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J. W. Miller. Illegal use of 3-cent George Washington (Scott #65) postage stamp as revenue on CDV. Ex-Baryla.
F. B. Gage. Illegal/improper use of 3-cent George Washington (Scott #65) postage stamp as revenue. Improper usages are fairly scarce on CDV.
S. H. Myers. Illegal/improper use of postage stamp as revenue on a CDV. Ex-Baryla.
L. Reynard. Illegal use of 2-cent Andrew Jackson 'Black Jack' (Scott #73) postage stamp as revenue.
Catalogue value shown is for normal postal use on cover.
Horning & Fritz's Photographic Rooms. 2-cent 'Black Jack' postage stamp used improperly as a revenue stamp on CDV.
Mrs. E.C. Jacobs. 2-cent 'Black Jack' postage stamp used improperly as a revenue stamp on CDV. Female photographers from this era are quite scarce.
Young & Purcell. Scott listed short transfer at bottom. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
Vertical pair. Part perf multiples are quite scarce on CDVs.
S. F. Sterlin.
S. H. Myers. Ex-Baryla.
Ornate 7-line boxed precancel from an as yet unidentified photographer. Note the several different typefaces used. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
Mark C. Terry. Partial margin imprint capture with a gorgeous stencil cancel.
N. H. Tuck. The manuscript cancels are pretty mundane. Of greater interest is the stencil backstamp. I do not know if it was ever used as a stamp cancel. Ex-Baryla.
Jesse Groom. Very ornate frame for the stamp. Ex-Baryla.
J. N. Webster. Choice strikes of this 3-line cancel. Ex-Baryla.
C. L. Obst. Unusual hand-carved crescent moon handstamp cancels. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
Groom's CDV and Photograph Gallery. Great ornate backstamp.
George Ross. 2-cent Bank Check imperforate and 1-cent Proprietary perforated, on a CDV. Imperf usages on CDVs are very unusual, as the 2-year window that photographs were taxed was long after most imperforates were used up. However, California is one place that legitimate late usages of imperfs are frequently encountered.
B. F. Chidester. Very nice backstamp.
Bisected top half, along with a full stamp, paying 3 cents tax. Unlisted in Scott.
G. B. Dana.
L. P. Case.
Z. P. McMillen. Double transfer at bottom. Ex-Baryla.
H. Cushing.
T. C. Haynes. Ex-Baryla.
R. E. Merrifield. A very scarce and unusual CDV, in that it shows both stencil cancel designs used by R.E. Merrifield, one as a cancel on the stamp, and the other as a back mark on the photograph. This larger, more ornate design was also used to cancel stamps. See this stamp for an example. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
S. G. Sheaffer & Co.. Double-rim oval handstamp cancel.
A. Sonrel. Neat signature backstamp. Note the inverted year slug in the handstamp cancel. Ex-Baryla.
I. G. Owen. Ex-Baryla.
T. J. Luccock. Ex-Baryla.
T. R. Gettys. Two-line block letter typeset cancel. Ex-Baryla.
F. Mowrey. Ex-Baryla.
Cary's Gallery. They are tough to make out unless you zoom in, but each stamp is cancelled by a tiny little 'CARY' single line handstamp, one of the smallest cancels on record.
M. L. Bruster.
Thomas Shaw. Ex-Baryla.
S. S. Johnston.
Tyler. Very scarce ornate handstamp cancel. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
Knowles & Hillman.
Slee Brothers.
E. A. Scholfield.
William Nims. Clearly an error in the date slug of the cancel, as the tax on photographs was only in effect from 1864 to 1866.
Joseph Wright. Very unusual. Cancel is a discarded post office handstamp, apparently handed down by the postmaster to the photographer. Wright's photography studio was located next door to the post office. Ex-Baryla.
Green & Epleys Fine Art Gallery.
