United States Envelope 1880-82 Issue, Three Cent, Die C on Fawn Paper This has long been known and acknowledged to be the rarest of all U. S. envelopes. In 1908 the American Philatelist published an article in which the following appeared: EIGHTH ISSUE, 1879 Three Cents, Die C on Blue and Fawn The so-called egg shaped head In this issue we meet two very rare envelopes, one on blue paper, and the same die on_fawn, the latter is frequently referred to as the rarest U. S. envelope. Die C which was used without any official sanction, as far as we can ascertain, made its appearance in 1881. Some envelopes on blue paper with the special request card of the firm of Shepard & Morse, lumber dealers, doing business near Worcester, Mass., were seen in that city in 1896, and through a resident some used envelopes were sent to Mr. F. P. Brown and Mr. B. L. Drew, both of Boston, and offered for sale. Both envelopes were bought by Brown. Knowing that the die was rare he sent his assistant, Mr. Kennedy, to Worcester, to make a further search for additional copies. After two days he succeeded in obtaining six used entire copies. Doubtless from 500 to 1,000 envelopes were printed, because, as stated above, they were special request, but of this entire number only eight used copies were discovered, one-half of which have been cut square. Major Dutton, of San Antonio, also wrote to Mr. Brown that he had a copy which had been sent to him by the 3d Asst. Postmaster-General, but this envelope has also disappeared. No blue envelopes, Die C, was found in the Harrison sale in 1895. At least two unused copies are known entire. A very rare U. S. envelope. Several used specimens, entire or cut, exist in prominent collections. In May, 1908, C. H. Stone had one unused cut-square copy. Fawn paper. We have turned up a little lot of correspondence from a firm in McAlester, Indian Territory, and in this lot we were astonished to find one of the above mentioned envelopes with the printed return card as follows: Return to Jas J. MCALESTER If not delivered within 10 days So far as we know this envelope with this corner card is unique and is the only evidence known that this variety was on sale at more than one post office. We own and offer this envelope as follows: U. S. Entire Envelope, 1880-82 issue, 3c green Die C, catalogue number 2484 on fawn paper, P. O. size 5, lightly cancelled, fine condition, envelope bears a 10c adhesive No. 209. A highly interesting item for a specialist. Price, $450.00 Net Regarding Subscriptions THE subscription price of Scott's Monthly Journal is $1.00 a year. The purchaser of our annual standard Catalogue is however entitled to a reduction of rate. A coupon is included in each copy of our 1920 Catalogue. This, when properly filled out and returned to us, will entitle the sender to one year's subscription at half price. In other words, the purchaser of our 1920 Catalogue may obtain the Monthly Journal for one year at a cost of fifty cents. All other subscribers will be charged at the regular rate, $1.00. All subscriptions will begin with the issue current when the subscription is received, provided, of course, we have such copies on hand. If the current issue is exhausted the subscription will start with the next month's number. Back numbers or single copies cannot be supplied. Articles Solicited If you can write entertainingly and authoritatively about postage stamps, you are the person we are looking for. Your literary offering does not necessarily have to be technical in its results; if it appeals to the popular philatelic mind and tells something new-or treats with the old from the new viewpoint-we want it. On the other hand, if you do write something technical, please keep in mind that technicality and dryness are not synonymous. Many an article which contains valuable information has been so prepared as to be virtually uninteresting and worthless when published. We are not conducting a monthly encyclopedia on the genesis of red sandstone. Give us pep, punch, life, in what you write. A little humor will not harm -national politics provides enough tragedy in this country. Send in manuscripts. For every article which we accept for publication we will give in return a life subscription to Scott's Monthly Journal-either your life or the Journal's, whichever is to be the longer. If we publish your manuscript and you live one hundred years, you save one hundred dollars! Published by SCOTT STAMP AND COIN CO., 33 West 44th Street, New York City This package is put up and mailed by ALBANIA: authority of the Post Office Department upon prepayment of postage at the fourthclass (Parcel Post) rate and registration fee and without payment of war-stamp tax. It must be recorded and handled as a REGISTERED article by postal employees. A. M. DOCKERY, Third Assistant Postmaster-General." This label is to be used