U311 1890 cut square UPSS Die 88 fancy cancel bottle stopper, notch below shield

Item Specifics

Country

United States

Catalog Number

U311

Stamp Type

Postal Stationery

Condition

Used

Stamp Format

Single

Topic

People - Politicians

Year of Issue

1890

Item Description

31x37mm. This cut square is Scott U311 with green indicium on white paper. The United Postal Stationery Society (UPSS) identifies this as Die 88. This copy does not include any part of a watermark. There is a light yellow stain near the upper right-hand corner. I applied droplets of household ammonia with a syringe to neutralize the stain in case it was foxing. However, the ammonia had little effect on the stain.

The obliteration was created with a rubber bottle stopper. Several copies of this same obliteration in at least two sized have been found in the Union City cut squares hoard (see below). The copies with readable circular date stamps are from nearby Winchester, Indiana, and this copy may be from Winchester as well. The use of a bottle stopper at Winchester may have been related to the fact that glass factories were operating in Winchester and in several nearby cities. By 1899, Indiana had 110 operating glass factories and was the second largest producer of glass in the country.

This cut square was among thousands of stamps and cut squares collected from businesses at Union City, Indiana, in the early 1890s. Most of the readable postmarks in the hoard are from the period 1891 to 1893. The stamps had been soaked from the envelopes around the time of their collection. The stamps and cut squares were then sorted and tied tightly with string and sewing thread into bundles of 100 each. That process protected most of the items from damage and aging for over a century. I inherited and began unpacking the bundles in 2000. None of these sale items from the hoard has ever been in a collection.

Although mail was coming to Union City via three railroads from all over the country, much of it seemed to be coming from small cities and towns in Indiana and Ohio and to a lesser degree from smaller communities in other nearby states. In other words, most of the fancy and geometric cancels probably originated within 150 to 200 miles of Union City. In the case of Winchester, it is just nine miles west of Union City and is the county seat of Randolph County, where Union City is located.

Most types of the Die 88 stamped envelopes and cut squares are common. However, a wide range of inking problems during their production resulted in a long list of inking varieties. In addition, several die varieties have been identified. This copy has a notch in the outer edge of the design below the right side of the shield. Typically, this sort of change is due to damage during handling of the working die. There are a few known notches in the outer frame line of the design, but this one is particularly scarce in the Union City hoard. I have found only eight examples with this notch.

You may combine this item with other stamp sale items to save on shipping. Thank you for looking.

All stamps are carefully packaged for safe delivery.

APS Member

Seller Information

Seller

keesindy (4626)

Registered Since

04/11/2016

Feedback

100%

Store

Stamps from Keesindy

• Sales

Item Location

Indiana, United States

Ships To

United States

Shipping Instructions

About 3½ years ago, I stopped selling and shipping outside the US due to new postal rules and rapidly rising costs. The USPS is raising postal rates again in January 2019. Today, December 25, 2018, due to the continuing rise in the cost of postage and associated fees, I am reluctantly raising my general shipping fee for the first time in many years. My sales here at HipStamp involve no additional charge for the purchase of multiple stamps. Shipping is via USPS unless otherwise specified. Be sure to contact me before making your purchases if you have questions.

Returns Accepted

Yes

Returns Policy

All items may be returned unless otherwise stated in the listing. Of course, I cannot be responsible if uninsured items are damaged during shipping. If you are dissatisfied with a purchase, contact me within 7 days of your receipt of the item to make arrangements for returning it. If I have made an error in my listing or the item is not as described, you will receive a full reimbursement plus the pre-agreed-upon cost to return the item.