The Issue of 1861.

The reason for the introduction of this issue is not to be found in any change in the law. The report of the Postmaster General, dated on December 2d, 1861, states that:

"The contract for the manufacture of postage stamps having expired on the 10th of June, 1861, a new one was entered into with the National Bank Note Company of New York, upon terms very advantageous to the Department, from which there will result an annual saving of more than thirty per cent, in the cost of the stamps. In order to prevent the fraudulent use of the large quantity of stamps remaining unaccounted for, in the hands of postmasters in the disloyal States, it was deemed advisable to change the design and the color of those manufactured under the new contract, and also to modify the design of the stamp upon the stamped envelope, and to substitute as soon as possible the new for the old issues. It was the design of the Department that the distribution of the new stamps and envelopes should commence on the first of August, but, from unavoidable delays, that of the latter did not take place until the 15th of that month. * * * Those of the old issue have been exchanged and superseded. The old stamps on hand, and such as were received by exchange, at the larger offices, have been to a great extent counted and destroyed, and those at the smaller offices returned to the Department."

The Act of the 27th Congress, Statute II, Chapter 37, Section 14, approved March 3d, 1861, had so qualified the Act of 1851:

"As to require the ten cent rate of postage to be prepaid on letters in the mail, from any point in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains to any State or Territory on the Pacific, and from any State or Territory on the Pacific to any point in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. And all drop letters shall be prepaid by postage stamps."

Other sections also introduced minor changes in the rates on printed matter, which it is not important to notice.

The denomination of the stamps of the new issue therefore remained at first the same.

The circular letter from the Department to the several postmasters, informing them of the change is as follows:

Post Office Department.

Finance Office ... 1861.

Postmaster,

Sir: You will receive herewith a supply of postage stamps which you will observe are of a new style, differing both in design and color, from those hitherto used, and having the letters U. S. in the lower corners of each stamp, and its respective denomination indicated by figures as well as letters. You will immediately give public notice through the newspapers and otherwise, that you are prepared to exchange stamps of the new style for an equivalent amount of the old issue, during a period of six days from the date of the notice, and that the latter will not thereafter be received in payment of postage on letters sent from your office.

You will satisfy yourself by personal inspection that stamps offered in exchange have not been used through the mails or otherwise; and if in any case you have good grounds for suspecting that stamps presented to you for exchange, were sent from any of the disloyal states, you will not receive them without due investigation.

Immediately after the expiration of the above period of six days, you will return to the Third Assistant Postmaster General all stamps of the old style in your possession, including such as you may obtain by exchange, placing them in a secure package, which must be carefully registered in the manner prescribed by Chapter 39, of the Regulations of this Department.

Be careful also to write legibly the name of your office as well as that of your county and state. A strict compliance with the foregoing instructions is absolutely necessary, that you may not fail to obtain credit for the amount of stamps returned.

Instead of sending stamps to the Department you can if convenient, exchange them for new ones at some city post office, where large supplies are to be found. It being impossible to supply all offices with new stamps at once, you will deliver letters received from Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Maryland and Pennsylvania, prepayed by stamps of the old issue, until September 10th, those from other loyal states east of the Rocky Mountains until the first of October, and those from the states of California and Oregon and from the Territories of New Mexico, Utah, and Washington, until the first of November, 1861.

Your Obedient Servant,
A. N. ZEVELY,
Third Assistant Postmaster General.

A second issue of this circular merely extended the dates September 10th, October 1st and November 1st, 1861 to November 1st, December 1st, 1861, and January 1st, 1862, respectively.

Issue of August 14th, 1861.

The portraits upon the 8 types or values of this issue seem to be copied from the same pictures as were those on the corresponding denominations of the preceeding issue. The same values are represented, that is:

One Cent. Portrait of Benjamin Franklin, in profile to the right, on an oval disk with engine turned ground of interlaced colored lines on a solid colored ground, framed round with interlaced colorless lines of engine turned work on solid colored ground, bordered by a colorless line with exterior fine colored line. "U. S. Postage" in colorless ordinary capitals in a curved line following the oval above, "One Cent" in the same letters and reversed curve below. Corners of quarter circles and two foliated ornaments. "1" and "1" in the upper and "U." and "S." in the lower corners, in ornamental colorless numerals and letters, on a vertically lined ground.