L. T. Sparhawk. Oval handstamp cancel with artistic 'Artist' in the center, as well as a bold backstamp on the CDV.
J. Norris Greene. Large-format shield handstamp cancel. Subject of photo is Capt. Sidney T. Robinson mustered into the 14th Illinois Cavalry Regiment (Company L) as a Private on Jan. 7, 1863. He was transferred to the 5th U.S. Colored Cavalry Regiment on Dec. 14, 1864 as a First Lieutenant. He left the regiment as a Captain.
G. K. Proctor. Wonderful example of a handstamp cancel used as both a CDV backstamp and as a precancel.
Mrs. D. Sears. Another bored clerk decided to trace a charicature of George Washington. Female photographers during this period are quite scarce.
Torr & Jeffries. Stencil precancel.
Z. P. McMillen. Currently the only reported example of R6e on a photograph. Exceptional color and centering! Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
C. L. Obst. Bisected top half adjoined to a full stamp paying a 3-cent tax. Ex-Baryla.
Husher & Geiger's Photograph Rooms. Part perfs are quite scarce on CDV.
J. S. Bibbins.
L. T. Sparhawk.
Seibird & Brothers. Nice mixed usage.
Kellogg Brothers.
Mark C. Terry. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
William Johnston. Ornate shield handstamp cancel. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
Dolph Brothers.
Even & Clow.
J. C. Mills.
Stein Brothers.
J. C. Mills. Beautiful example of a part perf on CDV. Ex-Baryla.
R. H. Child. Part perfs are very scarce on CDVs.
Seibird & Brothers. Nice mixed usage.
S. F. Sterlin.
F. B. Clench. Ex-Baryla.
Doane. Ex-Baryla.
E. M. Collins.
D. W. Boss. Ex-Baryla.
A. J. Pierce. Ex-Baryla.
C. S. Sanderson.
W. H. Rhoads. Ex-Baryla.
H. C. Van Syckel.
Gill's City Gallery. Bold photographer precancel.
N. G. Johnson. Beautiful strike in red of unusual photographer cancel with the city name 'ERIE' curved.
Thomas R. Rutherford. Blocks of 4 are not typically found on small-size CDVs. Also unusual in that there is a mismatch between the company name on the cancel and the photographer backstamp just barely peeking out over the stamps. Possibly bought out another photographer's business?
J. Good. Partial margin imprint at bottom.
S. H. Waite.
D. O. Furnald.
H. Lazier. Major double transfer (T13).
S. Sykes. Neat handstamp cancel of a circle with a star contwined within.
J. D. Powers. Very unusual cut stencil cancel.
Imlay. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
One-of-a-kind pair on back of a tintype. The top stamp is the Scott-listed T13a double transfer, plate position 147, showing doubling of both top and bottom elements. The stamp below it it is plate position 161, which shows doubling of the top elements only. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
I also have a multiple containing plate position 133 showing doubling of elements only at the bottom of the stamp, with plate position 147, the full T13a showing doubling at top and bottom, which you can see here. To my knowledge there are no known intact multiples of all 3 plate positions.
P. A. Stout. Elaborate stencil that served double duty as a backstamp and as stamp cancel. See this stamp for an example of the same stencil used to cancel a stamp. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
T. M. V. Doughty. Ex-Baryla.
Abraham Bogardus. 5-line handstamp cancel. Ex-Baryla.
Saylor's New Photograph Gallery. Ex-Baryla.
George E. Gibbs. Six-line handstamp used as both a precancel and backstamp. Ex-Baryla.
George N. Cobb. Ex-Baryla.
J. S. Kelly. Fairly scarce photographer and cancel. Ex-Baryla.
J. C. Spooner's Picture Palace.
Howard & Co..
Thomas Cummings.
Frederick. Very unusual, as the full stamp is placed over a partial stamp underneath. It is possible this was an attempt to pay a 3-cent tax with a bisected stamp, or simply the other portion of the stamp underneath was lost and a complete stamp was placed over top.
Bush's Photographic Gallery. Guideline at right of stamp. CDV with very ornate backstamp.
