Early US Question
So I’ve been plodding along though my early US collection. Using my 40 year old Minuteman stamp album and 10 year old Mystic catalog as a guide. This leaves a lot of gaps.
One newly discovered area are the Nagis. #3, #4, #40 though #47. And what are the #55 through #62 series? Obviously more rare.
Then we have #123 through #133.
Just when you feel like you are getting close to the end. There are always more.
Any comments on any of these. I’m getting out of my depth here.
One newly discovered area are the Nagis. #3, #4, #40 though #47. And what are the #55 through #62 series? Obviously more rare.
Then we have #123 through #133.
Just when you feel like you are getting close to the end. There are always more.
Any comments on any of these. I’m getting out of my depth here.
Comments
I would describe these instead of "the NGAIs" rather as "Re-Issues" and "Special Printings" which is what they are, and not all of these are specifically NGAI.
"Reproductions" 1875 (Not valid for Postal Use, and though they are low Scott Number, they were printed in 1875)
3, 4 - NGAI, Imperf
"Reprint" 1875
40 - 47 - NGAI Perforated 12 (Also part of the 1875 print run. The 12 Perf makes them easy to distinguish from the original which were all perf 15 1/2)
"Re-Issue" 1875
102 - 111 - Perforated 12, Gummed "White crackly Gum"
These are a bit tricky. There are some subtle changes in the plates for 1c, 2c, 5c, 10c and 12c. All have slight color variation, most are very scarce as less than 500 stamps were sold (the 1c had just over 3,000 with the highest quantity). Also the centering on these was pretty terrible overall, and CVs usually reflect a centering at F/VF as opposed to VF as other stamps are.
"Re-Issue" 1875
123-132 - Without grills, Gummed (some plate changes especially 129 to differentiate it from 118 and 119)
"Special Printing" 1875
167 - 177 and 180 - 181 - NGAI (Printings of the 1873 issues, without grills, but with secret marks, except for values 24c to 90c)
You'll note that while their Scott #'s are from 3 to 181, they were all printed in 1875 as part of an effort as "Timbromania" (what Philately was called before Philately, and translates from French "Stamp Mania", which had the stigma of mental illness attached to it, so a new term was agreed), those early issues were "past" and since stamp collecting started to gain interest, in order to allow for these earlier issues to be collected, they were reprinted. You'll note that the original 5c and 10c stamps were "Reproductions" and not "Re-issues or special printings". This is because the 5 and 10c stamps were devalued in ~1860 due to the civil war, but all other issues were of postal use. However, with the low sales numbers, most were bought by collectors, and didn't get used. A few are recorded for some issues (none for the 167 - 181), these used issues command much higher values.
Also, BEWARE the Pictorial reissues... as anything "without gum" and "without grill" will be suspicious. This is because grills can be pressed out and then VERY hard to see, and non-experts often misidentify them as such. The 129 is the exception because it has a clear variant (removal of diagonal lines in the vignette) so it is easily distinguishable. But most other no gum issues of these cannot be certified.
NGAI does NOT mean that it is not postally useable. 167 - 177 Special Printings are without gum, but were postally valid. Only a few are known used with contemporaneous cancels, and I think only one on cover if I remember correctly.
Also, later issues of US stamps without gum, are also postally valid (and still are) -- see Farley's Follies, 1934.