What we collect!

 

Stamporama Discussion Board Logo
For People Who Love To Talk About Stamps
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Stamporama Discussion Board Logo
For People Who Love To Talk About Stamps
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Stamporama Discussion Board Logo
For People Who Love To Talk About Stamps



What we collect!
What we collect!


United States/Covers & Postmarks : The rarest example of the very common U311 UPSS Die 88?

 

Author
Postings
keesindy
Members Picture


01 Mar 2017
11:18:12am
Rarities come in all shapes and sizes. They come in many forms. The covers can make philatelic items valuable as can cancels. Misfortune and special handling can even create rarities. But who ever considered the possibility that a rodent could create a rarity?!? Surprise


Image Not Found


This was among 11-12,000 cut squares that I inherited from Dad. He found them and, though he was a US collector, did nothing with them for 40 years. They were in light-weight cardboard boxes and had been tied tightly into bundles of 100 with either string or black sewing thread. I had the joy of unbundling these things 16-17 years ago and discovering that something had chewed a hole through one of the boxes and had nibbled on a few of the bundles of cut squares. I thought I had discarded all of these examples back then, but recently discovered this beautiful example in a glassine. I must have saved it because of the clean SOTN strike of the killer.

In any case, it's a great example of how clean most of these cut squares remain today because of the way they were bundled. If only that rodent hadn't interfered! Or, alternatively, could this be worth more as a result of the rodent's activity??? After all, it IS a rarity! Big Grin


Like
Login to Like
this post

"I no longer collect, but will never abandon the hobby"
GeoStamper
Members Picture


Steve

01 Mar 2017
01:35:39pm
re: The rarest example of the very common U311 UPSS Die 88?

Thomas, that's a keeper! I picked up a few US cut squares recently and was somewhat daunted by the number and variety. That section of my album is empty but has a lot of pages. Did you ever attempt to catalog them? If you did, am curious what your thoughts on that part of the hobby are. Thanks.

-Steve

Like
Login to Like
this post

"What are you waiting for? Those stamps aren't going to collect themselves."
keesindy
Members Picture


01 Mar 2017
07:24:27pm
re: The rarest example of the very common U311 UPSS Die 88?

Hi, Steve! I don't have much info for you. I haven't collected US since I was a kid and never collected cut squares—unless we call this semi-organized hoard a collection.

Dad was a US collector until his 40s and then lost interest. He literally found these thousands of cut squares by accident and did little more than preserve them for the rest of his life. I knew about them in the 1960s, but had very little interest. It wasn't until I brought them home in 2000 that I began the slow process of unbundling all of them.

Because the vast majority appear to have been collected from businesses in a single small city between 1891 and 1893, the variety is very limited. So cataloging in the typical sense wasn't an issue for me.

I was far more intrigued by the fancy and geometric cancels. I had not previously seen or heard about such cancels. Trying to identify the sources of those was a more interesting challenge for me because many seemingly had originated from small post offices in the region where these things were collected and where I grew up.

I purchased the United Postal Stationery Society 19th century catalog several years ago. (I've got the newer color version now.) It is very detailed. I learned from that older catalog that numerous varieties exist of the very common 2c green Washington Scott 311 (UPSS Die 88). A study had been done in the 1950s, but that study was unfortunately excluded from the newer catalog I have. In any case, since I had many thousands of them, I became interested in looking for those varieties and have continued to do that from time to time.

An online acquaintance and I began doing a more detailed assessment, but we didn't get very far. Then, very recently, I learned that a member here, Thomas Galloway, is involved with such project. I've contributed a few examples, but have barely scratched the surface.

Having said all of that, I think if I were to collect cut squares, I'd collect used 19th century specifically and look for copies with nice fancy and/or geometric cancels.

One side note is the health hazard associated with unbundling scores of century-old bundles of cut squares and stamps. Almost immediately after starting the unbundling process, I began to experience mild respiratory problems. I needed to limit my exposure, but persisted off and on for an extended period of time. Once the unbundling was completed and the material had aired out, it was fine from then on.

Tom

Like 
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.

"I no longer collect, but will never abandon the hobby"
Winedrinker
Members Picture


01 Mar 2017
07:47:50pm
re: The rarest example of the very common U311 UPSS Die 88?

Looks like Perforation 11 bite marks. Nice, but not nearly as scarce as the 10 perf. variety.

Wine

Like 
3 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
smauggie
Members Picture


02 Mar 2017
12:20:11pm
re: The rarest example of the very common U311 UPSS Die 88?

Well, they are rather variable, from 9.5 to 13.5. I am guessing the mouse was just cutting his philatelic teeth.

Like 
4 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.

canalzonepostalhistory.wordpress.com
keesindy
Members Picture


02 Mar 2017
05:50:28pm
re: The rarest example of the very common U311 UPSS Die 88?

Regardless of which perforation this is, it seems to be an unlisted variety in any catalog. Does that make it priceless??? Should I send it to Scott as a new, previously unknown U311 variety? Maybe I should get a certificate for it first. Or maybe I should leave well enough alone, sell it on eBay and then buy an island in the South Pacific with the proceeds! I should probably take it to the bank for safe keeping until it's sold! Rolling On The Floor Laughing

Like 
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.

