FOOTNOTES:
[A] The—Nesbitt Stamped Envelopes—and Wrappers—of the—United States of America,—with descriptions of the varieties of the dies,—and fifteen full-page illustrations—by—the late Gilbert Harrison.—Edited and completed—by—E. D. Bacon.—Published as a supplement to the "London Philatelist",—by M. P. Castle,—Vice-President of the Philatelic Society, London,—1895.
[B] The—Stamped Envelopes.—Wrappers and Sheets—of the United States—by John K. Tiffany, R. R. Bogert,—and Joseph Rechert.—A Committee of the National Philatelical Society,—New York—1892.—Published by—The Scott Stamp & Coin Co. Limited.—12 East 23rd St.
[THE 1853-55 SERIES.]
It is strange that the Yankee, who is generally so quick witted in all matters pertaining to trade and commerce, has been comparatively slow in recognizing the value of the stamped envelope for business purposes. As a matter of fact, the famous Mulready and its numerous caricatures had been used in Great Britain for nearly a dozen years when the Thirty-second Congress, on Aug. 31, 1852, authorized the issue of stamped envelopes in the United States.
The next we hear of the matter is a short line in the Report of the Postmaster-General, dated December 4, 1852, which reads: "Such envelopes as are authorized are now in preparation and will soon be issued." And, in February of the following year, the Scientific American mentions the interesting news that "G. F. Nesbitt has shown to the Postmaster-General an embossed stamp for prepaid envelopes which has been accepted, and the manufacture will at once proceed. Such, however, is the labor and care required for their production, that none will be ready for delivery before the middle of next April."
The much heralded novelty of the Post Office finally appeared July 7, 1853. At least, this date is certified to by the National Intelligencer of the Washington Journal, which, in describing the envelopes just sent out for distribution, states: "they are as yet but of a single size and of the three cent value." It also adds that the addition of the Nesbitt seal is an outrage.
Without entering into further details, it is of general interest to note that, up to 1869, Geo. F. Nesbitt & Co., of New York, continued to furnish the United States Post Office Department with envelopes.
Recalling the fact that Nesbitt originated the dies; that the machinery for embossing was very crude compared with our modern apparatus, collectors must concede that his work deserves great credit.
The question, however, of superlative interest to philatelists is: why has Nesbitt produced such a large number of dies or die varieties? The answer is simple: Pressed hard by the Department to manufacture several millions of envelopes, a gigantic task in the early days of stamp making, and lacking our present means of reproducing working dies from the matrix, he undoubtedly used his best effort; i.e. he probably ordered a number of engravers to reproduce the original die, and, in the hurry of the work, little attention was paid to exactness. This would seem a very plausible explanation, and in the absence of any official data let us permit the above assumption to stand.
Whatever may be the facts in the case, one thing is certain; the varieties exist and have been a source of trouble to many collectors of United States envelopes. With wider knowledge and on better acquaintance, it is certain that in future they will prove a most interesting branch of United States philately.
DIE I.
Short labels with curved ends close to the letters.
10 loops in left side ornament and 9 in right.
TEN HEADS—TWELVE VARIETIES.
In accordance with the instructions of the United States Postal Department, the first issue of United States envelopes was to represent a profile of General Washington after Houdon's famous bust. No doubt the spirit of the engraver was willing, but the "flesh was woefully weak." Indeed, it is no exaggeration to affirm that the head, or heads, of Die I (or A) are as far from Houdon's masterpiece as the sun is from our planet. Moreover, on a close inspection we find a lot of curious and noteworthy details which seem to indicate that the artist, or artists, had peculiar ideas of the manly beauty of the "Father of our Country."
Certainly, various national types are represented and the expression runs the gamut of meekness, aggressiveness, stolidity, stupidity and boozy hilarity. As a rule an artist would be satisfied to ornament the eye of his subject with one eyebrow, but several of the profiles of Die 1 have two, and in a position which would bewilder the student of anatomy. Another startling feature is the sidelock, which sometimes grows upon the eyebrow. And finally we are forced to conclude that the tonsorial artist who attended Washington performed queer tricks. In one die one-half of the head appears void of hirsutic covering. Well, perhaps this was the summer season! I must not forget to mention that on one side of the nostrils appears a Phrygian cap, probably an indication of the republican spirit of the United States. In conclusion the writer recalls a good joke by a gentleman prominent in philatelic circles. After a perusal of the above paragraphs he expressed himself that the bust of Washington of Die 1, instead of being "after Houdon" was a "Hoodoo", and there is a great deal of truth in the witticism.
Owing to the antiquity of the first issue of Nesbitt dies, collectors must not expect to find an abundance of mint specimens. Of course they are the exception, but in many used envelopes the head is impressed with sufficient clearness to permit identification, and the cuts accompanying the dies, being photographic reproductions of pen drawings by an artist, will be found a valuable aid. Indeed, as far as the varieties of Die 1 are concerned, a thorough knowledge of, or acquaintance with, the various heads is necessary to avoid confusion, especially as the inscription in several labels is similar and not unfrequently the lettering is quite indistinct.
