U311 cut square, UPSS Die 88 variety, downstroke of "2," 2-ring target cancel

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

45x48mm. This cut square is Scott U311 green indicium on white paper. The United Postal Stationery Society (UPSS) identifies this as Die 88. This copy has a partial UPSS watermark 8. The geometric cancel is a target with two rings and a large center dot. This target design was used at multiple post offices. Too little of the circular date stamp is included to identify the post office of origin in this case.

This item has never been mounted in a collection. It was among 11-12,000 cut squares collected from Union City, Indiana, businesses. Although a few cut squares may have been collected across the state line in Union City, Ohio, I have found no evidence of that. Most of the readable postmarks are from 1891 to 1893, with the majority from 1892. However, there were also postmarks from the 1880s.

Although mail was coming to Union City 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 200 miles of Union City.

Most types of the Die 88 stamped envelopes and cut squares are common. However, a wide range of inking problems and a long list of die varieties have been identified. The most obvious inking issue with this copy is the missing center of the left ornament, but that can be explained by that general area of the indicium being over-inked. The other interesting characteristic is the squared bottom of the numeral “2” downstroke. I have found only four Die 88 copies with this characteristic in the Union City hoard so far. Two of these are on white paper, one on amber paper and the third on oriental buff paper.

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Seller Information

Seller

keesindy (4603)

Registered Since

04/11/2016

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Store

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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.