History of the Postage Stamps of the United States of America

This was the beginning of an entire change in the method of crediting the Post Office Department for work done in carrying official correspondence.

By the Act of XLIVth Congress, Session II, Chapter 103, approved March 30, 1877, the law was modified in the following terms:

By this act the use of official stamps upon mail matter from the Departments, bureaus and offices was practically abolished, but official stamps continued to be used by postmasters and other subordinate officers in their mail matter to the Departments or each other on official business.

By the 29th Section of the Act of the XLVth Congress, Chapter 180, approved March 3d, 1879, it was enacted that,—

In his report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1878, D. M. Key, Postmaster General, had already stated that,—

The operation of the act of 1879, however, greatly increased the amount of free matter, and decreased the use of official stamps. The Post Office Department discontinued their use entirely. In a circular dated, Washington, D. C., April 22nd, 1879, and signed by A. D. Hazen, third assistant Postmaster General, it is stated that:

This circular, of course, applies only to stamps, etc., of the Post Office Department. The other Departments continued to use them for certain purposes, though none were issued to the Executive Department. The report of the Postmaster General for the year ending June 30th, 1885, says:

By the Act of the XLVIIIth Congress, Session I, Chapter 234, Section 3, approved July 5, 1884, the provisions of the Act of 1879, were substantially re-enacted with the addition that any Department or officer authorized to use the penalty envelopes, might enclose them to any person from whom an answer was requested, and might register any letter required by law, or the regulations to be registered free, and might receive any letter partly paid free, and added that:

To this the report of the Postmaster General for 1885, adds:

From the report of this committee it appears that they destroyed in all, 17,024,588 official stamps, and 1,739,290 of ordinary and newspaper stamps that had ceased to be of use. Also that about 2½ per cent of all the stamps manufactured annually, are destroyed, a single imperfect specimen on the "sheet" of 100 causing the rejection of at least fifty or half the sheet.

XXVIII.

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.

XXIX.

Reprints.

There seems to have been no special law authorizing the Postmaster General to issue reprints of the stamps of the United States, or as the authorities choose to call them, "Specimen Postage Stamps." On the other hand his general authority under the law is sufficient to make any re-issue for postal purposes of any of the issues of the Department legal, for none of them except the official stamps have ever been made invalid for postal purposes by any authority but his own, and this authority he undoubtedly has also. It has always seemed expedient to the Department to issue certain specimens of the stamps and envelopes in circulation, or to be circulated, from time to time, in the proper, as well as in trial colors. It has been said that it being considered expedient to exhibit at the Centennial Exhibition a complete series of all the various issues authorized from time to time, by the Department, as a part of its history, and unused specimens not being easily obtained, the old dies and plates were taken from their places of storage in order to print the necessary specimens, and that the Department having been solicited to furnish collectors with specimens of its old issues, took this opportunity to provide itself to satisfy these demands. It was, however, a mistaken kindness and unused originals were not unattainable. So that for exhibition purposes even reprinting was not necessary. Besides as the reprints or specimens of all except the current series, are in some respects or other unlike the originals, they were really only so many tolerably accurate pictures of what had been.

When the Department was ready to furnish collectors with these doubtful boons the following official circular was issued:

Here is truly a pretty kettle of fish. The proceedings do not seem to have been reported by the Department, and there seems to have been no account rendered of this peculiar transaction of the Stamp Office. Doubtless the amounts received for these specimens and the number of them sold are blended in the accounts of the number of stamps sold and no loss accrued to the service. The public are not, however, informed of the extent of the transactions, and judging from the difficulty of finding these specimens in collections, the business was not large.

