They who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Benjamin Franklin 13 Jun 2014 10:22:09am
re: Paid cancel on Scott #65
Impressive, vinman!
Login to Like this post
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. -Edmund Burke"
I don't know much about earlier US philately, so please excuse my question:
What was the purpose of the "paid" stamped on these stamps? What did it pay? (Not regular letter postage, right, because then wouldn't these stamps bear more customary postmarks and cancels?)
Thanks in advance!
-- Dave
Login to Like this post
"You gotta put down the duckie if you wanna play the saxophone. (Hoots the Owl -- Sesame Street)"
Dave, "PAID" is a leftover from earlier times when stamps didn't exist and letters were mostly sent collect, with the recipient expected to foot the bill, unless the letter bore a "PAID" marking indicating prepayment had been made.
Login to Like this post
"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"
But this stamp was issued about 14-15 years after the introduction of stamps on US mail, right? So this practice was just a vestige of those earlier days? (And the post offices still had those "paid" cancels hanging around?) ... This doesn't precede the era of postmarks and other types of cancels, does it?
(Sorry -- I'm not trying to be argumentative. Just trying to understand.)
I'm guessing the #65 is popular because it's the earliest widely-available (i.e., inexpensive) US stamp around?
(I probably shouldn't have stepped into this thread at all.)
-- Dave
Login to Like this post
"You gotta put down the duckie if you wanna play the saxophone. (Hoots the Owl -- Sesame Street)"
yes, 65 was issued 14 years after 1 and 2 were issued. Mandatory use wasn't instituted until 1855, so letters could still be sent collect 8 years after the first postage stamp was issued.
i probably should not have replied in such an authoritative voice, as if there were no other possibilities. and i, for one, don't take your search for full answer to be argumentative.
Login to Like this post
"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"