If the question is asked why a unit distance measurement is not applied to differentiate these varieties, the answer is that the spacing of the letters of the inscription is nearly alike. Of course the slant of the letters differs. Such differences as are helpful and noticeable will be mentioned. The system of line prolongation, for example, the downward prolongation of the "T" of "THREE", discloses certain groups in the writer's opinion, but the differences obtained thereby are not of sufficient practical value for establishing groups. For a quick and reliable identification of these varieties an intimate knowledge of the heads is required.
It having been decided to reproduce the heads, the question arose: Shall we draw every feature and every detail, or is it preferable to indicate merely such portions of the face as are different in the various dies? Evidently, many minor points could be omitted without in any way detracting from the usefulness of the drawings. Indeed, the adoption of this plan permitted the artist to emphasize and to bring out more strikingly such features as constitute the real differences.
There are three prominent features in each of the ten heads. The first is the side-lock, which may be either single or double, straight or hooked, short or long. Second in importance is the distance between the end of the side-lock and the ear-lobe. Even a casual observation shows that the distance between the ear-lobe and the end of the side-lock varies greatly; very wide, near and close. The third feature is the lowest front-lock, which, by the taste or art of the die cutters has been, like man, "wonderfully and fearfully made", short or long, thin or full, single or double. In good specimens the eyebrow constitutes a valuable adjunct, and in all dies where this feature plays a prominent part it will be noted. Finally the attention of the collector is directed to the fact that only Head 1 shows Washington with circularly cropped hair, or, as the barber would express it, a "Dutch clip". This head was used for varieties 1, 2 and 3, the first being a rather scarce article. If the student fixes his attention on the above three main features, and does not attempt to get the entire ten heads fixed in his mind at a glance, it will be found that the task of differentiation is not at all a burden even to the youngest collector of cut square specimens. A certain amount of patience is, however, required; likewise a certain amount of willingness to be taught, but the collector possessing these two virtues—and it is one of the crowning glories of stamp collectors to be both studious and patient—will soon have the various Nesbitt heads of Washington engraved upon his memory.
Taking the distance between the end of the side-lock and the ear-lobe as our main feature, the various heads may be grouped into three distinct classes:
CLASS I. Distance between side-lock and ear-lobe very wide.
Heads 1a, 3, 4, 6, 7.
CLASS II. Distance between side-lock and ear-lobe near.
Heads 1, 2, 8.
CLASS III. Side-lock close to ear-lobe.
Heads 5, 9, 10.
HEAD I.
I.
A long side-lock commences a short distance above the corner of the eye, but stops quite a distance from it. Together with the side-lock commences a heavy lower lock which slants across the ear-lobe, leaving the lower half exposed. There is a considerable space between the end of the side-lock and the ear-lobe. The entire hair ends in a nearly horizontal line. Two folds in the garment on the right side of the neck.
[HW: See Appendix
page 103]
Variety I:—"CENTS" close to outer oval line. "CE" on level and far apart. "C" quite a distance from curve. "N" and "T" wide apart at base. "S" close to curve. The final "E" of "THREE" is somewhat lower than the first "E", dips to the right, and is close to the curve. "T" of "Three" is also close to curve. Many of the white envelopes are on horizontally laid paper.
Variety 2:—"THREE" near outer oval line. "T" further from curve. "RE" wider apart at top than in Var. 1, and "HR" slightly nearer than in Var. 1. The distance between "EN" and "NT" of "CENTS" is very wide. "S" far from curve. "CE" wide apart.
HEAD Ia.
Ia.
Same as Head I, but the side-lock is shorter and is further from the ear-lobe.
Variety 3:—"C" is above level of "E", near inner oval line and close to curve. "CE" wide apart. Note that "ENT" is near and "NT" much nearer at base than in Var. 1 or 2. "NTS" is also nearer inner oval line. "TH" of "THREE" is close. The "R" of "THREE" slants to right.
This variety is often seen on white paper horizontally laid.
HEAD II.
II.
An heavy eyebrow. Two side-locks, of which the first is merely a fine line, commence far from and high above the corner of the eye. The first side-lock is only half as long as the second; the latter is curved sharply at its end, and near the ear-lobe. Near the end of the side-lock commences the lowest front-lock, which slants only a little distance across the lobe. Front-lock and ear-lobe resemble the letter "T". Hair is divided into two parts. The lowest lock of the back row is in line with the queue.
Variety 4.—"CENTS" is close to outer frame line and "C" is far from curve. "EN" near; "CE" wide. "NT" wide at base, "THR" near.
HEAD III.
III.
Side-lock starts some distance from the eye-brow and a little above it. The eyebrow is heavy. The side-lock is long, rather heavy and curved and ends far from the ear-lobe. The main feature is the heavy lowest front-lock, which slants across the lobe but ends in line with it. Side-lock, lobe and lowest front-lock somewhat resemble a figure 1.
