Philatelic Society of Lancaster County

Sharing: U.S. Private Die Proprietary Revenue Stamps - the Matches.

“A. Goldback & Company” and “A. Goldback,” Richmond, VA.

History: These are the only match stamps issued in the state of Virginia, and with one exception, are the only adhesives bearing word ‘Proprietary.’

A. Goldback & Emanuel Bear, Jr. were match manufacturers, founding A. Goldback & Co. in Richmond, VA in 1874-75. Their stamp ( ), was engraved & printed by the Philadelphia firm Carpenter & Co.: issued Jul. 1874 thru Aug. 1875: 3,586,403 all on silk paper. It as one of the last match stamps engraved by the Carpenter firm, found in green and yellow green shades.

A. Goldback succeeded the firm after Emanuel Bear left. The new die ( ) without the “& Co.” was one of the first private die match stamps engraved by National Bank Note Company (NBNC) in NYC, and one of the first to be printed on pink paper. The die was approved Oct. 16, 1875; first issued Nov. 1875 to 1877: 1,974,644 on silk & pink papers.

The variety on pink paper (probably one of the first M&Ms to be printed on pink paper) is one of the rarest U.S. revenue stamps, with only five being known to collectors, the first one being discovered in Alexandria, VA. It was first listed in Scott Catalogue in 1906.
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Enjoy! Collection of Dr. Charles J. DiComo, President of both the Philatelic Society of Lancaster County (PA) & Empire State Postal History Society (NY); Life Member U.S. Philatelic Classics Society (USPCS); Editor of award-winning Chairman’s Chatter; Director, PA Postal History Society (PaPHS); President, North Museum of Nature & Science (PA); President, Millport Conservancy (PA); Emeritus, Council of Philatelists, Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

Affiliations: APS, APS WU30, ARA, BNAPS, EFOCC, ESPHS, PAPHS, PSLC, RSCC, USPCS, et al.

Philatelic Bio: https://www.lcps-stamps.org/member-spotlight/

Sharing: U.S. Private Die Proprietary Revenue Stamps - the Matches.

“E.B. Eddy,” Ogdensburg, NY

History: Ezra Butler (E.B.) Eddy (Aug. 22, 1827–Feb. 10, 1906), Canadian businessman & politician. In 1851, began manufacturing wooden matches by hand in Burlington, VT. In 1854, he brought his business to Hull, Canada East (now Gatineau, Quebec) when he was only twenty-four, where he began producing matches using discarded wood from the nearby sawmills. With the help of his first wife, E.B. Eddy produced his matches by hand at his home in Hull.

His business grew rapidly, becoming one of the largest match factories in the world. In 1856, he added the manufacture of wooden ware, such as pails, tubs, washboards, clothes-pins, etc., to his business. In 1858, he commenced lumbering in a small way; but all these branches increased in volume from year to year, up to 1868, when the business had reached a magnitude of one million dollars per annum; and at the present time the yearly out-put is upwards of $1,500,000.

In 1880, Eddy opened a branch at Ogdensburg, New York. A large volume of business was done in the first year, but it apparently was not profitable. The factory was sold to the Diamond Match Company in 1881.

1¢ Carmine stamps issued late Nov. 1880 to mid-May 1881: 9,513,000 all on watermarked paper. There are two varieties of this stamp - Die I, and - Die II. Die II shows much of the eagle strongly recut, the ribbon across the bottom is narrower, and the color is deeper.

In 1882, his entire premises in Hull, Canada East were consumed by fire, and this entailed upon him a loss of $250,000, over and above insurance. With characteristic enterprise and courage, in the space of twelve months new premises were erected, and he was able to turn out nearly the same quantity of goods, as during former years.

By 1886, he reorganized & established E.B. Eddy Co., set up a factory, acquired timber rights & built his sawmill. At the same time, he expanded into the pulp & paper business.
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Enjoy! Collection of Dr. Charles J. DiComo, President of both the Philatelic Society of Lancaster County (PA) & Empire State Postal History Society (NY); U.S. Philatelic Classics Society (USPCS) Life Member & Editor of award-winning Chairman’s Chatter; Director, PA Postal History Society (PaPHS); President, North Museum of Nature & Science (PA); President, Millport Conservancy (PA); Emeritus member, Council of Philatelists, Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

Affiliations: APS, APS WU30, ARA, BNAPS, EFOCC, ESPHS, PAPHS, PSLC, RSCC, USPCS, et al.

