to cancel the #11A (22R3) on this Groton Massachusetts cover when using orange ink. Maybe that's why the cancel color wasn't used for long.

Olive brown cancel is .... NORWICH?

It looks like the second half could say Norwich. But what would the first half say?

Hi sinclair2010 and classic coins —

Appreciate the efforts on the "olive brown" cds.

I could never figure it out — although I do think "Norwich" is part of the name.

According to Jim Forte's post office search utility on his website — the possibilities for the year 1857 would be either "East Norwich" — or — "North Norwich" — but even if we knew which one — the county and/or state would still be uncertain.

Curious if anybody out there knows of a confirmed "olive brown" cds used in any town with the word "Norwich" in its name?

I also tried Siegel's power search — and the PF cert search using a variety of key words — and no luck there either.

Again — appreciate all the efforts on this one — but unless somebody out there has another clear strike where the measurements, letter font style, etc. etc. could be matched — I doubt we will ever know for sure.

Regards // ioagoa

ioagoa, the Olive Brown CDS looks more like WARWICK in RetroReveal. Though the 200KB limit doesn't allow for much detail.

And it looks like a year stamp of "57".

Classic Coins- it looks like the Postmaster in Groton, Mass, had a bit of an anger issue 160-something years ago! He sure took it out on that stamp. Poor stamp.

The olive brown CDS could say North Berwick or South Berwick, Maine. I found a couple of later usages of North Berwick on ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SALE-3-US-...047675.l2557

classic coins -- North Berwick or South Berwick, Maine are definitely possibilities -- but in the string of letters ( _RWIC_ ) hard to tell if that is an O versus an E -- and likewise if that is an H versus a K ??

Moyock13 -- I have never used "retro-reveal" -- but that is an interesting scan you posted. Do you know if there are settings in "retro-reveal" where the background color of the stamp can be filtered out even more to see if any of the indistinct letters in the cds cancellation can be better highlighted?

Again -- I appreciate all of the efforts by everybody on working to ID the town name.

Regards // ioagoa

Hi ioagoa,

Not sure about "settings" in RetroReveal. But when a subject is introduced RetroRevel says,
"retroReveal.org image processing allows you to view a source image in a variety of color spaces, thus allowing hidden features of your source image to be revealed. Here we will provide an overview of what color spaces are, along with the ones specifically used in retroReveal.org image processing software.

Color models provide a way to describe colors in terms of a series of values, such as RGB (Red Green Blue) or CMYK (Cyan Magenta Yellow Black). Color models are mapped with absolute color spaces to produce a mathematically sound way of referencing color."

I've used it successfully quite a few times to see hidden detail.

All --

Here is a Scott #11A -- position 55L2L -- with a blue Chicopee, MS cds cancel that I have always wondered about -- and I am hoping that one of the "postal historians" out there can help me better understand.

I know that from July 1, 1851 to March 31, 1855 domestic postal rates for letters were based on a combination of weight and distance travelled -- and also depended on whether the postage was prepaid or sent collect -- with single letter rates generally as follows:

-- For letters weighing 1/2 ounce or less and travelling under 3,000 miles -- prepaid was 3 cents and collect was 5 cents.

-- For letters weighing 1/2 ounce or less and travelling over 3,000 miles -- prepaid was 6 cents and collect was 10 cents.

My guess is that this particular cds is either one of the following two possibilities:

-- It is dated SEP 6 -- and the numeral 5 (i.e., above the MS.) is an integral marking for the 5 cents that would have been due had the letter been sent collect?

-- It is dated SEP 5 -- and the numeral 6 (i.e., above the SEP) is an integral marking for the 6 cents that would have been due had the letter been been rated as such either by distance (i.e., over 3,000 miles) or by weight (i.e., over 1/2 ounce, but less than or equal to 1 ounce)?

FYI -- as an aside, this stamp was on piece when I acquired it -- so unfortunately I cannot show the cover from which it was cut.

When it comes to postal history, I am at the "Sesame Street" level -- so any comments or clarification on this cds are appreciated.

Regards // ioagoa