U311 cut square UPSS Die 88, die variety shield right side full line to "C", EFO

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

42x46mm. 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 along the right edge.

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.

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. This copy has a Columbus RPO circular date stamp (CDS). This may be associated with nearby Columbus, Ohio, only 98 miles east-southeast of Union City. An 1892 railway guide listed the Cleveland, Akron & Columbus Railway along with a new Sandusky & Columbus Short Line Railway that was under construction and would begin operation in 1892. There are several cut squares with similar partial CDSs in the hoard, but I have too little information to associate them with a specific railroad.

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.

The EFO characteristic on this copy represents the final stage of a progressive variety. There is an obvious white line between the right side of the shield and the letter “C” in CENTS. This die variety appears on other Die 88 copies as a small nub, or spur, on the side of the shield; on other copies, it is a curved line extending part way toward the letter “C.” In 1955, researcher H. S. Dickinson produced a list of 29 Die 88 varieties. His list included the partial line extending from the shield toward the letter “C” as type B-28.

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APS Member

Seller Information

Seller

keesindy (4693)

Registered Since

04/11/2016

Feedback

100%

Store

Stamps from Keesindy

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.