These are the stamps in my collection that "jump off the page" at me... the best of my collection. I may have chosen them for any number of reasons, not necessarily the condition of the stamp. It might be the particular color shade of the stamp, or perhaps a particularly sharp cancel strike, a fancy cancel, the contrast between the colors of the cancel and the stamp, or simply something I found to be interesting.
Click on any thumbnail below to pop up a window with more information and a zoomable high-resolution image.
Scott # 26
 | Very scarce use of a demonetized postage stamp as a revenue. |
Scott # 65
 | Just an incredible piece! Doubly illegal, with postage stamps used as revenues, and miscalculation of the tax owed. Two promissory notes (one year and two year) dated February 22, 1865, each for $450, with 15 randomly placed #65. The correct tax, five cents per $100 or part thereof, should have been 25 cents per note, or 50 cents, but the illegal attempted payment, 45 cents was based on the cumulative total of $900. The two receipts on the back are not taxable because they were on the same sheet of paper as the notes. |
Scott # 73
 | Illegal use of postage stamps as revenues. Lovely mixed usage. |
Scott # 76
 | Spectactular combination usage of 4 singles along with R58c and a pair of R15c paying the 49-cent tax. Not only is it a one-of-a-kind illegal usage of postage stamps as revenues, but it also features a great single-line handstamp cancel in blue. Ex-Joyce. |
 | Very attractive illegal use as revenue on a marriage license and certificate. |
 | Block of 3 used illegally as revenues on 1866 promissory note to J.H. Gulliford, a musical instruments dealer. Secondary transaction on the back is a 'confession of judgement', an extremely rare transaction, only a handful reported to exist. Mahler (1999) rarity rating of 9 with only 4 reported examples at that time. Ex-Turner (Lot 526 in the 1980 Turner sale, sold for $575 including BP at that time; transaction on back was not noted). |
Scott # 78b
 | Illegal usage of Scott #78 as a revenue, combined with R18c (x2) and R25c, paid the 35-cent tax rate on a $7.00 photograph. |
Scott # 113
 | Beautiful illegal usage. The vast majority are found with manuscript cancels, whereas this one has a bold blue oval handstamp cancel. The stamp color is bright and fresh as well. |
Scott # 273
 | A superb illegal usage! Block of 4 and a single of Scott #273, the 10-cent Daniel Webster green, used illegally as revenues, along with a 50-cent battleship, paying $1.00 tax on a Michigan surety bond, canceled July 2, 1898, the second day of the tax. Ex-Curtis. |
 | Illegal usage of vertical strip of 3 and pair of Scott #273, the 10-cent Daniel Webster green, paying the 50-cent tax on an 1898 warranty deed. Great magenta 'IR' (internal revenue) designated on the stamps. |
Scott # 295
 | There was only a 61-day window between the date the Pan American series was issued and when the check tax expired, making this a very rare illegal usage. |
Scott # R1c
 | 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. |
Scott # R2c
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Scott # R3c
 | Partial margin imprint capture with a gorgeous stencil cancel. |
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 | This one is a true oddity. Is it a counterfeit, a college/training stamp, or something else? The design is VERY crude and the color is completely different from the actual stamp. It does not appear to be a modern creation, as the red is not composed of CMYK. |
 | Wonderful item! The Walker & Taylor 10-line printed cancel is scarcer on the 1c denomination than the 2c. Also, the 1870 dated cancel is MUCH tougher than the 1866. Lastly, this is the first multiple I have ever seen with a Walker & Taylor cancel. |
 | Hart L. Pierce counterfeit with full original gum. |
 | Catlin's Improved Fire and Water Proof Cement. |
Scott # R5a
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 | Major double transfer (T5). Very scarce on document. |
 | R5a privately rouletted, on document piece. Unlisted in Scott. Rouletting is visible on all 4 sides of the stamp, with multiple vertical rows. |
Scott # R5b
 | This one has a lot going on: 1. A strong double transfer at bottom, |
 | Unusual mixed handstamp and manuscript cancel, with the latter in a lovely contrasting magenta ink. Notice also the freak perforations at top. |
 | Wonderful one-of-a-kind piece! Not only is it a major double transfer (T5), but it is also an R5b that is imperforate vertically rather than horizontally (as with all part perforates, the imperf vertically are far more scarce than imperf horizontally). It is on a piece of a Wells Fargo document, with a California state revenue. |
