Phony stamps?
I purchased stamps on both Hip Stamp and Ebay of the single sheet. They were listed as Perf stamps and the listing is still active on both sites. I don't believe them to be real because if you look at the pic with 3 in the set you can see they are perforated stamps. Both listings contend they are actual stamps. Is there something I'm not seeing? I've emailed the seller through Ebay but have yet to hear back as I'm trying to decide whether to claim them as fraudulent or not. Comments welcomed.
Comments
This is the back of the first sheet. No gum.
The history of local posts (private mail-carrying entities) in the United States goes back to colonial times. Their popularity peaked in the first half of the 19th century. By the early 1860's, the expanding Post Office Department had made them largely obsolete. Arguably, the most famous of them all was the Pony Express, which existed from April, 1861, to October, 1862, replaced by the telegraph. The story of modern local posts began with the success of Herman "Pat" Hearst's Shrub Oak Local Post, Shrub Oak, New York, in 1953. Since then, there have been at least 127 others documented, including Rattlesnake Island Local Post.
In the early days, mail was delivered to the island by boat in the summer, and horse-drawn sleigh in the winter. Many a harrowing story was associated with these methods. By 1959, Ralph Dietrick, a veteran World War II pilot, and owner of Island Airways, was providing mail service to North, Middle, and South Bass Islands utilizing the famous Ford Trimotor, or "Tin Goose," as it was affectionately known. This service was enlisted by Rattlesnake Island Local Post upon it's inception, adding not a little bit of philatelic and aeronautical romance to the story. So much so, in fact, that the 1966, 1967, and later the 20th Anniversary stamps all pictured the Ford Trimotor on them, as well as one of the rubber handstamps applied to most mail.
Approval from the Post Office Department was finally obtained in 1966, and the first stamps, rectangular in shape, were issued on August 27th in three denominations: .05¢ for postcards, .10¢ for letters, and .25¢ for bulk postage - all three in perforate and imperforate form, a practice which was to continue with each years' issue (fig.1). The .05¢ stamp (black and light gray with red text) depicted a map of the island; the .10¢ stamp (pale green with black text) depicted the Ford Trimotor approaching the island; and the .25¢ stamp (pale blue with black text) depicted a boat at the island's dock. Dr. Frackelton, the designer of the stamps, thought the colors, particularly on the .10¢ and .25¢ stamps, were too light. A second printing was ordered with darker colors, and these appeared in September, 1966. Of course, additional U. S. postage had to be applied to each item in order to effect entrance into the U. S. postal system at Port Clinton, Ohio (the 1st class letter rate was then .05¢).
However, on December 9th, 1966, Dr. Frackelton received a telephone call from the Post Office Department, followed by a letter on December 12th, indicating that Rattlesnake Island Local Post was in violation of Section 475 of Title 18 of the U. S. Postal Code, and was ordered to cease operations. Subsequent investigation revealed that the rectangular stamps were too similar to then current U. S. postage. This was remedied by the resourceful Dr. Frackelton by using the same designs in a triangular form, which won approval. On January 23rd, 1967, the first Rattlesnake Island triangular stamps were issued (fig. 2).
In 2003, Rattlesnake Island philately was "put on the map," so to speak, with the publication of The History and Local Post of Rattlesnake Island Lake Erie, a book by John Wells, who not only gave a detailed history of the subject, but also provided the first full-colored catalog of the stamps. Prior to that, the only cataloging of the stamps was a 7-8 page loose-leaf, unpublished, handout, "The Schultz Catalog," which was generously provided by William R. Schultz of West Chester, Pennsylvania, to other interested collectors.
http://www.wichitastampclub.org/RattlesnakeIsle.html
I don't believe them to be real because if you look at the pic with 3 in the set you can see they are perforated stamps.
(It sounded like your claim is that they are not genuine because they are perforated)
But as the article said
Approval from the Post Office Department was finally obtained in 1966, and the first stamps, rectangular in shape, were issued on August 27th in three denominations: .05¢ for postcards, .10¢ for letters, and .25¢ for bulk postage - all three in perforate and imperforate form, a practice which was to continue with each years' issue (fig.1).
They were issued BOTH ways.
So not quit sure what you are now asking about them.
Are you sure that the picture of the back actually shows that the sheet has no gum as the reflection from the light would most likely indicate that the sheet does have gum and a possible hinge mark at the top middle left.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/RATTLESNAKE-ISLAND-1967-3-IMPERF-SHEETS/300306598735?ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
Here is a copy of it both perfed and imperf
The sheet is actually a sheet of 20 stamps.
As you can see from the cover they were used as actual stamps as a local post.
https://www.hipstamp.com/listing/rattlesnake-island-1967-3-imperf-sheets/9681375
I used to go there with my dad when I was a kid. Interestingly, the little shop was built next to the convergence of two roads that crossed at an angle . . . and the shop itself was triangular-shaped, just like the triangular stamps of Rattlesnake Island!
Is there any family relationship with Hubert Bennett?
We used to joke about that, but no - no family connection. Even funnier, my dad's name was HERBERT Bennett!!
The 1st year of issue, the stamps were in rectangular format. However, evidently, postal workers of the time were no brighter than their counterparts of today, as the local post stamps affixed to the covers were a source of confusion to them. The PO Dept ordered them to desist with the confounding issues. As there were no triangular US postage stamps issued up to that time, it was decided to issue subsequent stamps in that format, to which the USPOD agreed.
They are local posts. They are NOT valid for US postage. They are ONLY VALID for use to send mail to and from Rattlesnake Island. It's for local use ONLY. That's why it's called a LOCAL POST. It's to pay the person to pick up the mail at the Ohio PO and take it to Rattlesnake Island or vice versa.
To give you an idea of what a local post is
There are many types of local posts and cinderella stamps. Here is an attempt to clarify them.
1. LOCAL POSTS - five types.
a) PUBLIC, local delivery - Local stamps are used to prepay the delivery of mail within a city, island or region. Sometimes they prepay express mail (same day or overnight service). Only the local stamps are used and the mail is delivered by the Local Post's employees and does not go through the national Post Office system. Examples - Many 19th Century Local Posts, Hawai'i Post, Lord Howe Island Courier Post .These are genuine local posts as they provide a real service and the stamps and covers are very collectable.
b) PUBLIC, national or international delivery - Local stamps are used to pay for the transport of mail from an island or place (that has no branch of the national Post Office) to the nearest branch of the national Post Office or to the nearest Post Office in another country. National stamps are also attached so that the mail can be delivered by the national Post Office system or internationally. Local stamps in the past were often attached to the back of an envelope, nowadays they are usually attached to the left front (the law having been changed in the U.K. for example) - the top right front is usually reserved for national stamps. This kind of local post is available to the general public on the island or place. Examples - Christmas Island (Pacific Ocean), Herm, Hustadvika, Kaulbach Island, Rattlesnake Island etc. These are genuine local posts as they provide a real need for a small population and the stamps and covers are very collectable
http://www.stampshows.com/local-post.html
They have more general info about the local posts.
Thanks for your in depth explanation.