U317 1890 cut square UPSS Die 88, amber-manila paper, EFOs

Item Specifics

Country

United States

Catalog Number

U317

Stamp Type

Postal Stationery

Condition

Used

Stamp Format

Single

Topic

People - Politicians

Year of Issue

1890

Item Description

35x40mm. 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 this hoard are from 1891 to 1893. Most of the 11-12,000 cut squares have the two-cent green Washington indicium that the United Postal Stationery Society (UPSS) identifies as Die 88. This copy has no watermark. The Scott catalog number for this example, green indicium on amber manila paper, is U317. This copy is one of a small group of Die 88 cut squares from the hoard on this paper. The side-by-side comparison of this group with the larger group on manila paper is clear. The amber manila group is more yellowish than the manila group.

The UPSS catalog indicates that most U317 examples are on laid paper, with only a remote possibility that the paper may be wove. Most of the U317 examples from the Union City hoard are clearly on laid paper, but I cannot discern the laid line pattern in the paper of this and a couple of other amber manila copies. I am not an expert on these paper types and am reluctant to give an opinion on which paper type this is. I have uploaded a separate close-up image that shows the paper texture.

The stamps in the hoard 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.

The Die 88 stamped envelopes were printed in huge quantities. They display a wide variety of inking problems and die varieties, many of which fall under the EFO (errors, freaks and oddities) umbrella. Except for a few newly identified and unconfirmed variants, these varieties are found on multiple copies and have been documented; some display progressive characteristics. This copy has three of these characteristics. One is the spacing between the inner teeth above the word CENTS. This is one of the more common characteristics. The second issue is the small spur on the line above the “N” in CENTS. It is pointing inward. I have found only five Die 88 cut squares in the hoard with this spur. All five also had the widely-spaced teeth above CENTS. The third characteristic is the unusually thin numeral “2.” In 1955, H. S. Dickinson identified 29 varieties in his study of this indicium. A thin top on the “2” was his B-6 variety. These are easier to see in the close-up image I have posted.

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Seller Information

Seller

keesindy (4625)

Registered Since

04/11/2016

Feedback

100%

Store

Stamps from Keesindy

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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.