Scott # R5c
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 | Major double transfer (T5). Very scarce on document. 2003 PF Certificate. |
Scott # R6c
 | Unusual fancy printed cancel, with the gothic letter initials at top. Because these are seen with different letter combinations at top, speculation is that these are for bond coupons, with the bondholder's initials printed at top. |
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 | An extremely early usage (the first day of the tax was October 1, 1862). Cut cancel goes through the stamp, but the actual stamp itself is incidental to the document. |
 | Ornate draft drawn on the company treasurer in Troy, New York. Unusual in that it is a draft on a company other than a bank. |
 | 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. |
 | Plate blocks of 1st issue revenues are quite scarce. Granted, it has been very heavily reinforced around the edges. There are blue threads on 2 of the 24 stamps, but the PF has determined that it is not silk paper, so the block is not R6d. 2014 Philatelic Foundation Certificate. |
 | Just a wonderful document! It is a receipt for ship transport via Merchants Navigation and Transportation Co. steamer 'Commonwealth' from Silas Pierce & Co. to the Boston & Providence Railroad. There is a crisp railroad receiving datestamp (unlisted in Tolman) at top right center, and then an absolutely superb 'E.J. Smith' script handstamp cancel tying the stamp to the document. The steamer 'Commonwealth' was destroyed in a fire in December of 1865. |
 | Superb ornate handstamp cancel! |
 | Very unusual cancel. Appears it might be the top right poertion of a shield with W and D initials in an ornate medieval font. Ornament above could possibly be a dolphin overlaying an anchor. |
 | Beuatiful ornate monogram hanstamp cancel. Attribution provided by the document shown on this page. |
Scott # R6e
 | 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. |
Scott # R7a
 | Major double transfer at bottom (T7). 2008 PSE Cert. Superb! |
Scott # R7c
 | Blind perfs top and bottom; trimmed left and right. |
Scott # R9a
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Scott # R10c
 | A beautiful 'Army and Soldiers Package Express' receipt with vignette at left. This is one of only stamped examples I have seen. Express receipts were only taxed during two short windows: Oct. 1, 1862 through Mar. 3, 1863, at which point the express stamp tax was rescinded, and then starting again Aug. 1, 1864 when a receipt tax was enacted, through Apr. 1, 1865 when the tax on receipts for delivery by an express company was rescinded. It is also the only example I have ever seen pictures of that has the blue overprint at center. It reads 'It is further agreed, that said Harnden Express shall not, in any event, be liable for any loss, damage or detention caused by Civil or Military authority, or by rebellion, insurrection or riot.' Presumably the company was taking excessive losses due to the Civil War, so they added this overprint. |
Scott # R11c
 | Lovely exhibit-quality multiple, a horizontal block of 12. |
Scott # R13b
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Scott # R13c
 | Poland's Magic Powders fancy mortar and pestle printed cancel. One of the the most famous and desirable 1st issue cancels. |
 | Fancy 'Cook' cancel. |
 | Stamp is munged, but this one is all about the cancel: a beautiful patriotic motif, with both a star and 'stars and bars' shield design. |
 | Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit. |
 | 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'. |
 | From a distance it looks like a printed cancel, but instead it is a very meticulously drawn manuscript cancel, replete with wide and narrow serifs on the 'font'. |
Scott # R13d
 | Scott lists the T13a double transfer on normal paper and as an R13e (ultramarine shade), but does not list the T13a on silk paper. Exceptionally rare. |
Scott # R14c
 | 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. |
Scott # R15P4
 | Very unusual item! It is purported to actually be a card proof (R15P4) cut down and used illegally (Nutmeg Auctions lot #710348). Moreover, it is the T15 major double transfer. |
Scott # R15c
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 | Scarce wire transfer receipt from Montana Territory. |
 | 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. |
 | Unusual fancy printed cancel, with the gothic letter initials at top and the 3D block numbers in the year. Because these are seen with different letter combinations at top, speculation is that these are for bond coupons, with the bondholder's initials printed at top. Ex-Morrissey. |
