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VERY FINE AND RARE. ONLY A HANDFUL OF INTACT EXAMPLES OF THESE RE-USE PREVENTION ESSAYS ARE RECORDED.
The inventor of these designs is unknown, but they share characteristics with essays produced by George Bowlsby (under Patent no. 51,782). The design of the stamp is such that it was intended to be affixed to a cover folded. The postmaster would then remove part of the stamp, exposing punched out or different colored numerals underneath. The background of the design is also scored so that any attempt to remove a cancel or the stamp from the cover would result in its breaking apart. This is a particularly choice example as it shows the complete unfolded design and retains the "U.S. Postage" tablet at both top and bottom. Some other examples we have seen were missing the top tablet (Image)
VERY FINE. THIS 2-CENT BLACK JACK ESSAY IS THE ONLY EXAMPLE RECORDED IN PRIVATE HANDS. AN OUTSTANDING SHOWPIECE FOR THE CLASSIC AND BLACK JACK STAMP COLLECTOR.
The "S" slits and gold overprint on this essay are similar to the those on the "U.S. Postage" prevention re-use essays offered in this sale (79-E1-E2, E4, E6). The slits and the fugitive ink overprint were designed to make the stamp impossible to lift or soak from a cover for re-use. Scott lists these as "author unknown" but they share similarities with essay material associated with George Bowlsby (under Patent no. 51,782). This particular item was long on the wish-list of several prominent Black Jack collectors. This is a wonderful opportunity for the newer Black Jack collector.
Ex Metzger (Image)
VERY FINE. THIS PAIR OF 1867-68 RE-USE PREVENTION ESSAYS, WHICH SHARE SIMILARITIES TO THE BOWLSBY PATENT, ARE BELIEVED TO BE UNIQUE.
The Bowlsby patent for stamp reuse prevention (no. 51,782) called for only a portion of a stamp to be gummed. After being affixed to an envelope the ungummed portion was to be removed, thus preventing reuse of either piece once separated. The essay offered here is not directly linked to Bowlsby, but very possibly represents an interpretation of his patent tried by NBNCo., similar to the other "unknown author" essays in this section (79-E1 thru 79-E6). This ties particularly to lot 190, the Black Jack essay.
Both with pencil notations on reverse from larger piece, likely patent submission papers explaining how the design was to be used. The second is ex Finkelburg and is illustrated in Scott on p. 844. Scott Retail for these is well out of date (and based on the second example's realization in our 1999 Finkelburg sale) (Image)