There was no law preventing any one from purchasing either the newspaper or periodical stamps from the Post office, and at the time there was probably no regulation of the Department which prevented postmasters from selling them to all desirous of purchasing. Certainly some were sold to dealers and collectors. Hence the privilege of purchasing the current newspaper and periodical stamps without gum for the same price that actual and complete copies could be obtained, particularly in view of the fact that the purchaser, unless a publisher or agent, could not use them when so purchased, even if he were willing to gum them himself, was probably not largely taken advantage of. The specimens when found can hardly be called reprints and cannot be distinguished from the ordinary stamps that have by some accident lost their gum. There is reason to believe that some of them have been adorned with this appendage by private parties, so that the presence of gum is no guarantee of genuineness. As, however, they are only partly finished stamps of the regular issue, no great harm is done if a specimen is treasured in a collection.

With the newspaper stamps of the 1865 issue the facts are different. While they are from the same plates apparently, they can generally be detected by the color. As the five cents with white border does not appear in the list of reprints or "specimens" the series was not, after all, complete, and the possessor of this stamp may feel confident of possessing an original. The companion five cents with colored border is exactly of the same color, varying only in different specimens of either variety in depths of color. The blue of the reprints is of a different shade, more intense and perhaps the difference can best be expressed by saying there is a bloom about it that there is not about the originals. When the two are placed side by side the homely expression that the "new is worn off" of the originals will serve to express the difference, though in point of fact they never had the brightness of the reprints. The same remarks apply to the old and new ten cent values. The color of the 25 cents, is, however, very badly imitated, the originals have a yellowish-red cast, the reprint is a dull common red. A very good idea of it might be had by comparing what are called salmon brick and pressed brick together. Unfortunately some unscrupulous parties have "experimented" with the reprints and thus rendered some specimens rather harder to distinguish, but so far as the observation of the writer goes, comparison with originals will always satisfactorily expose the difference.

The extreme anxiety of the Department that the revenue of the service should not suffer by the use of a private party of an official stamp for which he had paid the department full value, led as the advertisement states to the placing of the word "specimen" in small type across the face, and thereby saved the collector any trouble in identifying "specimens" from originals, though as the stamps were current the omission of the gum only reduced them to partly finished stamps, and not to the category of reprints or counterfeits.

Of the "ordinary stamps for the use of the public," the 5th or 1870 issue was then current, and why ungummed stamps which the circular says were never the less available for postage, should have been sold when the Department had a large supply of finished originals at command, is a mystery to all but official minds.

The 4th or 1869 series presents greater difficulties to the collector who desires to have only genuine originals. Made by the same company that produced the originals, and only a short time afterwards, the processes of printing, ink and paper making had not materially changed, but the reprints show signs of more careful workmanship. Notwithstanding the circular some of them at least were sent out by the department gummed. But strange to say as noticed by Mr. Coster (A. J. P. 1875 page 6) the gum of the originals "varied from decidedly brownish to almost white" and "on the 1861-69 issues of the reprints (as also on the eagles) simple gum arabic seems to have been used, the color being perfectly white. Furthermore, if the stamps are bent at all, the gum cracks, which is in no case true of the originals." Mr. Coster further says, "the originals all had the grille and the reprints have not." Unfortunately, Mr. Coster was not aware that the four higher values at least, with the brownish gum and without the grille, and undoubtedly original, existed in collections before the reprints were made, and have since been officially stated to have been so issued, and other values also in that condition are known, which have every appearance of being originals. Unfortunately also, it is not very difficult to remove the gum, imitate the grille or not and regum the stamp with brownish gum. Such experiments have been made with fair success by members of that fraternity who exist by the trade in bogus antiquities and counterfeit evidences of value, who sometimes do these little things merely to experience the delight they feel in deceiving the so-called experts, especially when as in this case a known reprint is almost unsalable, but if it can be made to pass as an original its value is increased several hundred fold and its salable qualities many times more. Fortunately there are not a large number of the reprints to encounter and grilled specimens are in all probability original. The 3d or 1861 issue was also made by the same company that did the reprinting. The originals were issued first without the grille and afterwards with it, both had the brownish gum. The reprints have the same perforation and, notwithstanding the circular, were issued both without the gum and with the white stiff gum noticed above. Originals without the grille are rarely on tinted or surfaced paper, though sometimes smurched in parts from careless wiping of the plates. Originals with the grille are generally on lightly tinted or surfaced paper and the colors are usually stronger than the earlier ones. The reprints were without the grille, but the colors are rather those of the grilled originals, the paper is however whiter, the printing more carefully worked, and there is the new look about them noticed when speaking of the reprints of the newspaper series of 1865. Sheets of the one cent reprinted show the printer's imprint on the sides and of the pattern of that on the 1869 issue. All the originals of this value probably had the imprint of the other pattern, and at the top or bottom. The reprints are therefore, probably from new plates.

