U311 cut square UPSS Die 88 Uhrichsville, OH CDS, die var. rt side of shield 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

49x49mm. This cut square is Scott U311 with green indicium on white paper. The United Postal Stationery Society (UPSS) identifies this indicium as Die 88. This copy includes part of a UPSS watermark 8. This copy had a small stain near the right edge that may have been foxing. To be safe, I treated that spot with household ammonia to neutralize any foxing. A light yellow paper stain remains visible at that spot.

This cut square was among thousands of stamps and cut squares collected in the early 1890s from businesses at Union City, Indiana. This copy is one of over 130 U311 cut squares from that hoard with at least a partial readable Uhrichsville circular date stamp (CDS). No other small city in the country came close to that volume of identifiable canceled mail in the hoard. One reason for this situation was the city’s use of the CDS as the obliterator for much of the mail leaving Uhrichsville. Very few of the cancels were clean strikes and the cancellation year is rarely visible. Since most of the readable postmarks in the hoard are from 1891 to 1893, it would be reasonable to assume most of the Uhrichsville U311 cut squares are from that same period. It was very rare to find an Ulrichsville CDS accompanied by a separate obliteration.

The Union City 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 from all over the country via three railroads, 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. Uhrichsville is in eastern Ohio, about 180 miles east of Union City, but the rail distance, according to a 1908 directory, was 216 miles. That trip would have been via the P. C. C. & St. L. (Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis) Railway via Columbus to Dayton, Ohio, and then via the Dayton & Union Railroad to Union City, Ohio/Indiana.

The Die 88 stamped envelope indicia were printed in huge quantities. They 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 yet to be confirmed, these characteristics are repeating and documented; some display progressive characteristics. This copy displays a progressive line that began life as a nub, or spur, on the right side of the shield at the bottom of the indicium design. Over time, that nub grew into a line that eventually connected the shield with the “C” of CENTS. This is one of 13 examples of the full connecting line that have been found in the hoard.

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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.