U311 1890 cut square UPSS Die 88, Winchester Indiana, fancy cancel geometric

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

53x57mm. 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 is a Die 88 example on laid white paper and the Scott catalog number is U311. There is a small section of UPSS watermark 8.

The partial circular date stamp (CDS) has an October 8, 1892 date. Based on other cut squares with partial CDSs and a couple of entires, the Winchester Post Office appears to be the source of this and many other cut squares in the Union City hoard. Winchester is the county seat of Randolph County and Union City was the primary commercial hub of the county.

Only a few dozen of the cut squares collected at Union City are large enough to include the addressee’s business name. Several of these were addressed to a supply company and the handwritten “…ply Co” on this cut square identifies it as one of that group. The Knapp Supply Company was the only supply company identified in the 1890 Sanborn™ fire insurance map set for Union City. The company had been dealers in plumbing, steam and gas fitting supplies since 1874, shortly before the large Trenton natural gas field was discovered and developed. The subsequent industrialization of the region probably kept the Knapp company very busy for many years and would have generated a lot of mail. The company was relocated to Muncie, Indiana, in the 1920s and is still in business.

The hoard contains scores of examples of this basic obliteration design, several of which probably originated in Winchester. Some copies even display the same obliteration damage/inking problems that appear on this copy. This copy also shows a break above the “T” in the CDS ring. That break appears on at least 21 other copies of this cancel, including an 1897 entire cover.

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.

Mail was arriving at Union City from all over the country via three railroads. Much of that mail was 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. One of the railroads serving Union City was the C. C. C. & St. L. (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis) Railroad. Winchester was located just nine miles west of Union City on that line.

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. There appear to be no obvious varieties on this copy.

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APS Member

Seller Information

Seller

keesindy (4648)

Registered Since

04/11/2016

Feedback

100%

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.