Variety 5:—"C" above level of "E": The entire word is high in label, especially "NT". "CE" wide. Note the top of "S" which almost touches the lower right curve. "TH" wide at top. "R" is nearly vertically placed and in centre of the label. The top of the "T" of "CENTS" is a little above final stroke of "N".
HEAD IV.
IV.
A heavy eyebrow ends near the middle of the side-lock. The latter is short and stops (as in Head III) far from the ear-lobe. The main feature is that the queue forms a direct continuation of the lowest front-lock.
Variety 6:—"CE" of "CENTS" near. "EN" wide. "NT" wide at base. Note that the upper end of the lower right curve reaches well over the top of "S" and "C" is far from curve. "TH" close. Distance at top of "HR" and "RE" about the same.
HEAD V.
V.
A very heavy eye-brow. The side-lock starts in line with the corner of the eye and near the eyebrow; it curls slightly outward and, following closely the outline of the ear-lobe, ends almost above it. A heavy lock starts near the end of the side-lock, slants across the ear-lobe and ends in nearly a point. This feature distinguishes Head V from Head II, in which the lowest lock ends full and rounded. The queue is continued from the second heavy lock. Note also that the lock immediately behind the side-lock consists of two fine hairs and a heavy third strand.
Variety 7:—"T" of "THREE" below level of "HREE". "CENTS" near outer oval line. "C" and "S" quite a distance from curves. "ENT" spaced nearer than "C" to "E" and "T" to "S".
HEAD VI.
VI.
An heavy eyebrow. Near its end starts a small side-lock together with a long, narrow lock which slants across ear-lobe. Note that half of this lock is below the lobe. There is some distance between the side-lock and the lobe. A second heavy strand of hair extends the entire length of the [HW: narrow] lock and continues into the queue.
Variety 8:—"C" above level of "E" and far from it. "N" stands vertically and almost in centre of label. "NT" close at top and near at base. "C" and "S" are close to curves. Note that "HR" and "RE" are wide at top.
HEAD VII.
VII.
An heavy eyebrow extends beyond the corner of the eye. A long side-lock starts from the eyebrow and ends far from the ear-lobe. The lowest lock commences near the middle of the side-lock. Along the latter is another strand of hair of the same thickness but it is longer than the first and in line with the queue. The hair consists of two distinct rows, each of which has five locks.
Variety 9:—"CENTS" near inner oval line. "CE" near; "ENT" near; "NT" close at top. "C" and "S" far from curves. "RE" wider at top than "HR".
HEAD VIII.
VIII.
An heavy eyebrow near the corner of the eye. It extends to the beginning of the side-lock, which is long, slim, almost straight, and ends a little distance from the ear-lobe. Note that the point of the side-lock is not turned up to the left. Together with the side-lock starts the lowest front-lock. It is rather thin, slants across the lobe, and is divided at the end, which is the main feature. Note that it extends but a little distance beyond the lobe. Immediately above the lowest strand is a second one, much longer than the first, forming the commencement of the queue.
Variety 10:—"THREE" high in label. "HR" very close. "CENTS" near outer oval line. Base of "E" a little below that of "C". "EN" wide. "TS" near at base.
HEAD IX.
IX.
The side-lock starts above and far from the corner of the eye. It is short, curves outward towards its end, and terminates a little distance above the ear-lobe. Note that the ear-lobe is larger than usual and extends quite a distance beyond the end of the side-lock. Together with the side-lock commences the lowest bunch of hair, which resembles somewhat a pear, i.e. slim at the start and bulging towards the base. The hair is divided into two rows. The queue is in line with the back row.
Variety 11:—"CENTS" near inner oval line; "C" high, and a little above level of "E". "CE" wide; "ENT" near at top. "S" close to curve. "THREE" close to inner oval line. "HR" and "RE" wide at top.
HEAD X.
X.
An heavy eyebrow starting upward from the bridge of the nose. A second eyebrow is close to the corner of the eye. A long side-lock starts near it and touches the ends in line with the ear-lobe. The hair is divided into two parts, four locks in front and three in the back row. The lowest lock in the front row is by far the heaviest. The hair is cut round similar to Head 1. Note that the queue is in line with the second row of hair.
Variety 12:—"CENTS" close to inner frame line, especially "C". "THREE" close to inner oval line. "ENT" near at base. The die resembles closely Var. 9 with the exception of "C," which is high in the label.
Before leaving this issue some remarks about the paper and its various tints may be useful. The writer well remembers that when he first took up the study of these envelopes he was often sorely puzzled how to classify a specimen. The general catalogue knows but two shades of paper, white and buff, and is mute on the question of quality.
As a matter of fact the quality of the paper used for the first issue varies from soft to a hard, brittle texture, from thin to thick, with a dull or even highly glazed surface. A decided rarity is a kind of wove paper, unwatermarked. We find fine laid lines, the cross lines near or far, and two very distinct varieties of watermarks.
The white paper has sometimes a creamy and at other times a bluish tint, and the buff may be collected in various light and dark shades. The most pronounced shade varieties of buff appear, however, later, and will be mentioned when we study Die 5.