Plate impression, 20 by 25½ mm., in color, on white paper, perforated 12.

1 Cent, pale and dark blue.

Three Cents. Head of Washington, in profile to left, upon engine turned ground with sinuous frame of interlaced engine turned colorless lines upon a solid colored ground, bordered by a colorless line, with exterior fine colored line following the curves of the ground. Above, "U. S." in a straight line with "Postage" below it in an arched line, and large numeral "3" on each side. Below the head "Three," in reversed curve with "Cents" in double curve below and "U." and "S." at the sides all in colorless capitals and numerals on the engine turned frame and ground, the corner numerals and letters ornamented. Corners and sides filled out with foliated ornaments.

Plate impression, 19½ by 25 mm., in color, on white paper, perforated 12.

3 cents, shades of rose.

Five Cents. Head of Jefferson, faced three quarters to the left on an oval disk with rectangular hatched ground, bordered by a colorless line with fine colored exterior line. Broad frame of engine turned colorless lines on a solid ground, with rounded corners, and curved outwards at top, bottom and sides, bordered by a colorless line and a fine colored line. Large "5" in upper corners, and "U. S. Postage" in a double curve above the oval, "Five Cents" in a curved line following the oval below, "U." in lower left, and "S." in lower right corner, all in colorless letters upon the engine turned work of frame. The corners are filled out with foliated ornaments.

Plate impression, 20 by 25½ mm., in color, upon white paper, perforated 12.

5 cents, ochre, shades of brown.

Ten Cents. Head of Washington, faced three quarters to left, on a rectangularly hatched ground, bordered by four bands, forming a sort of oval. The bands are bordered all around by a colorless and exterior fine colored line. The upper band is inscribed "U. S. Postage," on the solid ground, and the ends of the bands are rounded; the lower band is inscribed "Ten Cents" on the solid ground, and the ends of the band are curved inwards; the side bands are of irregular shape, with the ends rounded and bear four stars each, on a horizontally lined ground. The rest of the stamp is composed of colorless foliated ornaments, between colored lines upon the solid ground, forming irregular ovals in the corners, with a band between the upper ones, bearing five stars, "10" and "10" in the upper, "U." and "S." in the lower corners, on horizontally lined ground, letters, numerals and stars all colorless in colored outlines.

Plate impression, 20 by 24½ mm, in color, on white paper, perforated 12.

10 cents, green, yellow-green.

Twelve Cents. Head of Washington, similar to the ten cents, on an oval disk, with rectangularly hatched ground, bordered by a colorless line and exterior fine colored line. Broad frame of engine turned colorless lines on a solid ground, with rounded corners and waved edges, bordered by a colorless line, and a fine colored line. The corners are filled out with loops on colored ground. "12" and "12" set diagonally in the upper corners, "U. S. Postage" following the curve of the oval above, "Twelve Cents" in double curve line below, and "U." and "S." in the lower corners. The letters and numerals are colorless, with colored outlines on the engine turned work of frame.

Plate impression, 19½ by 24½ mm., in color, on white paper, perforated 12.

12 cents, black.

Twenty-Four Cents. Small portrait of Washington, faced three quarters to the right, on a rectangularly hatched ground, surrounded by a fancy lozenge-shaped frame of engine turned colorless lines on solid colored ground, bordered by a colorless line and exterior fine colored line. The upper corners are filled out with foliated ornaments, containing the numerals "24" and "24," set diagonally with 3 colorless stars between. The lower corners each contain a large colored star between foliated ornaments. "U." on the left and "S." on the right star; "U. S. Postage" above and "Twenty-four Cents" below the head, near and following the outer curve of frame. The letters, numerals and ornaments are all colorless, but with colored outlines.

Plate impression, 19½ by 24 mm., in color, on white paper, perforated 12.

24 cents, lilac.