A few reprints with a forged grille have come under the observation of the writer, but as the grille was the small grille imitated from that on the 1869 issue it was easily detected.

The 2nd or 1851 issue, as it is called in the circular, actually consisted of two series, the imperforate and perforate. Imperforate reprints were not furnished. The originals were perforated 15 to the mm. or 17 to the 7/8 of an inch. The reprints were perforated 12 to the mm. or 13 to the 7/8 of an inch. This is the perforation of the 1870 series and of most of the U. S. stamps.

This is an absolute test then for perforated specimens. Attempts are, however, made to palm off trimmed reprints as imperforate specimens. The originals are on a yellowish paper and with brown gum. The reprints on a very white paper originally but easily manipulated to yellowish. The reprint of the one cent is from a new plate, the stamps have the outside fine labels of the original imperforate series, but are set farther apart on the plate so that even the larger perforation used does not cut into the stamp. The blue is too bright. The reprinted three cents has the outer top and bottom lines of the original imperforate stamp. The stamps do not seem to have been set quite far enough apart on the plate, as most specimens are somewhat marred by the large perforation. The color is however a vermilion and not the brick-red, pink or carmine of the originals. The reprinted five cents is from plate No. 2 without the top and bottom projection, and the stamps being too near together are marred by the large perforation. The color is a decided yellow brown, unlike any of the shades of the original. It would probably be impossible to remove the perforation so as to make this stamp pass for an imperforate specimen and then it would lack the projection of the original.

The ten and twelve cents are harder to distinguish, the green is too green, the black too black. The twenty-four, thirty and ninety cents were not issued imperforate (except the very rare instances of the 24 cents) and are not likely to deceive any one, their colors, however, are the more brilliant new colors and not the old dull colors of the originals.

The reprinted "Eagle" Carrier's stamp was first sent out perforated 12, the original was, of course, imperforate, and the stamps upon the sheet were separated by colored lines. The perforations of the reprints made sad havoc with these. Later the reprints were sent out imperforate. Such originals as the present writer has seen are on a yellowish tinted paper arising probably from the gum or age, the reprints are on a paper blued on the printed side by the ink of the stamp and with a blue cast at the back.

The reprinted "Franklin" Carrier's stamp is on too deep a pink paper and the dark blue ink is not deep and dull enough.

Finally the only safe test of any of these stamps is comparison with undoubted originals, in every case of doubt.

The first or 1847 reprints are not from the original plates nor even from the original dies, but from newly engraved dies, and hence are absolutely worthless as representing the originals. They are not reprints, but official imitations. In speaking of this issue it was stated that the Department had ordered all remainders to be burnt and the plates and dies destroyed. Supposing this to have been done reprinting was impossible. To take the place of the originals, new dies were made.

The imitations are both wider and shorter than the originals. The foliated ornaments are too conspicuous in both. The small letters, R. W. H. and E. in the margins, though clear in the originals are too small, and particularly in the five cents almost illegible, being too light, and apparently the engraver did not know whether to make an R or an H, an M or a W, an H or an N, an E or an F. These are the general and common differences.