For the benefit of collectors of entire envelopes we will conclude this chapter by adding that:
Knife I appears only in five varieties, i.e. Nos. 4, 6, 7, 8, and 10, while Knife 2, both white and buff, exists in all varieties.
THREE CENTS, RED. DIE 2.
The "Straight End" Die.
Short labels with straight ends.
8-1/2 loops on the left; 9 loops on the right.
It is generally conceded that this die is one of the earliest made, because many of the envelopes bear the Nesbitt tress or seal on the flap.
In addition to Head 1, used for Die I, there now appear two new ones. This issue is also noticeable because in each of the three varieties the lettering is about the same. For this reason a knowledge of the heads is imperative for identification of the varieties. It may also assist the collector to note that Head I exists only with the seal on the flap of the envelope, and that in Heads XI and XII the garment at the back of the neck has four folds in contradistinction to Head I, in which the garment has but two folds.
As far as we know, letter size envelopes, bearing Die 2, were issued in July, 1853, and note size in September of the same year. Excepting note size (Knife 1 of the present list), all other envelopes exist on both white and buff paper.
Variety 1, Head I:—As this head has been fully described and illustrated under Die 1, it needs no additional remarks.
HEAD XI.
XI.
Variety 2, Head XI.—A small but heavy eyebrow near the corner of the eye. The side-lock commences close to the eye-brow and is rather short and shaped like a comma. Near the end of the side-lock begins the lowest front-lock, which is very short, heavy, and extends some distance beyond the ear-lobe. Note that the end of the side-lock reaches to the middle of the ear-lobe. The queue is continued from the second front-lock. There are five locks in the front row and two heavy upper locks in the back row:
[HW: there is usually a flaw in the outer colored line opposite the lower left straight line near "C.">[
HEAD XII.
XII.
Variety 3, Head XII:—A long, heavy-side-lock starts near a heavy eyebrow, which extends far beyond the corner of the eye. At its end the side-lock bends sharply to the left and is quite a distance from the ear-lobe. Together with the side-lock starts the lowest front-lock. It slants across the ear-lobe, broadens towards its middle and is pointed at the end. The side-lock, front-lock and ear-lobe somewhat resemble the figure 1. The queue is continued from the lowest lock immediately behind the second front-lock. There are five locks in the front row and three heavy locks in the back row.
THREE CENTS, RED. DIE 3.
"THREE" in square label with a diagonal line across each corner called "K Ends."
8-1/2 loops on left; 9 loops on right.
This die appeared in July, 1853, and exists on note and letter size envelopes. The former is extremely rare. Mr. Harrison, who has carefully studied this die, found two heads of Washington (XIII and XIV). He states, however, that: "in the heads in relief there is only a slight difference in the arrangement of the hair, which is of no practical use, as in most specimens of this series the head is so lightly impressed that it is impossible to detect any differences." Realizing how difficult it is to get a fine specimen of this die, the writer tried his best to obtain a clear impression, and the drawing shows that the search has not been in vain.
HEAD XIII.
Two small side-locks. (For further description see Head XIV).
Variety 1.:—"C" of "Cents" low.
HEAD XIV.
XIV.
One short side-lock: A heavy eyebrow. A fine, short side-lock starts quite a distance from the latter and ends far from the ear-lobe. Together with the side-lock commences the short, lowest front-lock. Immediately above the latter commences the third front-lock, which is bifurcated to the middle. This is the main feature of the die. It is by far the heaviest strand and continues, uninterruptedly, into the queue. All other front or rear locks are short. Between the last-mentioned long front-lock and the short, lowest one lies a small rear lock, pointed at its start and broad at its end. Including the lowest front-lock, there are five locks in front and but three in the rear row, i.e., two above the long, bifurcated front-lock and a small one immediately below the latter.
Variety 2:—"C" of "CENTS" high in the frame.
THREE CENTS, RED. DIE 4.
Wide label, measuring 20 mm. horizontally, with square ends; lower label short (17 mm.) but also with straight ends. 7 loops on each side.
Issued July, 1853.
Luckily the engraver has seen fit to use but one head for this issue and it is our old favorite, HEAD I, and needs no further description. There is but one variety, and none of the envelopes have the Nesbitt seal.
Variety 1:—Letters of "THREE" very widely spaced, especially the last two letters. "T" nearer to left label than "E" to the right. "ENT" of "CENTS" nearer to each other than "C" to "E" and "T" to "S".
The die has been used for note and letter size, i.e., Knives 1 and 2, on white, and for the latter on both white and buff paper.
THREE CENTS, RED. DIE 5.
The common die of the first series.
Short labels (measuring 15 mm. horizontally) with curved ends.
9 loops on the left; 8-1/2 loops on the right.