Good & Stokes. Wonderful stylized monogram cancel, incorporating both initials of (G)ood & (S)tokes. Flip it one way and you see the G. Flip it the opposite way and you see the S.
Huge jumbo example of R13c on a CDV from an unknown photographer.
S. F. Sterlin. Interesting Civil War satirical patriotic piece ridiculing the Confederacy that shows Jefferson Davis in a dress. The caption reads 'Brutal attack on helpless women by the U.S. government'. The dialogue has a woman saying 'You had better not provoke the president, he might hurt some of you' and a Union soldier replying 'Yer dont say'.
C. D. Fredricks & Co.. Photo is of Charles W. Nestel, known as 'Commodore Foote,' the smallest man in the world, and his sister, Miss Eliza S. Nestel, known as the 'Fairy Queen' of the West, the smallest lady in the world.
T. E. Sexton. T13 major double transfer at bottom on a Delaware CDV.
S. H. Moulton. Lovely stencil backstamp. This may also have been used as a stamp cancel; if anyone has seen an example of same, please contact me.
Jer. B. Fies. Extremely unusual in that the 'D. N. Wentzel' stencil backstamp doesn't match the information in the printed backstamp. Did one photographer buy out another? Was the stencil applied by the purchased or a collector after the fact? We may never know.
A generic photographer precancel on a stereoview.
Partridge. Re-entry marks above the design.
Partridge. Ex-Baryla.
E. M. Douglass.
Whitney & Beckwith.
Courtesy of Bruce Baryla — This 'Skull and Bones' handstamp was known to collectors of fancy handstamps by its appearance as a 'sender's mark' on covers mailed in 1857 by the 'Society of Twenty-Two,' a Yale University based fraternal group associated with the famous Skull and Bones Society.
This same handstamp was used years later as a stamp canceling device. As it turns out, the secretary of the 'Society of Twenty-Two' in 1857 was Robert A. Beckwith. He became a photographer and co-owner of the Whitney & Beckwith studio — and he repurposed the handstamp from his college days to cancel revenue stamps.
See this blog entry for other examples with different portions of the cancel.
Whitney & Beckwith.
Courtesy of Bruce Baryla — This 'Skull and Bones' handstamp was known to collectors of fancy handstamps by its appearance as a 'sender's mark' on covers mailed in 1857 by the 'Society of Twenty-Two,' a Yale University based fraternal group associated with the famous Skull and Bones Society.
This same handstamp was used years later as a stamp canceling device. As it turns out, the secretary of the 'Society of Twenty-Two' in 1857 was Robert A. Beckwith. He became a photographer and co-owner of the Whitney & Beckwith studio — and he repurposed the handstamp from his college days to cancel revenue stamps.
See this blog entry for other examples with different portions of the cancel.
J. A. Clayton. Horizontal pair on CDV. There are only a handful of R14c multiples known. California CDVs are also quite scarce.
Very unusual. This CDV depicts a famous painting, Robert Walter Weir's 'The Embarkation of the Pilgrims', painted in 1857, which currently hangs in the United States Capitol rotunda.
Whitney & Beckwith. Lovely 4-margin example of R14c with bold W&B handtsamp cancel on a CDV.
William Shew. Scarce California usage.
Cased daguerreotype (?) with horizontal strip of 3 of R14c affixed, photographer unknown. R14c has very few multiples known, with the Curtis census showing only 4 multiples larger than this single strip of 3, and 3 pairs. The catalogue value shown is for a pair and a single.
Dowe & Co..
G. B. Spencer.
Unlisted all-over double transfer. Transfer visible in many places throughout the stamp. Appears to be the same plate and position as this one.
W. H. Jacoby.
Welcome S. Nott. Wonderful stencil cancel in brown ink, which is quite scarce. Ex-Baryla.