 | Wonderful portrait doodle cancel. |
 | Watch and jewelry merchant. |
 | Gorgeous aesthetics, both the document and the cancel. |
Scott # R15d
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 | L-shaped strip of 3. Top left stamp is the T15 major double transfer listed by Scott. The bottom right stamp is a different unlisted major double transfer. Here is a closeup of the two DT areas side by side to compare them. |
Scott # R15f
 | Unknown, presumably proprietary usage, upper right diagonal bisect on a piece of packaging. The vertical line is a foldover seam of two separate pieces of paper. |
Scott # R17c
 | Absolutely gorgeous jumbo, with margins much larger than normally found. |
Scott # R18c
 | Very unusual 'WAR TAX' boxed handstamp. |
 | Double transfer in numerals. |
 | 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. |
 | The scarcer of the two script cancels used by the famous Civil War photographer Matthew Brady. Both the 'Washington' and 'Brady' script cancels were made with similar metal type slugs as those used to imprint photograph mounts. A VERY rare cancel. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit. |
 | 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. |
 | 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. |
 | Very rare 'WAR TAX STAMPED' boxed cancel. |
Scott # R19a
 | Sewing machine perfs. Virtually all known examples are extremely faulty. This examples is stellar in comparison. |
Scott # R19b
 | Vertical pair. |
Scott # R19c
 | Absolutely superb strike of an incredibly scarce photographer shield cancel. |
Scott # R21c
 | The 4-cent Playing Cards is almost universally found faulty or poorly centered. Finding one that is sound and perfectly centered is virtually impossible. |
Scott # R22b
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Scott # R22c
 | Extremely rare 7-line Walker & Taylor printed cancel; much more scarce than the 10-line printed cancels found on the 1-cent and 2-cent denominations. |
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 | 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. |
 | A very scarce fancy cancel. Actually in exceptional condition compared to other examples I've seen. Better than the example in the Joyce Collection auction in 1991. |
 | Very unusual logo/monogram at center. |
 | Caudichaud's (or Gaudichaud's) Compound Extract of Sandalwood. See also this image for the alternate spelling. |
 | Druggist and chemist. Also a minor double transfer at lower right. Superb strike of the cancel compared to most examples. |
 | Interesting cancel with 'KEEP CLOSE CORKED' in center. |
Scott # R23c
 | Aesthetically beautiful early membership certificate from the Masonic Relief Association. The red and green inks make for a wonderful presentation, and the embossed cancel is just absolutely hammered. |
 | Stock certificate from the American Express Co. featuring signatures of Henry Wells and William Fargo. |
Scott # R24a
 | Horizontal pair. |
Scott # R24b
 | Full vertical strip of 10 (the longest vertical strip possible). Note the poor quality control in the perforations from top to bottom. |
Scott # R24c
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Scott # R25b
 | Vertical pair. |
Scott # R25c
 | Wonderful shield cancel on a document printed on tissue-like parchment. Amazingly thin and transparent. |
Scott # R26c
 | Ex-Steven Belasco. From his exhibit: 'Edgar H. Judkins, a Lowell Mass. stamp dealer, began using the name United States Stamp Company in 1865. E.T. Gage was a clerk in Lowell. In 1866 they sold shares in the United States Stamp Company in what may have been the first syndication of a stamp business. At least 100 shares were sold to several different investors. The 5-cent revenue rate applied to shares in an unincorporated company.' |
Scott # R27a
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Scott # R27c
 | Clerk of the city and county of New York. |
 | Wholesale drug house of Boving & Witte. |
Scott # R28c
 | An unusual double strike of the scarcer of the two script cancels used by the famous Civil War photographer Matthew Brady. Both the 'Washington' and 'Brady' script cancels were made with similar metal type slugs as those used to imprint photograph mounts. A VERY rare cancel. |
 | Very rare negative eagle cancel. Groon & Co. was a playing card importer. Ex-Morrissey. |
Scott # R30c
 | An R30b part perforate does not exist, which is why I have it marked as a fake. It had to have been trimmed, but that had to have been the largest top and bottom margins ever seen on the type. You can see just a hint of the stamp above at top. Even though it's bogus, it's an extremely neat item. There has subsequently been discussion that this may actually not be a fake after all, as this is not the only known example of a possible R30b that is very convincing. |
