ID: 34052740
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U312 cut square, UPSS Die 88 variety, Prairie City, Iowa CDS December 1891 EFO
$2.50
Seller:
keesindy (4561)
31x32mm (top and left edges). This cut square is Scott U312 green indicium on amber paper. The United Postal Stationery Society (UPSS) identifies these 2c Washington envelopes with this indicium as Die 88. This copy has no watermark. The obliteration is a ... Read More
Item Specifics
- Country
- United States
- Catalog Number
- U312
- Stamp Type
- Postal Stationery
- Condition
- Used
- Stamp Format
- Single
- Topic
- People - Politicians
- Year of Issue
- 1887
Item Description
31x32mm (top and left edges). This cut square is Scott U312 green indicium on amber paper. The United Postal Stationery Society (UPSS) identifies these 2c Washington envelopes with this indicium as Die 88. This copy has no watermark. The obliteration is an indistinct hand carved 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 the period 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 three railroads were serving Union City and delivering mail from all over the country, much of that mail 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. However, this partial CDS is one of three in the Union City hoard from Prairie City, Iowa. Prairie City is in an agricultural area east of Des Moines and about 450 miles from Union City. The 1890 Prairie City population was 684. Multiple railroad routes from Prairie City were available for mail service. However, the cut square copy on white paper has a Winchester postmark. Winchester, Indiana, is located nine miles west of Union City on the C. C. C. & St. L. (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis), or Big Four, railroad that also served Union City. This copy has a December 1891 date while the other copy on amber paper has a partial November 1891 CDS.
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. There is one notable characteristic on this and the other Prairie City amber paper cut square. The crowns (tops) of the shields at the bottom of the indicia are unusually tall. This variety is a relatively recent addition to the list of varieties and is rare in the Union City hoard.
An ongoing study of the Die 88 type indicium is presented online. Contact me if you are interested in finding that website.
You may combine this item with other stamp sale lots to save on shipping. Thank you for looking.
All stamps are carefully packaged for safe delivery.
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Seller Information
- Seller
- keesindy (4561)
- Registered Since
- 04/11/2016
- Feedback
- 100%
- Store
- Stamps from Keesindy
Sales History
The listing has not been sold.
- Item Location
- Indiana, United States
- Ships To
- United States
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- 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.
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