This die appeared in March, 1854, and remained in existence until October, 1860. On account of its six years of constant use, it was not strange that the die should need repairing and retouching. Nevertheless, while admitting the necessity of repairs, this does not account in any way for the fact that we have thirty distinctly different dies in this series, many of which cannot be explained by the above theory. Of course, the various curves of the labels may be accounted for by repeated retouching, but no one who compares many of these dies would attempt to give the same reason for the totally different lettering and the great variety in the spacing. As a matter of fact, most of the so-called varieties are far more distinct dies than some of the well-known Reays and Plimptons of equal denominations. In spite of the great number of varieties of this issue, the engraver has seen fit to use but one head of Washington, which is totally different from any of those preceding.
HEAD XV.
XV.
Two fine, very short side-locks, reaching to the middle of the ear-lobe, which is rather large. There are seven very thin locks of hair, almost hair lines, in the upper part of the head, extending to the back of the head, each with a curve in the centre. Below these there is a short, thick bunch, or lock, bent upwards into the space left by the curve of the seventh thin lock. There is one short, thick front-lock and three in the back row, side by side, nearly at right angles to the bunch of hair which is bent upwards. The lowest front-lock slants a considerable distance across the ear, while the lock immediately above it is much longer and reaches into the queue. The latter is very thin and shows no subdivisions.
Doubtless the thirty varieties of this die would have been highly prized by collectors and would have been well known many years ago if American philatelists had taken the trouble to study them with a view to systematic classification. Certainly, without a system the collector's task is troublesome, but, with a proper classification, the difficulty vanishes and what has hitherto been considered an annoyance becomes a pleasurable pursuit. This issue greatly favors the collector of cut square specimens, for a good many dies can easily be found. On the contrary, the collector of entires, especially the advanced collector who desires mint copies, will find it difficult to get unused specimens of many dies.
The paper used is white and buff, and, as mentioned before, both the quality and color differ widely. For instance: "Buff" covers shades which would be called at the present time light chocolate, brown, oriental buff, light yellow, etc. A great many envelopes are of soft paper, nearly unsurfaced, while there are numerous others having a hard, brittle texture, highly surfaced or glazed. Often six shades may be obtained, and they are certainly worthy of being collected with care.
It has already been stated that the thirty varieties can be classified, and that such classification is a great help to the philatelist. Fortunately, the first ten dies are quickly recognized by the long, horizontal cross stroke of "T" of "THREE," and "T" of "CENTS," while the remaining twenty dies have a short top stroke, and this differentiation, in the writer's humble opinion, should have been introduced long ago in the general catalogues.
Before commencing the study of the first ten varieties, it is only proper to state that even Mr. Harrison has put himself on record that: "the ten earlier varieties are by no means easy to separate." Indeed, they are decidedly more troublesome and require far closer work than any of the other Nesbitt die varieties. The student is sure to find many specimens in which the upper curves are entirely worn away, and in judging the spacing of the letters errors are likely to occur, due to heavy impressions, which are not infrequent.
Being well aware of these annoyances, the writer has tried, to the best of his ability, to make the description of these ten varieties as lucid as possible, and as they now stand they represent the labor of many hours. Expressions like "far", "near" or "close" are, of course, subject to individual interpretation, but by comparing the illustrations accompanying the text, what is meant by "close", etc., will be easily understood. Wherever greater accuracy seemed needful, the distance between two letters, either at the top or the base has been added. If a letter is stated to be below the level of another, the student, as a rule, should have no difficulty in recognizing this fact. This is true of varieties 4 and 5, but a certain amount of training of the eye is required to recognize quickly the lower position of "T" and "E" of "THREE" in varieties 1, 2 and 10.
Together with the new die two new sizes of envelopes appear, known as Knives 4 and 5, respectively; both are termed "Full Letter" and have three black lines on the inside of the left side flap.
"T" WITH LONG CROSS STROKE.
Dies 1 to 10.
The ten die varieties are divided into three groups by drawing a straight line along the outside of the downward stroke of "T" of "THREE".
1) Line cuts through "S" of "CENTS" (Var. 1, 2, 3, 4).
2) Line goes to right of "S" (Var. 5, 6, 7).
3) Line goes through right lower curve (Var. 8, 9, 10).
It should be understood, however, that the above line prolongation is only tentative, not absolute, and can only be relied upon in a general way as certain specimens will be found which will vary from it to a greater or less extent.
Description of Dies.
Variety 1:—"T" a considerable distance from upper left curve. "TH" widely spaced, but "HR" near and "R" the highest letter. "RE" wide at top. "EE" wide. "CE" wide at base. "EN" wide. "NT" wide at base. Lower curves deep and far from "C" and "S".
Variety 2:—"T" near curve, and "T" and final "E" below level of "HRE". "TH" near, "HR" near, but "RE" and "EE" wide at top. Upper curves are frequently much deteriorated. Lower left curve far from "C". "CE" and "NT" wide at base. "TS" near. Lower right curve near "S".
Variety 3:—Upper left curve very far from "T". "RE" wide and "R" slants sharply to the right. "EE" near at top. "C" far from lower left curve. "CE" wide at base. "E" slants sharply to the left and "EN" wide at base. "S" close to curve.