Scott # R31c
 | Seller of Italian bitters. 1998 APEX certificate. This is an exceptional example of R31c, which is is almost universally found faulty and poorly centered. The Scott catalog states 'Nearly all examples of No. R31 are faulty and poorly centered. The catalogue value is for a fine centered stamp with minor faults which do not detract from its appearance.' |
Scott # R32a
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Scott # R32b
 | Faulty, but one of only two known multiples of R32b imperforate vertically. As a general rule, part perfs are normally found imperforate horizontally, and only some of them exist imperforate vertically, virtually all considerably more scarce as the latter. Ex-Curtis. |
Scott # R32e
 | Even though the identifying portion of the stamp is missing, I have labeled it as R32 because the other extant bisects showing the bottom half of the stamp from the same company are all R32. The current catalog value is misleading, as it has not been updated in decades. |
Scott # R33c
 | Prothonotary of the District Court of Philadelphia. |
Scott # R34c
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 | A wonderful document! The embossed seal is an especially nice graphic. Accompanying advertising cover that originally contained the insurance policy. Tolman P-47. |
 | Very unusual logo/monogram at center. |
Scott # R36e
 | 2011 PF Cert. Catalog value has not been updated in many years. |
 | Very unusual! 4 'bisects' on one indenture document. Three partial R36c, two being halves of the same stamp, as well as a bisected R37b which is not listed in Scott. Together, along with the R52c, they comprise the correct 50-cent tax on the $500 transaction. I classify this as a 'fake' as they are not bisects in the truest sense of the word, more likely someone either (1) using up pieces on hand or more likely (2) trying to cheat the government by re-using uncanceled portions of previously used revenue stamps. Still an unusual and interesting item. |
Scott # R37c
 | Ornate 2-color insurance policy from the Market Fire Insurance Co., featuring a bold red oval handstamp from the insurance agent. Document also features an ornately engraved revenus stamp placeholder in red that explains the rates to be affixed (see composite image below). |
Scott # R39c
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Scott # R40be
 | Very scarce part perf double impression. Only reported example on document. 1991 Philatelic Foundation certificate. Ex-Curtis. |
Scott # R40ce
 | Double impression. 2011 PF Cert. Superb example, with the cancel doubled in addition to the design itself... how appropriate. Much more scarce than the catalog value implies. |
Scott # R42b
 | Wonderful 3-color stock certificate from the Triunfo Gold and Silver Mining Co. in San Francisco, CA. |
Scott # R43c
 | Stock certificate #12 from the Newton Mining Co. |
Scott # R44c
 | Fake overprint created in the 1930s by an enterprising stamp dealer. |
 | Unusual caricature/graffiti cancel. |
 | Multiple strikes of a wonderful shield cancel. |
 | Very scarce stock certificate. |
Scott # R45a
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Scott # R45b
 | Documentary use of a negative-image patent medicine cancel that reads 'Juniper * Dean * Street * London'. John Juniper patented Essence of Peppermint in 1762. The image at the center of the cancel appears to be an amphora. Stamp is valued above as a single, as the pair is reconstructed and the left stamp is torn. |
Scott # R46b
 | Superb strike! Tolman P-27a. |
Scott # R46c
 | Very unique concentric circle within an oval cancel. Unlisted in Tolman. |
Scott # R47a
 | Gorgeous vertical pair with striking early-use cancel. |
Scott # R48c
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 | An amazing stencil cancel, thus far the only reported example from this California photographer. This stamp may have set a record for the largest premium for a cancel over the stamp's value when it realized $525 in 1991 as part of the Morton Dean Joyce Collection. Ex-Baryla, from his award winning Civil War Sun Tax exhibit. |
 | Very unusual large crude handstamp cancel. Similar in design to this cancel. Ex-Morrissey. |
Scott # R50b
 | Not one but TWO R50b part perfs plus an R78c used on an Indiana land sale document. The vast majority of R50b seen on the market are trimmed fakes and you virtually never see one on document. |
Scott # R51a
 | Amazing almost neon ink cancel. |
