U311 1890 cut square UPSS Die 88, fancy cancel hand carved rounded 5-bar, EFOs

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

40x43mm. 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. The Scott catalog number for this example on laid white paper is U311. There is no watermark. There is some light soiling between the indicium and the right edge and a faint yellow spot near the right edge, about 10mm above the bottom. I used household ammonia in a syringe to neutralize that spot in case it was a foxing stain.

The stamps in the Union City 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 items that are not yet confirmed, these variations are found on multiple copies and have been documented by others. Some of these variations display progressive characteristics.

This copy has multiple EFO characteristics. The most prominent is a large spur on the white line just above the “ST” of POSTAGE. This was identified and included in a list of 29 Die 88 varieties that H. S. Dickinson produced in 1955. It is B-10 in his list. I have found 32 Die 88 cut squares with this variety in the hoard.

Another characteristic of this cut square is the small white dot above the “N” of CENTS. I have found 15 Die 88 cut squares with this characteristic in the hoard. Oddly enough, all 15 of these also have the previously mentioned spur above the “ST” of POSTAGE.

The third characteristic of this cut square is the bottom ray of the ornament on the right side; it is extended somewhat. This is not uncommon. There are at least 15 cut squares with this characteristic in the hoard.

This cut square also has the serif on the lower bar of each letter “E” in the UNITED STATES POSTAGE text. Serifs are usually absent, but I have identified over 150 Die 88 cut squares in the hoard with the serifs. When they do exist, the serifs vary in size from one cut square to the next. The relatively small serifs in this cut square are more common than the larger serifs.

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Seller Information

Seller

keesindy (4648)

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.