Variety 4:—"T" near curve but below level of "H". "HR" wide but "RE" wider, and "EE" widest at top. The main feature of this die is that the lower left curve slants sharply downward and is far from base of "C". "CE" wide at base. "NT" very wide at base. "S" far from curve.
Variety 5:—Upper right curve flattened and top of "T" near curve. "T" low and far from "H". "HR" widely spaced at top, but "RE" still wider. "EE" near. Upper right curve far from "E" both at top and base. Frequently the curves are nearly obliterated.
Variety 6:—Upper right curve near "T". Top of "T" some distance from "H". "RE" wide at top. "EE" wide. The curve is far from top of "E", but slants so that, at the point where it meets the inner oval line, it is near base of "E". Lower left curve near "C" and reaches over the top of the letter. "CEN" near; "NT" near at base. "S" far from curve.
Variety 7:—The FLAW VARIETY. Upper right curve very deep. Top of "T" considerably nearer curve than base. "TH" near. "HR" and "RE" near at top. "EE" very wide at top. Curve is very far from "E" both at top and base. Lower left curve flattened and near "C". "EX" near. "NT" well spaced. In the outer red frame line, near base of "T", a small portion of the die is broken away.
Variety 8:—Upper left curve deep and top of "T" near curve. "TH" near. "HRE" near, and "RE" the closest spacing of all the varieties. "EE" near. Right curve is a good distance from top of "E". Lower left curve small and near "C". "CE" wide. "ENT" near and upper horizontal stroke of "N" often joined to "T". "TS" near and "S" close to curve.
Variety 9:—Upper left curve much flattened and close to "T"; "T" and final "E" somewhat below level of "HRE". "TH" close and "H" sharply slanting to left. "HREE" near at top. Right curve far from "E". Lower left curve short and near "C". "CE" close. "EN" near. "NT" near at base. Right curve near "S".
Variety 10:—Upper left curve near "T". "TH" near at top. "HRE" spaced as in Var. 9 but "EE" nearer, and top of "E" nearer the curve. Lower left curve near "C". "C" above level of "E" and near at base. "ENTS" near. "S" far from curve.
LETTERS "T" WITH SHORT CROSS STROKES.
Dies 11 to 30.
These twenty die varieties are grouped into two classes by the use of a unit distance measurement of 14 and 12 mm. respectively.
Class I.
A line 14mm. long will extend from the point where the upper left curve meets the inner white frame-line to the end of the final "E" of "THREE".
Group A:—A line 12mm. long, starting from the junction of the upper left curve and the inner, white, frame-line will extend to the end of the horizontal stroke of the first "E" of "THREE". (Var. 11 to 18.)
Group B:—A line 12mm. long, starting from the junction of the upper left curve and the inner, white, frame-line will extend to a point just beyond the end of the horizontal stroke of the first "E" of "THREE". (Var. 19 to 27.)
Class II.
A line 14mm. long, starting from the junction of the upper left curve and the inner, white, frame-line, will extend to a point just outside of the final "E" of "THREE". (Var. 28 to 30.)
Variety 11:—The top stroke of "N," if extended, would bisect the vertical stroke of "T". "RE" very wide at top. "T" and "E" about an equal distance from curves. Lower left curve well rounded. "EN" near at top. "N" broad.
Variety 12:—The small horizontal line of "N," if extended, would cut the vertical downstroke of "T." All the centre crossbars of "Es" touch the horizontal upper stroke. "N" of "CENTS" is narrow; is the lowest letter, and has a heavy middle line. "T" and "E" are close to the curves, which are short. "TS" close and on level.
There are often two dots in the central oval, one near the throat and the other opposite the third loop above "C". Compare variety 11 for "NT," also variety 21.
Variety 13:—A flaw in the design, caused by the addition of a short line immediately above the right lower curve and at the beginning of the first loop. "TH" wide. "RE" wide at top. "CE" near. The entire word "CENTS" is well in the centre of the label. "S" above level of "T". Note the wide distance of "C" from the lower left corner.
Variety 14:—This die shows the widest spacing of "THREE". Lower left curve is deep; slants back and is far from "C". Lower right curve near "S". "T" and "E" about equally far from curves. Upper right curve much flattened. Note "T" short and top of "C" considerably below inner oval line. Note also that centre of first loop below upper right curve is unfinished. "TH" wide at base; "CE" near: "EN" wide. "N" tall and narrow.
Variety 15:—"RE" very wide. There is a small triangle in the design immediately above the centre of lower right curve. Upper left curve very deep and "T" far from it. "HRE" wide at base. Final "E" below level of first "E" and nearer curve than "T". Lower left curve is flat and "C" is far from it, both at top and base. "CE" wide. Tall, narrow "N". Note that the entire word is high in the label.