Philatelic Bio: https://lcps-stamps.org/member-spotlight/

Sharing: U.S. Private Die Proprietary Revenue Stamps - the Matches.

Thomas Allen Matches, St. Louis, Missouri.

History: The Thomas Allen Match Co. was located in St. Louis, but very little is known about it. The company appears in the St. Louis City Directory for 1865-1868, virtually the same period as the stamps were printed.

They issued one stamp, , 1¢ Green, with a central image of Arms of Missouri (resembling St. Louis’ Postmasters’ Provisional 11X1-X3). Engraved & printed by Butler & Carpenter, Mar. 1865 through Jul. 1869: 5,943,536 issued, all on old paper.

Most copies available to collectors are off-center, faded, thinned, torn, etc. My example shown is unused, with near complete O.G.

Later in 1870, the Swift & Courtney & Beecher Company (incorporated in CT & manufacturing matches in Wilmington, DE) purchased the match business of Thomas Allen & Co.

Swift & Courtney & Beecher Co. would continue to acquire & consolidate. In 1872, they bought McGiugan & Daily of Philadelphia; made contracts with Joseph Loehy of NYC, & Charles Busch of Trenton, NJ.

In 1880, everything was sold to the Barber Match Co. of Akron, OH, founded by O.C. Barber. Barber re-named the company after the established trade name of its product, creating the Diamond Match Company.

Following the Panic of 1893, Barber moved the Diamond match factory in Akron to the adjacent town of his own creation, Barberton. He turned the abandoned Akron match factory into the Diamond Rubber Company factory.

The Diamond Match Company was the largest manufacturer of matches in the U.S. in the late nineteenth century.
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Enjoy! Collection of Dr. Charles J. DiComo, President of both the Philatelic Society of Lancaster County (PA) & Empire State Postal History Society (NY); Life Member U.S. Philatelic Classics Society (USPCS); Editor of award-winning Chairman’s Chatter; Director, PA Postal History Society (PaPHS); President, North Museum of Nature & Science (PA); President, Millport Conservancy (PA); Emeritus, Council of Philatelists, Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

Affiliations: APS, APS WU30, ARA, BNAPS, EFOCC, ESPHS, PAPHS, PSLC, RSCC, USPCS, et al.

Philatelic Bio: https://www.lcps-stamps.org/member-spotlight/

Sharing: Just posted on Substack my article titled “H.H. Warner & Co. “Safe Remedies” Major Double Transfer of Central Vignette on 6¢ Medicine Stamp, RS258dt,” which was published in “The American Revenuer,” Volume 75, No. 2, 2Q2022 Issue, pp. 59-61.

This article was awarded a Large Vermeil 🏅at the 3rd Annual SESCAL Virtual Literature Exhibition of Philatelic Articles.

This was the first in a series of articles in which I revisited previously described double transfers on U.S. private die proprietary revenue stamps. I briefly reviewed the history of the proprietors, their wares, and the issued stamps.

By presenting high-resolution, digital color images of the salient features of the design doubling, the reader will garner a new appreciation for these unusual and uncommon plate production varieties.

Enjoy & subscribe to my Substack. I will be posting more award-winning articles over the next weeks & months.

Link: https://open.substack.com/pub/charlesdicomo/p/the-history-of-the-ill-fated-dirigible
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Enjoy! Collection of Dr. Charles J DiComo, President of both the Philatelic Society of Lancaster County (PA) & Empire State Postal History Society (NY); Life Member U.S. Philatelic Classics Society (USPCS); Editor of award-winning Chairman’s Chatter; Director, PA Postal History Society (PaPHS); President, North Museum of Nature & Science (PA); President, Millport Conservancy (PA); Emeritus, Council of Philatelists, Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

Affiliations: APS, APS WU30, ARA, BNAPS, EFOCC, ESPHS, PAPHS, PSLC, RSCC, USPCS, et al.

Philatelic Bio: https://www.lcps-stamps.org/member-spotlight/

Sharing: One of my display pages showing five U.S. Private Die Proprietary Matches Revenues, 3¢ strip Die Essays on card, in multiple shades (blue, green, beige, plum & grey), each numbered in red on the reverse, from the D.M. Richardson & Co., Detroit, Michigan.

