U311 1890 cut square, UPSS Die 88 multiple inking/die varieties, EFO

Item Specifics

Country

United States

Catalog Number

U311

Stamp Type

Postal Stationery

Condition

Used

Stamp Format

Error

Topic

People - Politicians

Year of Issue

1890

Item Description

38x46mm. This cut square is Scott U312 with green indicium on laid amber paper. The United Postal Stationery Society (UPSS) identifies this as Die 88. This copy does not include any watermark. The obliteration is an indistinct elliptical target design.

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 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.

Some of the cut squares and very few of the stamps in the Union City hoard have partial circular date stamps (CDSs) that identify the post offices associated with the accompanying obliterator designs. This ellipse target design was used by many post offices around the country and too little of the CDS is present in this example to identify the post office of origin.

Huge quantities of the Scott U311-317/UPSS Die 88 stamped envelopes were printed. The indicia display a wide variety of inking problems (including setoffs) and die varieties that fall under the EFO (errors, freaks and oddities) umbrella. Except for a few newly identified items that are not yet confirmed, these characteristics are repeating and documented. Some display progressive characteristics and display multiple issues. This example includes the common ink spot at the eye and the ink on teeth behind the bust. A less common characteristic is the ink obliterating portions of the teeth in front of Washington’s forehead. A pair of notable and less common characteristics are the missing center of the left ornament and the nub, or spur, on the bottom of the letter “O” in the word POSTAGE. Among the 11-12,000 cut squares in the Union City hoard, I have found 17 examples of the missing ornament center and 35 examples of the nub on the letter “O.”

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Seller Information

Seller

keesindy (4630)

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.