Variety 16:—"S" of "CENTS" high in label. Lower left curve very slightly curved and very far from "C," which is elongated. "CE" wide, likewise "EN". "N" large and broad. Lower right curve flattened and "S" far from curve. "T" and "E" about equally distant from upper curves, which are, likewise, flattened. "TH" nearer at top than "HR". "RE" wider at top than "HR". "EE" wide at top. Compare varieties 26 and 27 for upper right curve.
Variety 17:—Lower left curve commences near top of "C" of "CENTS", slants sharply downward, and is, at the point where the curve meets the outer oval line, far from base of "C". Upper right curve is much flattened and close to "E" at base. Upper left curve is deep and a good distance from "T". The latter is short, thick and near "H". "RE" much wider at top than "HR". There are two small dots immediately below the upper right curve. In the lower label "C" and "S" are slightly above the level of "ENT"; "EN" near; "N" broad. Compare variety 18 for lower left curve and note position of "T" of "THREE" with regard to upper left curve.
Variety 18:—Lower left curve slants back and is far from "C" at the junction of the curve with the outer frame line. "T" close to upper left curve. Upper left curve flat and "T" is much nearer to it than "E" to the right curve. "THR" near at top. "RE" very wide at top. "EE" near. The entire word "CENTS" is close to the inner oval line. "N" is broad, and top of "T" is slightly above "X". "TS" close. Note that there are three dots immediately above lower right curve. Compare Variety 17 for lower left curve.
Variety 19:—"T" and "E" close to curves. Upper curves short. "HRE" wide at top. "EE" near. Lower left curve near "C". "CE" close. "EN" wide. "N" in upright position. "NT" wide at base. Compare variety 12 for arrangement of letters in upper label and note "NT". Note that the top of "E" is very near curve.
Variety 20:—"C" high; near inner oval line and close to "E". "C" and "S" above level of "ENT". "C" heavy and near lower left curve. "EN" wide. "NT" close. Upper curves are short. "T" near upper left curve. "TH" close and "T" has short top stroke. Upper right curve starts far from top of "E" and slants inward. "EE" near. Lower right curve deep. Compare varieties 12, 19 and 21 for lower label.
Variety 21:—"T" short, thick and near curve. "TH" near. "R" in the centre of label and in a vertical position. Upper right curve slants inward and is much nearer to base than to top of "E". "C" and "S" in lower label are above level of "ENT". "S" of "CENTS" far from curve. Lower left curve short and close to "C". "N" is broad. Lower right curve deeper than lower left curve. "CEN" near. Compare variety 30 for lower right curve and 20 for upper right curve.
Variety 22:—"EN" joined at top. "HR" very wide at top and forming a sharp angle. "TH" close. Upper left curve flat. Upper right curve is deep; far from top of "E" and terminates at its base. Lower left curve far from "C". "C" and "S" above level of "ENT". Upper cross stroke of "T" short. "S" far from lower right curve. First loop above lower right curve has a very large centre. Compare variety 21.
Variety 23:—"R" highest letter and close to outer frame line. "TH" close. "RE" very wide at top. "T" and "E" about the same distance from curves. There are two small, colored dots immediately below the upper right curve. Lower left curve slants. "C" and "S" equally far from curves. "CENT" on level and "CEN" close at base. Compare variety 17 for lower left curve.
Variety 24:—Top stroke of "E" is above top of "C". "CE" close. "EN" near at top. "N" short and thick. Top stroke of "N" nearly touches "T". "NT" high in label. Lower curves well rounded and short, but lower left curve deeper than lower right. "C" somewhat further from curve than "S". Upper right curve deep and far from "E". "TH" near and about parallel. "HR" near, but "RE" wider at top. "EE" near; centre strokes touch upper horizontal line. Compare, for distance of "THR", variety 29.
Variety 25:—A flaw, i.e., a white line running out from the middle of the third loop on the right, towards the inner oval line. Lower left curve a good distance away from "C". "C" round and full, but shorter than the rest of the letters. "S" far from lower right curve. "EE" widely spaced and upper right curve flat. "C" and "S" above level of "ENT".
Variety 26:—"C" of "CENTS" elongated, very slanting and far from "E". Lower left curve is very flat and far from "C". "ENT" near at top. Lower right curve slants back and is far from base of "S". Upper left curve is very flat. "HRE" very wide at top and "EE" widely spaced. "N" is broad. There are, also, two dots immediately below upper right curve. Compare varieties 16 and 29.
Variety 27:—The horizontal bar of the final stroke of "N" extends over the top of "T". Lower left curve fat and very far from "C". "CE" wide. Upper left curve much deeper than upper right curve, which is almost a straight line. "T" very short. "TH" wide at top, "HR" wider. Note that "R" stands to right of the centre of stamp and, also, the wide, colored space above the top of "THRE". "N" of "CENTS" is broad. Compare varieties 16 and 26.
Variety 28:—"T" of "THREE" is low, small and heavy. "RE" nearest. "T" is near the inner oval line and much nearer to upper left curve than "E" to upper right curve. "TH" near, "H" and "E" at top about the same distance apart from "E", which is upright and close to outer frame line. "EE" near. Lower left curve short; lower right curve deep. "CE" on level and close. "EN" far. "N" short and thick and, at base, nearer "E" than "T". Compare variety 29.