W. L. Nichols.
S. R. Miller. Interesting handstamp cancel where the 'S' was carved in backwards. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
H. H. Coles. A tiny, diminuitive handstamp cancel. Ex-Baryla.
J. Smith, Sr.. Ex-Baryla.
Francis West. Very unusual post mortem photo. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
R. E. Merrifield. One of two different stencil cancels used by this photographer. The other one is more ornate, with a wavy design. It can be seen here. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
C. Becker. The only reported pictorial cancel depicting a studio camera. No complete example of the shield cancel has been reported. Other portions of the cancel can be seen on this CDV. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
C. Becker. Portions of the only reported pictorial cancel depicting a studio camera. No complete example of the shield cancel has been reported. Other portions of the cancel can be seen on this CDV. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
E. T. Stearns. Interesting how the cancel does not exactly match the backstamp of the CDV. The business may have been in transition. Ex-Baryla.
T. J. Trapp. Intersting use of a handstamp cancel as a backstamp. Ex-Baryla.
Farnham & Hull. Ex-Baryla.
J. B. Jenks. Handstamp cancel also used as a backstamp. Ex-Baryla.
J. W. Hale. Ex-Baryla.
London Stereoscopic and Photographic Co.. Ex-Baryla.
T. R. Gettys. Ex-Baryla.
H. H. Parkhill. Unusual cancel. The crudeness of the typeface implies a hand carved cancel.
L. Moulton. Ex-Baryla.
Harper & Brothers. Ex-Baryla.
Ferris' Excelsior Gallery. 4-line handstamp cancel. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
V. Buel. Cruciform handstamp cancel from the same photographer that used this one. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
V. Buel. Cruciform handstamp cancel from the same photographer that used this one. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
G. K. Warren.
S. C. Hansen. Incredibly unusual item; never seen another like it. CDV that served as a raffle ticket. It's not the lottery ticket tax, which expired in 1864. It falls within the taxable period of CDVs, but the initials in the cancel are not that of the photographer. Instead, it appears to match the name written on the ticket, which means it is presumably the person running the lottery or the purchaser of the ticket, paying the tax on the $1 purchase price of the ticket.
J. F. French. Large format stencil cancel also serves as an identifying backstamp.
P. B. Killam. Large format stencil backstamp. This may also have been used as a cancel. If anyone has seen such an example, please contact me.
B. F. Beckwith. Large stencil cancel that doubles as a backstamp.
J. Thurlow. 2006 APEX and 2017 William T. Crowe certificates. The only reported example of R15e on a CDV. Also the finest centered example I have been able to find in my R15e census research. Exquisite piece!
Two identically framed photos with gilt paint, each with bisected 2c USIR stamps, being two halves of the same stamp. Matched pairs of bisects are extremely scarce.
A. F. Morse. Ex-Baryla.
Dr. H. Baker. Very unusual. The backstamp of the CDV reads 'Dr. H. Baker' yet the single-line handstamp cancel appears to read 'M. E. Parker'. Any ideas? Ex-Baryla.
D. O. Furnald. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit. Subject of the photo is William H. Baldwin, 1st New York Engineers.
A. W. Kimball.
E. Decker.
J. A. Keenan. Ex-Baryla.
Brown, Williams & Co..
J. Trott.
Hurd.
L. W. Cook.
F. & M. Merwin.
Giles Bishop. Wonderfully centered 3-cent Playing Cards on a CDV. There appear to be plate scratches across the top. I'm looking for a confirming example with the same scratches, so please contact me if you have seen one.
J. Gurney & Son..
Webster & Popkins. 3-cent Playing Cards with a tool gouge or plate crack at top center, plate position #14, on a CDV.
Sewell's Art Gallery. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
A.K. Josselyn. Gallop's Island is an island in the Boston Harbor, now uninhabited. During the Civil War it was the home of a military training and mustering out camp housing 3,000 Union soldiers.
Wenderoth & Taylor.
S. F. Sterlin.
London Stereoscopic & Photographic Co.. Attractive use on a Swiss Stereoview.