"I no longer collect, but will never abandon the hobby"
        

 

Author/Postings
Members Picture
keesindy

01 Mar 2017
11:18:12am

Rarities come in all shapes and sizes. They come in many forms. The covers can make philatelic items valuable as can cancels. Misfortune and special handling can even create rarities. But who ever considered the possibility that a rodent could create a rarity?!? Surprise


Image Not Found


This was among 11-12,000 cut squares that I inherited from Dad. He found them and, though he was a US collector, did nothing with them for 40 years. They were in light-weight cardboard boxes and had been tied tightly into bundles of 100 with either string or black sewing thread. I had the joy of unbundling these things 16-17 years ago and discovering that something had chewed a hole through one of the boxes and had nibbled on a few of the bundles of cut squares. I thought I had discarded all of these examples back then, but recently discovered this beautiful example in a glassine. I must have saved it because of the clean SOTN strike of the killer.

In any case, it's a great example of how clean most of these cut squares remain today because of the way they were bundled. If only that rodent hadn't interfered! Or, alternatively, could this be worth more as a result of the rodent's activity??? After all, it IS a rarity! Big Grin


Like
Login to Like
this post

"I no longer collect, but will never abandon the hobby"
Members Picture
GeoStamper

Steve
01 Mar 2017
01:35:39pm

re: The rarest example of the very common U311 UPSS Die 88?

Thomas, that's a keeper! I picked up a few US cut squares recently and was somewhat daunted by the number and variety. That section of my album is empty but has a lot of pages. Did you ever attempt to catalog them? If you did, am curious what your thoughts on that part of the hobby are. Thanks.

-Steve

Like
Login to Like
this post

"What are you waiting for? Those stamps aren't going to collect themselves."
Members Picture
keesindy

01 Mar 2017
07:24:27pm

re: The rarest example of the very common U311 UPSS Die 88?

Hi, Steve! I don't have much info for you. I haven't collected US since I was a kid and never collected cut squares—unless we call this semi-organized hoard a collection.

Dad was a US collector until his 40s and then lost interest. He literally found these thousands of cut squares by accident and did little more than preserve them for the rest of his life. I knew about them in the 1960s, but had very little interest. It wasn't until I brought them home in 2000 that I began the slow process of unbundling all of them.

Because the vast majority appear to have been collected from businesses in a single small city between 1891 and 1893, the variety is very limited. So cataloging in the typical sense wasn't an issue for me.

I was far more intrigued by the fancy and geometric cancels. I had not previously seen or heard about such cancels. Trying to identify the sources of those was a more interesting challenge for me because many seemingly had originated from small post offices in the region where these things were collected and where I grew up.

I purchased the United Postal Stationery Society 19th century catalog several years ago. (I've got the newer color version now.) It is very detailed. I learned from that older catalog that numerous varieties exist of the very common 2c green Washington Scott 311 (UPSS Die 88). A study had been done in the 1950s, but that study was unfortunately excluded from the newer catalog I have. In any case, since I had many thousands of them, I became interested in looking for those varieties and have continued to do that from time to time.

An online acquaintance and I began doing a more detailed assessment, but we didn't get very far. Then, very recently, I learned that a member here, Thomas Galloway, is involved with such project. I've contributed a few examples, but have barely scratched the surface.

Having said all of that, I think if I were to collect cut squares, I'd collect used 19th century specifically and look for copies with nice fancy and/or geometric cancels.

One side note is the health hazard associated with unbundling scores of century-old bundles of cut squares and stamps. Almost immediately after starting the unbundling process, I began to experience mild respiratory problems. I needed to limit my exposure, but persisted off and on for an extended period of time. Once the unbundling was completed and the material had aired out, it was fine from then on.

Tom

Like 
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.

"I no longer collect, but will never abandon the hobby"
Members Picture
Winedrinker

01 Mar 2017
07:47:50pm

re: The rarest example of the very common U311 UPSS Die 88?

Looks like Perforation 11 bite marks. Nice, but not nearly as scarce as the 10 perf. variety.

Wine

Like 
3 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.
Members Picture
smauggie

02 Mar 2017
12:20:11pm

re: The rarest example of the very common U311 UPSS Die 88?

Well, they are rather variable, from 9.5 to 13.5. I am guessing the mouse was just cutting his philatelic teeth.

Like 
4 Members
like this post.
Login to Like.

canalzonepostalhisto ...
Members Picture
keesindy

02 Mar 2017
05:50:28pm

re: The rarest example of the very common U311 UPSS Die 88?

Regardless of which perforation this is, it seems to be an unlisted variety in any catalog. Does that make it priceless??? Should I send it to Scott as a new, previously unknown U311 variety? Maybe I should get a certificate for it first. Or maybe I should leave well enough alone, sell it on eBay and then buy an island in the South Pacific with the proceeds! I should probably take it to the bank for safe keeping until it's sold! Rolling On The Floor Laughing

Like 
1 Member
likes this post.
Login to Like.

"I no longer collect, but will never abandon the hobby"
        

Contact Webmaster | Visitors Online | Unsubscribe Emails | Facebook


User Agreement

Copyright © 2024 Stamporama.com