in forwarding to the Federal Reserve Bank packages of Liberty bonds, to be exchanged for definitive bonds. It will be observed that the use of this label does not obviate the prepayment of postage and registration but it does save the sender the payment of the parcel post war tax and it also permits a parcel post package to be sent sealed and registered. Mr. Elliott Perry calls our attention to a change in the overprint "Stock Transfer" on current revenue stamps. The words are now in Roman capitals with strong serifs. Formerly the letters had only a suggestion of serifs and most people would term them block type. So far only the 20 cent stamps Some months ago our publishers were offered a considerable quantity of Albanian stamps, mostly of the 1919 issue, made by surcharging revenue stamps issued by the Austrians during their occupation of Albania (Nos. 84 to 104 in our catalogue). Included in the lot was a package on which was written "Present issue" and which contained revenue stamps but with a different style of surcharge. Those listed in our catalogue have a printed surcharge reading "Qint — Posta — e Shkodres-Shqypnis," while the surcharge on the new lot was handstamped and read "Qind-Postat-Shqiptare." Some of the stamps were neatly cancelled "Zyra e Telegrafevet 24, 7, 19 -Elbasan." These stamps did not impress us favorably and we withheld any chronicle of them, thinking something of their history might soon appear in European papers published near to Albania and with better opportunities than ourselves to learn what was going on there. Up to this time we have not seen men tion of these stamps anywhere. Within a few days we have received the front of an envelope, without address, but bearing a set of the stamps, each neatly cancelled "Durres-6, 6, 19-Shqipenie." Covers of this sort are being made by the thousands in New Europe, and, to our thinking, are no proof of the genuine issue or use of the stamps they bear. Three of these stamps have the large eagle, as shown in type A9 in our catalogue, and three have the small eagle, type A8. Were we to make a chronicle of the stamps it would read: A9 10q on 2h brown A8 15q on 8h rose 66 20q on 16h green A9 25q on 64h dark blue "1fr on 96h orange A9 2fr on 1,60k violet on yellow We are suspicious of the different spellings "Qint" and "Qind," "Posta" Armenia, during the sitting of the Entente Mission to inquire into the Armenian massacres. It was intended as a stop-gap until a permanent issue (announced some time ago. as in preparation) could be made ready. It is also stated that, after a few days, the French authorities took control of the district and the use of the surcharged Russian stamps were discontinued. The surcharge was at first handstamped in violet, but, after a few sheets had been made, it was decided to change the color to black. The imperforate 1, 32 and 5 rubles are said to exist in very small quantities, only 100 to 200 of each having been found. Nothing is stated about the relative quantities of the small and large surcharges. It will scarcely be necessary to mention that numerous inverted surcharges are reported. and "Postat," and, in spite of cancelled CHILE: We have seen some copies of copies, are not favorably impressed with this issue. If any of our readers can give us any information about it we shall welcome their aid. the 1 centavo of 1915-18 which are evidently from a new plate. We do not find any alterations in the design which would cause us to say it had been reengraved, but all the lines are thinner, making the stamp appear lighter and clearer. This is especially noticeable in the face and the shirt. UATEMALA: We have seen a sheet with a bowknot on the diagonal stroke, GUAT the whole being enclosed in a rectangle. It is stated that the letters are the initials of the Armenian words "Hagagan Post," i.e., Armenian Post. European chronicles call for small and large surcharges. We have seen only the one of the recently issued 25c. on 2p. vermilion and black and find two prominent varieties. On No. 58 there is a large "5" in "25" and on No. 61 the error "35" for "25." which we illustrate and which we believe LIBERIA: The Independent Stamp to be the larger variety. Like many stamp issues which are now coming from central and eastern Europe, this one is tagged "Issued in very limited quantities, only in use a few days, restricted Company have shown us a pair of the 1909 official stamp, 2c. carmine rose and brown (No. 410), one of which is without the "O S" surcharge. sale, bound to become rare." These MAURITIUS: Mr. J. B. Leavy has statements are becoming shopworn and fail to arouse enthusiasm on our part. The history of this issue is that it was made at Erivan, the capital of shown us a "specimen" copy of a 50-cent stamp of the current King George type. It is printed in dull violet and black, on Multiple Crown and C. A. |