Official Seals.
The Post Office Department of the United States, besides the stamps for the collection of postage, has employed from time to time for special usages certain seals which, as they are adhesive and in the form of postage stamps and officially used, are here described, although they are of no postal value and not properly stamps, but are all employed to indicate that the packages which bear them are properly secured and have not been tampered with in transit.
Registered Package Seal.
This is a large rectangular seal 71½ by 39 mm., in the form of an adhesive stamp duly gummed and perforated. After the letters or parcels of registered letters were duly placed in the large registered package envelopes employed for the purpose, one of these seals was firmly secured over the tongue of the envelope and duly stamped with the date of mailing. It is simply an additional guarantee to the receiving office that the package has not been opened since it was sealed at the sending office. A circular announcing its issue and directing its use was issued from the office of the Third Assistant Postmaster General at Washington, dated February 14, 1872. A second circular from the same office dated 1875, without stating the month or day, announces the adoption of a differently constructed envelope and the abandonment of the use of the registered seal.
Issue of February 14, 1872.
Large, oblong, rectangular seals, having in the middle a circular disk with ground of fine concentric circles, so broken as to present the appearance of white rays, bounded by two heavier, but still fine colored lines, separated by a colorless line, and and a broad colorless band with exterior colored line, inscribed in plain block, colored capitals, above "Stamp Here," below, "Date" and "Place of Mailing" separated by a small maltese cross on each side. On each side of this is a ground of horizontal lines bordered by a heavy colored line with ornamental triangles of solid color, with colorless geometric lines forming the corners. Outside all a single colored line. On the ground in three lines of colored capitals, on each side are the inscriptions: on the left, reading from the bottom to the top, "Post Office," "Department"; on the right, reading from the top to the bottom, "United States," "of America"; in the upper corner triangles "U. S." in monogram; in the lower, "P. O. D." in white capitals. Across the middle of the whole stamp in large block capitals 8½ mm. high and shaded by horizontal lines is the word "Registered."
Plate impression, 71½ by 39 mm., printed in color, on white paper, perforated 12.
No value, green.
A second seal employed for a time by the United States Postage Stamp Agency upon the packages of stamps sent out to postmasters, was equally an additional guarantee against opening or tampering with the package.
Issue of (end) 1875.
A large rectangle bearing in the center the monogram, "U. S." in large colorless capitals in an oval of geometric colored lines, surrounded by a ground of interlaced colorless geometric lines on color. A frame of fifteen colored parallel lines crossing in the angles. A clover leaf of geometric work, also in the corners. On the frame above in large colorless capitals, "U. S. Postage Stamp Agency," all in brown. A black surcharge of eight lines reads: "Postmasters Receiving this Package—Will Please—Note Its Condition—If showing signs of having been tam—pered with, report the same and return—this package to 3d Asst. P. M. General, at—Washington, D. C. This Package—Should be opened at the end. E. W. Barber, 3d Asst. P. M. G." Lithographed in color on white paper, but not perforated, 102 by 52 mm.
No value, brown and black.
This was afterwards changed by merely changing the signature to "A. D. Hazen, 3d Asst. P. M. G." and the surcharge to vermilion.
Lithographed in color on white paper and not perforated.
No value, brown and vermilion.
[The latter are still in use. Dec., '86].
A third seal was employed by the Dead Letter Office at Washington, and afterwards by other offices, to reseal letters opened at that office or broken in the mails. It was placed upon the flap of the envelope of letters opened at the Dead Letter Office, in order to ascertain the name of the sender, or on letters opened by the wrong persons through mistake, or upon the torn places of other packages.
Issue of (beginning of) 1877.
A large rectangle with small head of Liberty, full face in an oval 11 by 8 mm. in the center. Above in curved line of colored block letters, "Post Office Department," below in double curve of Old English colored letters, "United States of America." On each side of the oval a solid label bearing in large colorless letters on left, "Officially," on right "Sealed." In the corners "U. S." in monogram. The frame is a broad band 3 mm. wide, vertically lined forming a rectangle with rounded corners, double lined outside and inside and shaded. The ground is covered with the words "Post Obitum" repeated in whole or part 180 times, in horizontal lines. On the frame below "National Bank Note Company New York" in small colored letters.
Plate impression, in color, on white paper, 43¼ by 27 mm., perforated 12.
No value, brown.
Issue of 1879.
The foregoing stamp was replaced in 1879, by another of the same design, but the words "Post Obitum" in the ground are replaced by a pattern of interlaced circles. The same name on the frame.
Plate impression, in color, on white paper, 43¼ by 27 mm., perforated 12.
No value, brown.