Thirty Cents. Head of Benjamin Franklin, in profile to left, on a circular disk with diagonally hatched ground, 16½ mm. in diameter, bordered by a colorless line and exterior fine colored line. A colorless line between two fine colored lines, at about 2 mm. from the circle, with foliated ends, forms a label above and below, the upper inscribed "U. S. Postage," the lower "Thirty Cents," on lined ground, in colorless letters outlined with color. Foliated ornaments without color, but colored outlines form irregular spaces in the corners, with "30" and "30" in the upper, "U." and "S." in the lower ones, in colorless letters outlined and heavily shaded in color on a lined ground.

Plate impression, 20 by 24 mm., in color, on white paper, perforated 12.

30 cents, orange.

Ninety Cents. Head of Washington, in General's costume, after Trumbal's portrait, faced three quarters to the left, on an oval disk, 13½ by 17½ mm., with rectangularly hatched ground, bordered by a colorless line and exterior colored line, surrounded by a band forming a point above and below, and bordered outside by a second colorless line and an exterior colored line, and crossed by fine colored lines. "90" and "90" on this band above, "Ninety Cents" below in colorless letters with colored outlines. Waved band with similar borders crossing the former above, and inscribed "U. S. Postage" in the same letters. The lower corners are filled with foliated ornaments upon which are "U." and "S." in similar letters.

Plate impression, 19 by 24 mm., in color, on white paper, perforated 12.

90 cents, indigo blue.

It will be noticed that the original contract under which these stamps were first manufactured by the National Bank Note Co., expired in 1865. On its expiration a new contract was made with the same company for a term of four years longer.

To preserve the history of the postal legislation of the United States which effects the use of stamps, the provisions of the Act of the XXXVII Congress, Session III, Chapter 71, approved March 3d, 1863, must be noted here, although they did not result in any change in the stamps in use, except the addition of two new values:

Sec. 3.No mail matter shall be delivered until postage is paid.
Sec. 13.The Postmaster General is authorized to establish branch offices for the sale of stamps, etc.
Sec. 17.Postage must be prepaid at the time of mailing on domestic letters, transient printed matter and all other things not herein provided for.
Sec. 18.Daily, weekly, etc., publications must be prepaid quarterly in advance by the receiver.
Sec. 23.Drop letters will be charged 2 cents, to be prepaid by postage stamps, but no carrier's fee.
Sec. 32.The registration fee to be fixed by the Postmaster General, but not to exceed in any case 20 cents.

In accordance with these last provisions however, there were issued two additional values.

The report of the Postmaster General for the year 1863, states that a two cent stamp had been prepared and issued, principally to prepay the postage on drop letters, and the report for 1878, fixes the date of issue at of the 1st of July, 1863.

Issue of July 1st, 1863.

(As additional to the series of 1861.)

Two Cents. Very large head of Andrew Jackson, on an oval disk with rectangularly hatched ground, bordered by a fine colorless line with an exterior colored line; on a band above, similarly bordered, and with parallel lined ground, "U. S. Postage" in colorless capitals outlined and shaded; on short bands, similarly constructed, below on the left "Two," on the right "Cents." Foliated ornaments in the four corners, forming small solid circles, bearing the numeral "2" in the upper, and colorless ovals bearing "U." on the left, and "S." on the right, in irregular shaped colored letters.

Plate impression, 20 by 25 mm., in color, on white paper, perforated 12.

2 cents, black.

The Postmaster General having fixed the registration fee at 15 cents, a stamp of that denomination was issued.

Issue of April 1st, 1866.

Fifteen Cents. Bust of Abraham Lincoln, on an oval disk 13½ by 18 mm. with rectangularly hatched ground, bordered by a broad colorless line, between two fine colored lines, and ornamented by short horizontal colored lines. On the sides, Roman fasces, without the ax, on each side. Above on a scroll, bordered by a colorless line between two fine colored lines, curved up and back to form small ovals, and ending at the top in foliations and inscribed on the band "U. S. Postage" in colorless capitals, in the ovals "15" in colorless numerals; below, a curved band following the outline of the oval, similarly bordered, and inscribed in similar letters "Fifteen Cents"; foliated ornaments forming colored ovals in the corners, with "U." in the left, "S." in the right, in colorless capitals.