Variety 29:—"THR" spaced closest. "T" of "THREE" slightly nearer the curve than "E" is to upper right curve. Upper curves are deep and well rounded. "TH" close. "C" of "CENTS" is heavy and close to the short, round curve. "NT" near and sometimes touching at top. "TS" wide and "S" far from curve. Lower right curve deep and well rounded. Note that the word "CENTS" is near the outer frame line. Compare variety 30 for "S" distance.
Variety 30:—"C" near outer frame line and on level with "E". "TH" very near and top of "T" close to curve. "RE" much wider at top than "HR". "EE" wide at top. Upper right curve much larger than upper left curve and much further from top than from base of "E". Lower curves short and round. "NT" wide at base. "TS" close at top and top of "S" close to curve. There is a colored dot, or circle, immediately above centre of the lower right curve. Note wide colored space above top of "R" and "E". Compare varieties 21 and 28.
SIX CENTS, RED AND SIX CENTS, GREEN.
Short labels with straight ends.
8-1/2 loops on the left; 9 loops on the right.
The date of issue of the SIX CENTS red is generally placed about July 31st. 1853; that of its congener—but with color changed—sometime before Sept. 30th of the same year. As there has never been much demand for a six cent envelope, it is strange that this issue has four distinct heads of Washington, two forms of "SIX", small and large, and different spacings of the word "CENTS". Unlike the last issue, the die is exceedingly well printed, and it is not difficult to get fine copies.
In Varieties 1 and 2 "SIX" is widely spaced:
In Varieties 3 and 4 the spacing is closer.
VARIETY 1.
No description of the head is needed; it is HEAD I of Die 1 of 1853. "CE" very wide; "EN" wide; "NT" near at top and "S" is far from "T".
VARIETY 2.
XVI.
HEAD XVI. Side-lock is long, straight, curved at its point, and ends near the ear-lobe. There are five locks in the front row and four in the back row. The highest front-lock is split into two parts. Between the side-lock and the lowest front-lock and well towards the middle of the former, commences a thin lock which extends far beyond the ear-lobe and ends in the queue. "CE" wide; "EN" wide; "NT" further at base than in Var. 1. "TS" near. This head is found on the reprints on white and buff vertically laid paper.
VARIETY 3.
XVII.
HEAD XVII. A very heavy eyebrow which comes close to the side-lock. The latter is very fine and near the ear-lobe. The hair consists of five long and nearly parallel locks. The second longest and heaviest lock touches the queue. "CE" very wide; "EN" wide. "NT" wide at top. "TS" very widely spaced.
VARIETY 4.
XVIII.
HEAD XVIII. A heavy eyebrow. A short side-lock with a sharp point, starting near the eye-brow, ends [HW: some] distance from the ear-lobe. There are five locks in the front row and the same number in the back row. Of the five front locks four are heavy. There is also a long and thin strand between the second and third front-lock. Together with the side-lock starts the lowest front-lock which broadens out towards its middle and ends in a point a short distance behind the ear-lobe. The second front-lock is in line with the queue. "CENTS" close to outer frame line. "CE" nearer than in Var. 3. "T" has a short cross-stroke; "TS" is wide and "NT" is near at top.
All varieties of the SIX CENTS red exist only on Knife 3, and all those of the SIX CENTS green only on Knife 2. The former is a newcomer and was styled "Official, Size 7". On account of its size (221 × 98 mm.) the envelope did not meet with much favor, and to-day it is difficult to find a cancelled specimen in fine condition. In accordance with the instructions of the Post Office the envelope should have been folded so that the right side flap overlapped the left, but this rule was not strictly adhered to, so that many collectors possess specimens with the opposite folding.
TEN CENTS, GREEN.
Narrow labels with straight ends.
8-1/2 loops on the left; 9 loops on the right.
This die appeared in April, 1855. Its issuance is due to an Act of Congress of March 3, 1855, which fixed the letter rate for transportation over 3000 miles at 10 cents.
HEAD XV: VAR. I:—Letters of "TEN" about equally spaced. "T" slants back and is somewhat nearer the left label than "N" to the right. "CE" close: "NT" near, and the top of the latter above "N". "S" closer to curve than "C". Frequently a little white line runs out from the left ornamental scrollwork a short distance above "C".
TEN CENTS, GREEN.
Very wide upper label (measuring horizontally 24-1/2 mm.) with straight ends.
7 loops on each side.
XIX.
HEAD XIX: VAR I:—A short fine eyebrow extends upward from the end of the nose. Another short, but much heavier one, is attached to the corner of the eye. Two fine, short side-locks commence a little distance from the heavy eyebrow and finish just above the ear-lobe. There is a double row of five short and heavy locks, while the queue is continued from the lowest lock in the back row. The garment at the back has three folds.
"TEN" near, but "N" nearer to right label than "T" to the left. Letters of "CENT" closely spaced, but "S" some distance from "T".