The Five Cents. The hair on the right of the head (left of the stamp) is in heavy dark masses in the original, but is too light, open and airy in the imitation. The mouth prolonged in the original beyond the dot on the right, ends with it in the imitation, in which there is a second dot to the right of the first. The eyes are clear and distinct in the original, with perhaps too much white in the right one, they are weak undecided eyes in the imitation. The shirt front in the original is terminated by a diagonal line which reaches the oval above the top of the F of "Five" in the original, but is more nearly horizontal in the imitation, reaching the oval nearly on a line with the top of the 5.

The Ten Cents. In the hair on the right of the stamp there is a small, white circle with a dark center in the imitation which does not appear in the original. The lips are larger and the mouth longer in the original than the imitation, but in the latter the lower lip is indicated throughout by vertical lines, in the original there are three vertical lines, the rest indicated by points. In the original the white cravat is separated from the inner colored line marking the oval by a fine white line with a colored line above it; in the imitation the line of the oval terminates the cravat. The lines of the face are all too stiff and ridged and the execution does not compare in delicacy and boldness of touch with the original.

Index.

• Agriculture Department; 230, 243
• Alexandria; 28, 60
• Baltimore; 28, 62, 63
• Baltimore, Horseman; 63
• Brattleboro; 28, 48, 50
• Carrier Stamps; 87, 88, 100, 191, 264
• Compulsory prepayment; 23, 90, 91
• Eight Cents, Newspapers, 1874; 218
• Eighty-four Cents, Newspapers, 1874; 219
• Executive Department; 230, 235
• Fifteen Cents, 1866; 131, 135, 136, 191
• Fifteen Cents, 1867, medium grille; 139, 142, 191
• Fifteen Cents, 1867, small grille; 141, 142, 191
• Fifteen Cents, 1869; 153, 191
• Fifteen Cents, 1870; 166, 170, 173
• Fifteen Cents, 1873; 176
• Fifteen Cents, 1883; 195
• Fifteen Cents, Official; 234
• Fifty Cents, Postage Due; 202
• Five Cents, 1847; 76, 78, 191, 265
• Five Cents, 1856; 94, 107, 191
• Five Cents, 1857; 110, 120, 191
• Five Cents, 1861; 126, 134, 135, 191
• Five Cents, 1867; 140, 141, 142, 191
• Five Cents, 1875; 178
• Five Cents, 1881; 180
• Five Cents, 1882; 181
• Five Cents, 1883; 196
• Five Cents, Newspapers, 1865; 191
• Five Cents, Postage Due; 200
• Five Dollars, State Department; 237
• Four Cents, 1883; 187, 189, 196
• Four Cents, Newspapers, 1874; 218
• Forty-eight Cents, Newspapers, 1874; 219
• Forty-eight Dollars, Newspapers, 1874; 222
• Grille of 1867; 138, 139, 140
• Grille of 1869; 157
• Grille of 1870; 170
• Interior Dep't; 230, 241
• Introduction; 13
• Issue of 1847; 74, 191, 265
• Issue of 1851; 81, 85, 87, 88, 191, 263
• Issue of 1855; 94, 191
• Issue of 1856; 94, 191
• Issue of 1857; 110, 191
• Issue of 1860; 111, 191
• Issue of 1861; 122, 125, 191, 261
• Issue of 1863; 131, 191
• Issue of 1865; 209, 191
• Issue of 1866; 132, 191
