The Die Varieties of the Nesbitt Series of United States Envelopes Part 18

345 W 3 7 221 x 98 346 W 3 7 " No wmk.

347 B 3 7 " Also left over right flap.

348 B 3 7 " No wmk.

349 W 21 7 225 x 98 350 B 21 7 " Also horizontally laid.

TEN CENTS, GREEN.[F]

351 W 2 3 139 x 83 352 B 2 3 "

353 W 11 3 "

354 B 11 3 "

355 A 11 3 "

356 W 5 3 "

357 B 5 3 "

358 W 9 3 "

359 B 9 3 "

TWELVE CENTS, BROWN AND RED.

360 A 19 7 226 x 97

TWENTY CENTS, BLUE AND RED.

361 A 14 8 241 x 100

TWENTY-FOUR CENTS, GREEN AND RED.

362 A 20 8 249 x 104 363 S.B. 20 8 "

FORTY CENTS, BLACK AND RED.

364 A 20 8 249 x 104 365 S.B. 20 8 "

LETTER SHEETS.

THREE CENTS, ROSE.

No. Cla.s.s. Die. Paper. Dimensions. Remarks.

VAR. 8.

366 1 B Blue 256 x 205 Letter size.

367 " " " 205 x 171 Note "

VAR. 10.

368 2 B Blue 256 x 205 Letter size.

369 " " " 205 x 171 Note "

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote F: The shade of green varies greatly in these envelopes.]

FOURTH ISSUE: 1863 AND 1864.

The Act of March 3rd, 1863, establishing a two cent rate for drop letters and abolishing the carrier's fee, made the issue of a two cent stamped envelope and wrapper imperative. The new die appeared about the middle of 1863, and is a miserable caricature of Jackson, facing the left. The inscriptions are "U. S. POSTAGE" above, and "TWO CENTS"

below, in colorless, block letters. We may as well state at once that in the next year (1864), the design, though retaining Jackson's bust, was altered, and the upper inscription changed to read "U. S. POST."

Both of these issues have a number of varieties, but of the two the design inscribed "U. S. POST" is by far the most interesting, and any philatelist who devotes some study to this, the "spoiled child" of the Post Office, will quickly be fascinated with it. Indeed, a fine collection of these die varieties must be a revelation to those philatelists who have, so far, kept aloof from collecting them under the specious plea that such collection required too much study and labor, and the differences were mere gossamer threads woven by the overwrought imagination of some wild enthusiast. It is undeniable that until recently the mult.i.tude of Jackson varieties--uncla.s.sified and jumbled together as they were--did not present an inviting field for the general collector. But that difficulty has now been overcome, and we have the various designs grouped into distinct cla.s.ses, which even an untrained person can recognize at a glance.

Those who possess a number of Jackson dies cannot have failed to observe that in various specimens the forward end of the bust points to different letters of the word "TWO" in the lower label. It required no great amount of ingenuity to examine all known varieties of this die, and to reach the conclusion that this important feature should be selected as one point of a line measurement which would subdivide the varieties into distinct cla.s.ses. In carrying out this idea it was equally apparent that in order to draw a straight line we need two definite points, but the problem was: which point would serve our purpose best? Luckily the design lent itself admirably to the construction of such a line and the second, or starting point, was found in the point of contact of the right hand oval with the inner frame line of the upper label. The line is, then, drawn from this point to the left extremity of the bust and prolonged until it strikes the letter "W" or "O" of "TWO." In this manner five definite and unmistakable cla.s.ses are established, each of which may contain a number of varieties. While this system is indispensible for cla.s.sification, the collector, after a very little training, may omit the actual line measurement, as the eye is sufficient to note the cla.s.s to which any variety belongs. The five cla.s.ses are:

Cla.s.s I.--Line cuts first stroke of "W" of "TWO."

Cla.s.s II.--Line cuts second stroke of "W" of "TWO."

Cla.s.s III.--Line cuts third stroke of "W" of "TWO."

Cla.s.s IV.--Line cuts last stroke of "W" of "TWO."

Cla.s.s V.--Line falls outside of "W" and sometimes cuts "O."

[Ill.u.s.tration: I. II. III. IV. V.]

It may be well to state here that the die reading "U. S. POSTAGE"

exists only in cla.s.ses I., II., IV., and V., and the reading "U. S.

POST" in cla.s.ses II., III., IV. and V.

DIES INSCRIBED "U. S. POSTAGE."

The design consists of two concave and convex curves, of which the first two form the upper, and the second two the lower label. Each of these two curves meet in a point. The sides of the design are a pointed oval consisting of the sections of a large circle. The inscription in the upper label is "U. S. POSTAGE"; in the lower "TWO CENTS" with the figure "2" in the ovals at the sides.

The 1863 design was issued with two shapes of the figure "2", which is probably due to an oversight of the engraver; but, as every collector knows, the design in which the lowest stroke of the figure "2" starts sharply from the downstroke, and does _not_ curve back with it is a rarity possessed only by a few lucky mortals.

In the general catalogues the common form is known as "Die A," the latter as "Die B."

DIE A. (Seven Varieties).

They are subdivided as follows:

Cla.s.s I.--Var. 1 Wrapper only.

Cla.s.s II.--Var. 2 Wrapper only.

Cla.s.s IV.--Var. 3 to 6 Envelope and Wrapper.

Cla.s.s V.--Var. 7 Wrapper only.

DIE A.