Plate impression, 19½ by 25 mm., in color, on white paper, perforated 12.

15 cents, black.

Issued originally for registered letters, this stamp also served the next year, principally to prepay the postage on letters to Belgium, Prussia, Holland, Switzerland and the German Postal Union.

The entire series of 1861-63-66 was reprinted in 1874.

It may also be noticed, that the act of the XXXIX Congress, Session I, Chapter 281, approved July 27, 1866, authorized the use in all post offices of weights of the denomination of grams, 15 grams to equal one half ounce, and the postal laws to be applied accordingly.

Also the Act of the XL Congress, Session I, Chapter 246, Section 10 and 11, approved July 29th, 1868, provided penalties for re-using stamps that had once paid postage, and authorized the sale of stamps at a discount of five per cent to persons to sell again as agents.

Observations.

The plates of this issue having been prepared with a view of perforating, the stamps are placed sufficiently far apart to allow a perforation, without ordinarily cutting into the stamps. Occasionally eccentricities may be found, which are the result of accident. The sheets, as in the previous issue, consist of 200 stamps, the central point is indicated by three lines at the top and at the bottom, and the sheets are cut apart on this line and distributed in half sheets of 100, or ten stamps in ten rows. The printer's imprint is generally to be found at the center of the top and bottom of each half sheet, at about 4 mm. from the printed stamps, and consists of a small colored label with a dotted edge, inscribed "National Bank Note Co." preceded by "New York," and followed by "City" in colored capitals. The plate number also appears near this.

The One Cent varies in color from a pale blue to a dark blue, generally of the shade known as ultramarine. The paper is ordinarily white with a yellowish cast, but there are specimens which appear surfaced with the same ink as the stamp, which is probably an accident from imperfect wiping of the plates, and others the paper of which has a pale pink cast, both on the front and back.

The Two Cents varies from grey to black, with occasional specimens partially tinted with the ink, probably from the same cause as in the one cent.

Variety. Doubly perforated at the sides.

The Three Cents varies from a very faint rose to a deep rose, with occasional specimens tinted as in the other values, probably from the same cause.

Variety. Doubly perforated at sides.
""top and bottom.

There are also a few specimens known of a scarlet tint. They resemble the ordinary stamps of this value in all other particulars, and it does not appear to be settled whether they were ever used or not. Proofs, both perforated and unperforated, exist in this shade, and the better opinion would seem to be that all of this shade are proofs. It is claimed, however, that a sheet, or part of a sheet unused, was picked up at the New York Post Office by a collector.

Strips of ten stamps adhering, forming a vertical row from the sheet, and showing a double perforation along the sides are also exhibited.

Unperforated specimens have been catalogued.

The Five Cents was originally issued in a pale yellow brown or ochre, but was changed in September to a darker brown, with a reddish cast, there is also a brown with a yellowish cast, another with a blackish cast and a chestnut brown. It would appear that the latter is the true color composed of red, yellow and black, and that the others result from some improper mixing of these colors, by which one or the other predominates.

Variety. Doubly perforated at the sides.

A "yellowish brown," meaning the brown with a yellowish cast, has been chronicled unperforated.

The Ten Cents is light and dark green. The lighter shade is generally called a yellow-green, but the two shades differ only in intensity.

The Twelve and Fifteen Cents also vary from grey to deep black.

The Twenty-Four Cents is violet, and pale or dark lilac.

The Thirty Cents is of two shades of orange, and an orange-brown.

The Ninety Cents is faint deep blue and indigo blue.

The number of the several values of these stamps issued, without the grille is approximated as follows: it being not quite certain whether a few with the grille were not issued prior to the dates to which the enumeration is made.

1cent91,256,650
2cents254,265,050
3cents1,847,559,100
5cents8,258,460
10cents28,872,780
12cents7,639,525
15cents2,139,300
24cents10,238,650
30cents3,208,980
90cents337,770