Need Help Identifying And Valuing This Beer Stamp

Hi all,

This beer stamp has me a little stumped -- particularly the roller precancel (?) and the manuscript cancel. From the overprint alone, I identified as REA53, but not sure if that's right. Would also appreciate a valuation on this, I have never seen a plate margin strip of beer stamps (granted taxpaid revenues are definitely outside of my comfort zone, so it could be due to my inexperience), would that add a premium?

I have also used Retroreveal to select the image that best exposes the manuscript cancel, which I am having a hard time reading and hoping someone can help me out there as well.

Thanks!

can you take a shot at transcribing the hand cancel? I'll go get the Brewery book out of office. Also www.TavernTrove.com has all American breweries searchable online. Andy

My read of the manuscript is:

April 5, 99

Cancelled

Solomon (unsure of last letters) Purry

US Pour

Value: No idea, but I would enjoy having it. Nice margin item.

Here is my go at a transcription:

Manuscript reads:

April 5/99
Cancelled
Solomon Perryey (?)
US Pour

Overprint reads:
Tax $2 Per BBL.
Series of 1898
Roller precancel, 3 groups of 2 lines red colored running horizontally

Yikes nothing close to a Solomon Purry Brewery at all. 4 Solomon Breweries but 3 too old and 1 a modern micro. Could it possibly say Solon Brewery? If so you hit the cancellation lottery- unknown dates of operation in Solon? Iowa. No good idea why there would just be a persons name and not a proper brewery name used..


Nada on Purry. There were- Purity, purkiss, There are 2 Perry's... but 1 was Pabst in GA 1983-84, other in Erie but not til 1914.

will read through all the P's.....

Solouth?

Too many humps for Pour?

I went through all the S and P breweries and there is nothing close. Even long shots (Pufey in PA but only c1785) are well off time wise. An employees name???

Two things:

1. Try posting retroreveal images of some of the other three positions, even though they may not be as clear. I can see the Purry as a messy "Brewery" if you had to quickly write out a cancel dozens of times.

2. Tavern Trove's brewery list is NOT complete.

I have been using American Breweries II to look things up. There are many additional references after Prohibition that don't help on this one.

John- curious what is missing on TT? I thought Erik built it up from AmBII... I have breweriana or documentation on maybe a dozen that are MIA but I'm one of few looking pre 1860s very much in the beer world.. Andy

This should be listed in Durland in the revenue section.

Clearly these were pre-canceled. There was no reason not to, since technically the tax was paid when the stamps were purchased. Applying them was really just in the nature of proof of payment.

Here are the full RetroReveal scans:

http://retroreveal.org/images/ss/64660

Unfortunately I lack Durland --- I will readily admit my philatelic library is quite sparse, though that is an issue I am tackling!

Between the 2008 and 2020 Durland, much Beer Stamp work was done. REA53 was not listed in 2008. Today, in the 2020 Durland, REA53 is listed but with only three plate numbers at the bottom, 3813, 5583 and 6456.

Plate number 6631 which the OP has is listed as being used for the basic REA39, pre-overprint.

You should contact the United States Stamp Society which edits and publishes Durland to get your plate number added.

As to value, Durland lists all three plate numbers at $50 for a single stamp.

EDIT: It will take me some time to go through the new images. That said, I no longer like "solomon" but have yet to have a replacement.

Thanks, I reached out to the USSS webmaster in the hopes they can put me in touch with the Durland committee. I measured it again, and the letters were a little more than 5.5 mm tall, which confirms REA53 so it isn't just my eyes!

Here is my take on the last line:
U.S. Co_______

Can you run the other 3 stamps through RetroReveal please?