William H. Ruggles. Wonderful cancel created from printer's type in both straight lines and arcs. In addition to being a photographer, he was also a 'Dealer in Watches, Clocks, Jewelry, Perfumery and Fancy Articles. Watches, Clocks and Jewelry repaired.' Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
S. McCrary. Scarce stencil cancel rarely found on CDV, one of three known California photographers that used stencil cancels. S. McCrary was located in a fraternal organization meeting room called the 'Odd Fellows Hall'. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
L. J. Stinson. Scarce stencil cancel rarely found on CDV, one of three known California photographers that used stencil cancels. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
W. M. Knight.
Oliver H. Willard.
J. Q. A. Tresize. Very scarce single-line handstamp cancel. Ex-Baryla.
Jex Bardwell. Diminuitive circular handstamp. Ex-Baryla.
T. J. Merritt. I'm not sure which of the 3 listed business entities was responsible for this item, so I went with the first one on the list. Once could also posit that cancels for the second and third would have incorporated '& Co.' into the cancel. Ex-Baryla.
Frank Rowell. Ex-Baryla.
J. S. Weider. Bold rimless circle cancel; very unusual. Ex-Baryla.
Fuller. Very sharply struck oval handstamp cancel. Ex-Baryla.
Fisher Brothers. Ex-Baryla.
Walter & Heuck. Very scarce diminuitive 2-line handstamp cancel. Ex-Baryla.
Doughty Brothers.
F.A.G. (??). 3-line handstamp cancel from an unidentified photographer.
J. Taylor.
Whitney & Beckwith.
Davis Brothers.
J. P. Soule. Nice handstamp cancel on a stereoview.
C. S. Sanderson.
Carpenter & Mullen.
Ferdinand W. Wagner. Colorful hand-tinted stereview. Ferdinand W. Wagner was a retailer of photographs rather than a photographer, hence the revenue stamp on a French stereoview.
L. B. Simonds. 'Ambrotype artist'. Wonderful large-format stencil backstamp. It's possible this was also used as a stamp cancel; if you have any examples, please contact me.
George K. Knapp & Co..
Mathew Brady. Great strike of 'Brady' script cancel on a CDV of an unidentified soldier. CDV has front marks tying together the 'Brady' and 'Washington' script printed cancels.
Mathew Brady. Scarce 'Washington' script printed cancel. Considerably more scarce than the 'Brady' script cancel.
Francis Forshew. Large script F monogram handstamp cancel.
Shorey's Gallery. A bored clerk decided to draw a moustache and beard on George...
J. Hughes. Large format stencil backstamp. Presumably this was also used as a cancel at some point. If you have seen such an example, please let me know.
Getchell & Brownell. Part perfs are quite scarce on CDVs. Ex-Baryla.
George K. Knapp & Co.. Ornate handstamp with scalloped edges used both as a cancel and as a CDV back mark. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit.
J. S. Bibbins. Ex-Baryla.
Gilbert Brothers. One of the most beautiful stencil backstamps I have ever seen, in the form of a tree leaf. This stencil may also have been used as a cancel. If you have seen an example, please contact me.
Elias A. Bonine. Amazing piece. This is a legitimate bisected R21c or R22c, unlisted in Scott. Photographer was known for signing his name as a play on words, using 'Bo9' rather than 'Bonine', the latter portion of which is clearly apparent on the bisect.
G. William Young. Beautiful 3-inch x 4-inch framed tintype with 25 cents tax paid via six 4-cent Proprietary stamps and one 1-cent Express stamp. This is the largest number of 4-cent stamps I've seen on a photo to date.
P. L. Perkins. Inverted day and month in cancel. Ex-Baryla.
W. N. Hobbs. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit. An oversized memorial portrait of a slain soldier, Benjamin F. Marshal, 1st. Co. New Hampshire Heavy Artillery, killed Sep. 14, 1864. Five examples of R29c on the reverse. Large-sized CDVs depricting soldiers are very rare.
Unusual large format (7in x 4in) 'Magic Lantern' glass slide in wooden frame with remains of a 15-cent 1st issue revenue stamp affixed, dated April 29, 1865, approximately two weeks after Lincoln's assassination.
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