• Issue of 1867; 137, 191
• Issue of 1869; 144, 149, 191, 260
• Issue of 1870; 158, 191, 260
• Issue of 1873; 173, 227
• Issue of 1874; 214
• Issue of 1875; 177
• Issue of 1879; 201
• Issue of 1882; 180
• Issue of 1883; 186, 189, 195
• Issue of 1885; 205
• Issue of 1887; 196
• Justice Dep't; 230, 242
• Millbury; 28, 65
• Navy Dep't; 230, 240
• Newspaper and Periodical, 1865; 209, 259
• Newspaper and Periodical, 1865, 5 cts.; 211
• Newspaper and Periodical, 1865, 10 cts.; 212
• Newspaper and Periodical, 1865, 25 cts.; 213
• Newspaper and Periodical, 1874; 214
• New Haven; 28, 51, 53
• New York; 22, 27, 28, 29, 30, 33
• New York "U. S. Mail"; 34
• Nine Cents, Newspapers, 1874; 191, 192, 218
• Nine Dollars, Newspapers, 1874; 221
• Ninety Cents, 1860; 112, 121, 191
• Ninety Cents, 1861; 129, 135, 136, 191
• Ninety Cents, 1867; 140, 141, 142, 191
• Ninety Cents, 1869; 156, 191
• Ninety Cents, 1870; 169, 170, 173
• Ninety Cents, 1873; 176
• Ninety Cents, 1883; 195, 196
• Ninety Cents, Official; 235
• Ninety-six Cents, Newspapers, 1874; 219
• Official Stamps; 227
• Official Seals; 249
• Officially Sealed; 250
• One Cent Carrier, Eagle; 88, 109, 191, 264
• One Cent Carrier, Franklin; 87, 109, 191, 264
• One Cent 1851; 85, 89, 97, 191
• One Cent 1857; 110, 113, 191
• One Cent 1861; 125, 133, 134, 135, 191
• One Cent 1867, medium grille; 139, 191
• One Cent 1867, small grille; 140, 141, 142, 191
• One Cent 1869; 149, 191
• One Cent 1870; 161, 170, 172, 173
• One Cent 1873; 175
• One Cent 1881; 180
• One Cent 1882; 183
• One Cent 1883; 195
• One Cent 1886; 183
• One Cent 1887; 183
• One Cent 1887; 196
• One Cent Newspaper, 1885; 224
• One Cent Official; 233
• One Cent Postage Due; 200
• One Dollar and Ninety-two Cents, Newspaper, 1874; 220
• Philadelphia; 69
• Pittsfield; 71
• Postage Due; 198
• Postage Due, 1, 2, 3, 5; 200
• Postage Due, 10, 30, 50; 202
• Postmarks; 14 to 18
• Post Obitum; 252
• Post Office Department; 230
• Postmasters Stamps; 25, 72
• Providence; 23, 54, 56
• Registered Seals; 249
• Registered Seals for stamp packages; 250
• Reprints; 254
• St. Louis; 27, 28, 36, 38
• St. Louis, 2 Cents; 47
• St. Louis, 5 Cents; 40
• St. Louis, 10 Cents; 42
• St. Louis, 20 Cents; 44
• Seven Cents, 1870; 159, 169, 170, 172, 173, 191, 192
• Seven Cents, 1873; 176
• Seven Cents, Official; 234
• Seventy-two Cents, Newspapers, 1874; 219
• Six Cents, 1869; 151, 191
• Six Cents, 1870; 159, 164, 170, 172, 173
• Six Cents, 1873; 175, 176
• Six Cents, 1882; 184, 190, 192
• Six Cents, 1883; 196
• Six Cents, 1886; 192
• Six Cents, Newspapers, 1874; 218
• Six Cents, Official; 234
• Sixty Cents, Newspapers, 1874; 219
• Sixty Dollars, Newspapers, 1874; 223
• Six Dollars, Newspapers, 1874; 220
• Specimen Postage Stamps; 225
• Special Delivery; 204
• State Department; 230, 236
• Ten Cents, 1847; 77, 79, 191, 266
• Ten Cents, 1855; 94, 108, 191
• Ten Cents, 1857; 110, 121, 191
• Ten Cents, 1861; 127, 135, 191
• Ten Cents, 1867, medium grille; 139, 191
• Ten Cents, 1867, small grille; 140, 141, 142, 191
