Show Your US 1851-57 Imperforate Stamps

Moyock13 -- thanks for the info on Retro-Reveal. It is now on my list to check out and see how it works. Regards // ioagoa

I inverted the colors and adjusted the hue and contrast in an image editor on ioagoa's stamp with the olive brown cancel. I think it makes the letters more distinct, especially the last letter where I think I see the slanted leg of a K.

It does! Way to go Classic Coins!

Thanks, Moyock13. I think NO can be ruled out as the first two letters with this image. I think Berwick is still plausible.

I concur. I can make out the "E" and bottom half of the "B".
Good work. What image editor did you use?

classic coins and Moyock13 --

I agree -- Norwich is definitely out.

I also agree with the slanted leg of the K as noted by classic coins -- and with the B and the E as noted by Moyock13 as well.

Berwick is now the most likely -- but impossible to know if "North" or South".

Back to Siegel power search and PF cert search to see if I can find a "brown" or "olive brown" cds attributable to either.

Thanks again for all the hard work on this -- and retro reveal is definitely on my list of "tools" to check out for future use.

Regards // ioagoa

Thanks. I used paint.net for the adjustments, but hue and contrast can be adjusted in most image editors.

Does anyone know if there is a difference in the layout of the North Berwick and South Berwick cds's?? Obviously, 'North' or 'South' is lost forever from this stamp, but maybe there is a design difference on what we CAN see.

I searched the Siegel power search, ebay sold listing, and Google images, and I couldn't find an example of the North Berwick or South Berwick CDS on an 1851-57 stamp.

Hi classic coins --

I also tried Siegel's "power search" utility this afternoon -- and "no cigar".

Also checked Simpson's U.S. Postal Markings 1851--1861 (by Alexander) for a possible tracing of either a North Berwick or South Berwick cds -- and nothing there either.

The PF cert search seems to be down today as I was unable to gain access? Curious if anybody else has had trouble accessing the "cert search" utility on their website?

Regards // ioagoa

ioagoa:



There is another topic discussing the issues with the PF search utility. That thread is a few weeks old, but maybe the problems remain.


https://goscf.com/t/73221

ioagoa, Regarding your Chicopee, MS mystery cancel, which is gorgeous by the way, my postal history knowledge is very weak.

According to Simpson/Alexander, usage of cancelling devices with the rate numeral continued to be used beyond January 1, 1856, when prepayment with stamps became obligatory.

I wonder if someone inserted the wrong numeral in the Chicopee cancelling device, when a 3 should have been inserted. The fact that the numeral 5 is italicized makes it even more of a curiosity, I think.

On the same note, here is an 1851 Savannah, Georgia commodities price list with a #10A canceled with a CDS with a common 3-cent rate numeral:

Chicopee - Given that the 5 is separated from the Sep 6 by a horizontal bar, the 5 is very likely the rate and 6 is the day.

One cannot be 100% sure without a full cover, but if it was a single letter rate under 1/2oz then this was likely just either mis-struck, or the wrong slug, etc as suggested previously. Such things do happen from time to time.

Chicopee during the 1850s was well known for its 'Chicopee Mass' CDS with a separate 'star' killer, which is widely collected. This isn't that one, and appears earlier than the 'star' version - based upon stamp plate impression.

I don't have one on cover. But here is the Chicopee star cancels. Simpson's Rarity Number - 4.

Those are some nice examples of an interesting cancel, Stephen! Thanks for showing them.