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 | Lovely early matched usage (EMU) of R51a and R63a on a sight draft. |
Scott # R51c
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 | Brown ink handstamp cancels are extremely scarce, even more scarce than green ink cancels. |
Scott # R53a
 | Exceptional margins, and one of very few examples with a handstamped cancel. The cancel company and exact date are identical to the stamp on Philatelic Foundation certificate 179017. |
Scott # R53b
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Scott # R53f
 | 2017 Philatelic Foundation certificate. |
Scott # R54c
 | Amazing margin imprint running down the entire left side of stamp. Perfectly positioned! |
 | Fake bisect and overprint created by a dealer in the 1930s. Note that the stamp was overprinted twice, once before being affixed, perpendicular to the overprint on the document. |
 | J.R. Ingersoll, J. Miller Craig and Charles Willing, Trustees of the Trust created by the Estate of William Bingham. Ex-Morrissey. |
Scott # R54ce
 | I guess clerks in the 1860s had time to doodle too... |
Scott # R55b
 | Superb color contrast! |
Scott # R56c
 | Unusual crowned globe with a monogram in the center. |
Scott # R58a
 | Straight line Ct Mutual Life Ins cancel, but what makes this interesting is that the manuscript date is done in gilt (gold) ink. Tolman C-51b-1. |
Scott # R59c
 | Interesting doodle cancel. |
Scott # R60a
 | Plate number single with imprint. |
Scott # R60c
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Scott # R62c
 | Tolman M-74c. Brown ink handstamp cancels are VERY scarce, even more scarce than green ink. |
Scott # R67a
 | Shipping and commission merchants and agents, Hawaiian Packet Line for Honolulu. |
Scott # R69a
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Scott # R70a
 | J.R. Ingersoll, J. Miller Craig and Charles Willing, Trustees of the Trust created by the Estate of William Bingham. |
Scott # R70c
 | Ornate crowned shield or globe with 'A.C.S.' in the crown and a script 'BD' in the shield. |
Scott # R71c
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Scott # R72a
 | Possibly a protest against paying the tax. I wish it were still on the original document, in order to possibly get some context. |
Scott # R75a
 | Fancy flourishes in corners. |
Scott # R77a
 | Repaired corner at LR. Superb margins, color and cancel. Featured as lot 195 in John W. Kaufman Auction #58 in 1979. |
Scott # R78a
 | Lovely steel grey shade. Also an interesting print anomaly: see the partial horizontal line immediately below the top value tablet. |
Scott # R79a
 | Wonderful and scarce usage of an R79a bottom sheet margin single on a promissory note taxed as an inland exchange, dated the day of Lincoln's assassination. I have only been able to find records of three other examples of R79a still on documents. Ex-Curtis. |
Scott # R80a
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Scott # R81a
 | Manufacturer of scales. |
Scott # R81c
 | Two strikes of a wonderful rimless circle cancel with stars incorporated in the design. |
 | Originally written up in the February 1979 American Revenuer:A $2.50 Conveyance--Entry of Goods ProvisionalIllustrated here must be what would be called the only known example of a First Issue $2.50 Conveyance stamp (or is it an Entry of Goods stamp?). The stamp is on a document belonging to ARA member George Alevizos. It is a warranty deed dated September 15, 1871 for a parcel of land in Abington, Massachusetts. The purchase price was $2,500 and required tax stamps totaling $2.50 be attached. However, as can be seen from the illustrations, there was not enough room to attach the two stamps that were to be used to make the $2.50 rate. Curved cuts were made above the 'TWO DOLLARS' and below 'CONVEYANCE' on a copy of R81. A copy of R55 was trimmed close and woven through the $2 stamp. Both stamps are there in their entirety. This $2.50 provisional was then attached to the document and canceled. The cancellation consisting of the initials H.H.P. above and Sep. 15, 1871 between two parallel lines ties both stamps together and to the document as shown in the enlarged illustration. This definitely has to be one of the more interesting first issue items 'on cover.' |
 | Scarce full strike of large format cancel on a promissory note. |
Scott # R81e
 | Tied to document by last digit of date. Catalog value has not been updated in many years. |
Scott # R82c
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 | Horizontal stitch watermark. Very scarce and unusual! |
