Rare As Rocking Horse Manure: A Legit East Coast Late-Date Part Perf Usage!

Normally, part perf and imperf usages later than early-to-mid-1864 set off alarm bells for possible shenanigans as they were virtually all used up by that point. The major exception are the Late Date West Coast imperfs and part perfs. I've written about those before. Genuine imperfs and part perfs can be found with California, Oregon, and Washington cancels as late as 1870.

The East Coast is a different matter entirely. By the mid-1860s, virtually all imperfs and part perfs were used up, so other than an errant stamp or two presumably lost in someone's drawer, there would have no reason for late-date usages to exist... and you just don't find them.

You're snakebitten on 3 fronts:

1. Even if a stamp looks genuine, if the cancel doesn't name the location, you cannot attribute its usage to a particular geographic area; many revenue stamps are simply manuscript canceled with initials and a date... no business or city.

2. If you find an example with a discernable location that is purported to be an imperf or part perf, and it has a late date, 999 times out of a 1000 it won't be a real imperf or part perf. The impression/color will be wrong or the margins will be insufficient.

3. Even if the color and impression are correct for an imperf or part perf and the margins are large enough, unless the stamp is still on document or is part of a correct-orientation multiple, the late date will be a disqualifier to most collectors.

So when I saw the item below on ebay, I had to buy it. Not that it is necessarily worth any more than a normal usage to the vast majority of collectors, but it is something that is truly scarce.

It is a vertical pair (!) of Scott #R1b, the 1-cent Express part perf, with a perfectly positioned November 3, 1868 cancel from the Cochituate Water Board Office in Boston, Mass.

It shouldn't exist... but it does, and I'm thankful it survived.

P.S. The bottom stamp appears to have something going on in the word "CENT" at right, possibly one of the foreign entries known on R1?

Great find, thanks for sharing.

I have either seen this pair or another with the same cancel in a large lot a few years ago. I have seen a few genuine part perfs used outside the west coast as late as 1870 (even one used in NYC), but I agree that 99.9% are fakes.

Just wondering why late date usage disqualifies these stamps as I can think of many reasons for this to occur?
Just curious

Because under normal circumstances, a late date usage of a part perf or imperf would call into question whether the stamp was genuine as opposed to trimmed.

So, this April 3rd 1864 date fits the mould a little better for a common stamp?

The stamps were printed and shipped from Philadelphia, so east coast cities usually had no trouble getting stamps as they were needed. They also had large populations using them, so they had to be replenished fairly regularly. Imperf and part perf stamps were only shipped for a relatively short period of time in 1863, and possibly in early 1864. Once they were used up, all new shipments would be of perforated stamps. The west coast had a much smaller population to use revenues at the time, so the supplies lasted far longer. Normally companies only bought revenues as they were needed to pay the taxes, and they usually kept a close eye on them so I am not really sure why these would be around in Boston by 1868. But as I said earlier, a few do exist with late usages on the east coast.

Wonderful stamps.
Terrible title for it ever being findable in the future.

This pic is a little off topic but tries to support Mr.Ed in some way. These are stock transfer stamps, and the overprinted ones on the left were already 11 years old when used. I guess if they are still in the drawer they will get used one day. Three cent stamps weren't issued after 1926 because 1+2=3.These were also privately used.