• Ten Cents, 1869; 151, 191
• Ten Cents, 1870; 159, 165, 170, 173
• Ten Cents, 1881; 180
• Ten Cents, 1882; 185
• Ten Cents, 1883; 185, 186
• Ten Cents, 1886; 196
• Ten Cents, 1887; 186
• Ten Cents, Newspapers, 1874; 218
• Ten Cents, Official; 234
• Ten Cents, Postage Due; 202
• Ten Cents, Special Delivery; 204
• Ten Dollars, State; 237
• Thirty Cents, 1860; 111, 112, 121, 191
• Thirty Cents, 1861; 129, 135, 136, 191
• Thirty Cents, 1867; 140, 141, 142, 191
• Thirty Cents, 1869; 155, 191
• Thirty Cents, 1870; 168, 170, 173
• Thirty Cents, 1873; 176
• Thirty Cents, 1883; 196
• Thirty Cents, Official; 235
• Thirty Cents, Postage Due; 202
• Thirty-six Cents, Newspapers, 1874; 219
• Thirty-six Dollars, Newspapers, 1874; 222
• Three Cents, 1851; 85, 89, 98, 191
• Three Cents, 1857; 110, 115, 191
• Three Cents, 1861; 126, 134, 135, 191
• Three Cents, 1867 grilled all over; 138, 191
• Three Cents, 1867 large grille; 139, 191
• Three Cents, 1867 medium grille; 139, 191
• Three Cents, 1867 small grille; 140, 141, 142, 191
• Three Cents, 1867 imperforate; 142, 191
• Three Cents, 1869; 150, 191
• Three Cents, 1870; 163, 170, 172, 173
• Three Cents, 1873; 175, 176
• Three Cents, 1881; 180
• Three Cents, 1882; 184, 186, 190, 192
• Three Cents, 1883; 196
• Three Cents, 1886-7; 192
• Three Cents, Official; 234
• Three Cents, Newspapers, 1874; 191, 192, 218
• Three Cents, Postage due; 200
• Three Dollars, Newspapers, 1874; 220
• Treasury Dept; 230, 238
• Twelve Cents, 1851; 86, 89, 108, 191
• Twelve Cents, 1857; 110, 121, 191
• Twelve Cents, 1861; 127, 135, 191
• Twelve Cents, 1867 medium grille; 139, 191
• Twelve Cents, 1867 small grille; 140, 141, 142, 191
• Twelve Cents, 1869; 152, 191
• Twelve Cents, 1870; 159, 165, 170, 173, 191, 192
• Twelve Cents, 1883; 196
• Twelve Cents, Newspapers, 1874; 219
• Twelve Cents, Official; 234
• Twelve Dollars, Newspapers, 1874; 221
• Twenty Dollars, State; 237
• Twenty-four Cents, 1856; 93, 108, 191
• Twenty-four Cents, 1860; 111, 112, 121, 191
• Twenty-four Cents, 1861; 128, 135, 136, 191
• Twenty-four Cents, 1867; 140, 141, 142, 191
• Twenty-four Cents, 1869; 154, 191
• Twenty-four Cents, 1870; 167, 170, 173, 191, 192
• Twenty-four Cents, 1873; 176
• Twenty-four Cents, Newspapers, 1874; 219
• Twenty-four Cents, Official; 234
• Twenty-four Dollars, Newspapers, 1874; 222
• Two Cents, 1863; 131, 135, 191
• Two Cents, 1867, medium grille; 139, 191
• Two Cents, 1867, small grille; 140, 141, 142, 191
• Two Cents, 1867, imperforate; 142, 191
• Two Cents, 1869; 150, 191
• Two Cents, 1870; 161, 170, 172, 173
• Two Cents, 1873; 175
• Two Cents, 1875; 177
• Two Cents, 1881; 180
• Two Cents, 1882; 184, 186
• Two Cents, 1883; 187, 189, 195
• Two Cents, Official; 234
• Two Cents, Newspaper; 218
• Two Cents, Postage Due; 200
• Two Dollars, State; 237
• Uniform Postage; 23
• Unpaid Letter Stamps; 200
• Unperforated Specimens, 1867; 142
• Unperforated Specimens, 1870; 172
• U. S. Mail; 34
• U. S. City Dispatch Post; 19, 22
• War Department; 230, 239
• Washington; 31, 67
• Worcester; 70