 | Seven strikes of Pacific Mail Steamship Co. single-line cancels, three of the ship ALASKA, and four of the ship ARIZONA. The thought is that these were canceled at a central office, and because the two words look similar (both begin and end with A, and are only one letter different in length), a clerk grabbed the wrong handstamp, realized their error, and then re-canceled with the correct handstamp. Mixed-ship occurences, while documented, are very scarce, with only a handful known to exist. |
Scott # R82e
 | Top half of an R82c used as $1 on document, the bottom half of which was used a day later, on this document. |
 | Bottom half of an R82c used as $1 on document, the bottom half of which was used the day before, on this document. |
Scott # R83a
 | H.L. Aldrich was a cotton mill owner. Wonderful use of R83a on document, along with an R42c and R5c. The manuscript cancel is very bold and crisp. Part of the adjoining stamp is visible at lower right. |
Scott # R84c
 | Wonderful multiple cancels. A SON blue cancel from the New Britain Knitting Co. and also an embossed cancel from the National Shoe & Leather Bank. |
 | Stunning example, vibrant blue color likely due to chemical exposure. |
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Scott # R85c
 | Very unusual gold ink color. |
Scott # R86a
 | Shipping and commission merchants and agents, Hawaiian Packet Line for Honolulu. |
Scott # R86c
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Scott # R90a
 | Signed by Capt. Charles H. Marshall, at the age of 72, 2.5 years before his death in October of 1865. It's a shame this was removed from the document, as it would have been a great EMU. |
Scott # R97a
 | R97a is rarely ever found with a handstamp cancel. |
Scott # R98a
 | Absolutely superb. The Tolman listing example. |
Scott # R99a
 | Just absolutely gorgeous! |
Scott # R100c
 | Margins beyond compare! The largest jumbo of a perforated issue I have ever seen. |
Scott # R104
 | Ex-Morrissey. Very unusual crude oversized 'PAID' handstamp cancel. |
Scott # R105
 | Gorgeous contrast between cancel and stamp! Ex-Morrissey. |
Scott # R106b
 | The Scott Catalog listing example. 2011 PF Cert. |
Scott # R107b
 | R107 bisect with 1991 Philatelic Foundation certificate. The only reported example. |
Scott # R109
 | Beautiful combination of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd issue revenues all on the same document! Must have been backdated, because the 2nd- and 3rd-issue stamps weren't released until 1871. |
Scott # R112
 | Superb ornate ooversized oval handstamp cancel. Ex-Morrissey. |
 | Very interesting manuscript cancel written in French. Life insurance cancels are fairly scarce, as life insurance policies were not very common during this era. Not listed in Tolman. Ex-Morrissey. |
Scott # R112b
 | It's a shame it isn't the entire document. These are very rare on piece or on document. Tied via a lovely embossed cancel with a sailing ship in the center. |
 | Sewing machine perfs are exceptionally rare on document. This stamp appears to have been re-used. The September 30 cancel is tied to the document and matches the date of the document, but there is an earlier handstamp cancel on the stamp NOT tied to the document. I've seen many other examples of this stock certificate, and many of them seem to have this doubly-canceled anomaly. |
Scott # R112c
 | Very scarce stamp; much tougher than the catalog value would imply. |
Scott # R112v
 | Imperforate unlisted in Scott, used on part of a stock certificate. Very scarce. 2014 Philatelic Foundation certificate. Ex-Morrissey. |
Scott # R115a
 | Superb example of a VERY difficult stamp. Large margins, sound, and with two crisp cancel strikes. Ex-Morrissey. |
 | Very scarce to find a sewing machine perf that is also a double transfer. Plate position 23. |
Scott # R115v
 | Imperforates are not listed in Scott. A pair of singles on piece sold in the auction of the Tollman collection in 2007 for $3,750. 2014 Philatelic Foundation certificate. |
Scott # R118
 | Beautiful contrasting color strike from the Pacific Mail steamship 'Rising Star'. |
Scott # R120
 | Foreign entry, design of $1. Ex-Morrissey. The finest centered example I have ever seen. |
Scott # R122
 | Simply superb. The $1.30, $1.60, and $1.90 denominations are virtually never found with aesthetically pleasing handstamp cancels. Ex-Morrissey. |
Scott # R124
 | William K. Neal was a Dedimus Justice, a position unique to the state of Maine. Appointed for life, they administer oaths of office. Ex-Morrissey. |
Scott # R131
 | 2009 APS Cert. Socked-on-the-nose handstamp cancels are incredibly rare on the high-denomination 2nd and 3rd issue revenues. |
Scott # R135
 | Wonderful fancy manuscript cancel with two petit crossed lines of text. Ex-Morrissey. |
 | Absolutely superb jumbo! |
Scott # R135a
 | Very scarce on document. |
Scott # R135b
 | Very nice example of this 3rd issue invert with a lovely cancel. Very scarce on document or piece. |
Scott # R140
 | Horizontal strip of 5. I don't normally go after multiples or play the '11th largest known multiple' game, but I made an exception for this piece. Even though it is the 3rd largest reported multiple (there is one block of 6 and one strip of 6), the quality of the individual stamps in this strip is MUCH nicer than those other multiples, with each stamp having centering well clear of the perforations, but also there is a margin imprint capture at lower right. Ex-Morrissey. |
Scott # R142
 | While at first glance it appears to be a handstamped cancel, it is actually a printed cancel. See my page devoted to the cancels of the Brady's Bend Iron Co. |
Scott # R144
 | Wonderful penmanship! |
Scott # R145
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 | Wonderful stamp exhibiting six strikes from the Pacific Mail steamship 'Rising Star'. |
Scott # R146
 | While at first glance it appears to be a handstamped cancel, it is actually a printed cancel. See my page devoted to the cancels of the Brady's Bend Iron Co. |
Scott # R148
 | This is what happens when clerks got bored in the 1870s. Apparently done by the very same clerk who did this one. |
Scott # R149
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Scott # R150
 | A wonderful example of a rarely seen socked-on-the-nose handstamp cancel on a high denomination. It also has a light cut cancel, and the catalog value displayed above reflects the cut cancel (value for this stamp without CC is $650.00). |
Scott # R150a
 | Gorgeous jumbo margins. 2012 PSAG certificate. |
Scott # R151a
 | Inverted center; extremely scarce on document. |
Scott # R152b
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Scott # R155
 | Attractive shield cancel. |
Scott # R163
 | Wonderful unusual illegal usage of 1-cent documentary battleship revenue stamp on a leather postcard. |
Scott # R164
 | Wonderful fancy flag cancel. |
Scott # R191d
 | Listed as a tripled surcharge, but I believe this is actually a quadrupled surcharge, which is unlisted. The discolored strip across the center is actually water-soluble varnish, an anti-reuse measure. |
Scott # R211
 | Unusual and ornate fancy shield cancel. |
 | Illegal use of revenue as postage on cover, but amazingly on a paquebot cover, from the S.S. Arabic, canceled in Cherbourg-Octeville, Manche, in Normandy, France. |
Scott # R231
 | R231 with magenta oval handstamp cancel, along with a Japanese bill stamp with wonderful signature handstamp cancel, on a bill of foreign exchange. Documents with both U.S. and foreign revenue stamps on them are very scarce. |
Scott # R232
 | Provisional 'STOCK TRANSFER' overprint. |
Scott # R615
 | Serial number 000001. Only one #1 can exist per denomination and year. |
Scott # RB1c
 | Unused (no gum as issued) strip of 6. |
Scott # RB2a
 | Unusual handstamp cancel that includes part of a signature. |
Scott # RB2b
 |
 | Great (illegal?) use of a 1st Issue proprietary on check. Nice mining vignette as well. |
Scott # RB5a
 | Ex-Scarsdale Collection. 2001 PF Certificate. |
Scott # RB6b
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Scott # RB9a
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Scott # RB11a
 | This is the sharpest strike of the Benton's Tar Troches cancel I have ever seen. |
Scott # RB11b
 | Great 3-D cube with initials ALC, one on each face of the cube. |
Scott # RB11c
 | Nice inverted cancel. |
Scott # RB12a
 |
 | Doubly scarce: an illegal use of a proprietary stamp as postage on a foreign exchange document, along with German revenue stamps affixed to the reverse. Combination usages of U.S. and non-U.S. revenue stamps on the same document from this era are exceptionally rare. |
Scott # RB12b
 | Bottom half of a beautiful large-format druggist fancy cancel on a horizontal pair. I would love to see a complete version of the cancel. |
Scott # RB15b
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Scott # RB18b
 | Very unusual maltese cross cancel inscribed 'VERITAS'. |
Scott # RB71
 | Mint full gum block of 40, with creases and heavy hinge reinforcement. By far the largest known multiple (the largest block in the Curtis Census are several blocks of six). |
Scott # RNG1
 | Gorgeous bicolor vignette at left. Not sure if it was printed in 2 colors or hand tinted. Small documents (checks, receipts, notes, etc.) printed in more than one color of ink are very unusual, as most companies would not have gone to the additional expense. |
Scott # TA236b
 | Spectacular double impression. |