Denoted as to , these were never issued, and only 50 copies from the die were printed by Butler & Carpenter, Philly, PA of the five shades listed above, as well as, an additional 250 in blue.

It’s possible that a plate was made, but no stamps other than proofs were ever printed. Enjoy!
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https://lcps-stamps.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2024-10-03NORTH-DiComo-Chas-WhoNeedsADoctorThisElixirWillDo.pdf

Enjoy! Collection of Dr. Charles J. DiComo, President of both the Philatelic Society of Lancaster County (PA) & Empire State Postal History Society (NY); U.S. Philatelic Classics Society (USPCS) Life Member; Editor of award-winning Chairman’s Chatter; Director, PA Postal History Society (PaPHS); President, North Museum of Nature & Science (PA); President, Millport Conservancy (PA); Emeritus, Council of Philatelists, Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

Affiliations: APS, APS WU30, ARA, BNAPS, EFOCC, ESPHS, PAPHS, PSLC, RSCC, USPCS, et al.

Philatelic Bio: https://www.lcps-stamps.org/member-spotlight/

Sharing: One of my award-winning postal history articles, titled “1845 ‘Ship Letter’ from Port-au-Prince, Hispaniola to New York City on the Brig Hayti.”

Overview: A stampless folded letter (SFL) from my research studies “Ship Letters”; those letters from foreign (or domestic ports) which travelled over water routes (which had not been designated post roads) by ships or other vessels having no mail contracts.

The law required the ship’s Captain to deposit such letters in the Post Office where he first made port. For this service, the Captain was entitled to a 2¢ fee per letter provided the ship was not foreign-owned. This fee was added to the postage, whether it was paid to the ship’s Captain or not. The rate for each ship letter received at the port of entry was 6¢ if it was delivered at the port of entry. If it was addressed to a point beyond the port of entry, the rate was 2¢, plus the normal inland postage from port of entry to destination or place addressed. The 2¢ and 6¢ charges were regardless of weight.

We are fortunate that this Ship Letter has survived after 170 years and that I could ascertain the sequence of all those that handled this piece of mail on its voyage.

Here’s the link to the full article published in The Excelsior!, the journal of the Empire State Postal History Society (NY).

https://www.esphs.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/EXCELSIOR-2019-03-Whole-No.-29-NS.pdf
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Enjoy! Collection of Dr. Charles J. DiComo, President of both the Philatelic Society of Lancaster County (PA) & Empire State Postal History Society (NY); Life Member U.S. Philatelic Classics Society (USPCS); Editor of award-winning Chairman’s Chatter; Director, PA Postal History Society (PaPHS); President, North Museum of Nature & Science (PA); President, Millport Conservancy (PA); Emeritus, Council of Philatelists, Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

Affiliations: APS, APS WU30, ARA, BNAPS, EFOCC, ESPHS, PAPHS, PSLC, RSCC, USPCS, et al.

Philatelic Bio: https://www.lcps-stamps.org/member-spotlight/

Sharing: U.S. Private Die Proprietary Revenues - the Canned Fruits.

From my collection, the only-known example of the Kensett & Co. Canned Fruit Trial Color Proof (TCP) in Black on India , pulled by Butler & Carpenter, ca. 1866.

The Die was approved Dec. 4, 1866, was issued Jan. 3, 1867 and last issued on Mar. 7, 1867. Only 528,000 were printed and ~60 survive to date: ~55 are damaged to some degree (tears, thins, rust stains, repairs), less my choice XF+ copy - shown below the TCP.

Background: Proofs are examples of the finished design as ultimately issued that are printed on fine papers (India, Card or Bond) but not on stamp paper. Proofs can be made from a die or from a plate. Both die and plate proofs can be made in the color(s) of the issued stamp or in a range of unissued or trial colors.

Match & Medicine die proofs exist in a variety of sizes. Originally, die proofs were printed on a card backing due to fragility of India paper. The immense pressure of the proofing press caused an area known as "die sinkage" and the pressure caused the dampened India paper to bond to the card backing without the use of adhesives.

Butler & Carpenter held the contract to produce private die proprietary issues from 1862-1875, hence they engraved a majority of the dies. They can be identified when the India paper extends beyond the die sinkage area and there are no die numbers or imprints on the paper.
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Reference: "Collector's Handbook or Private Die Proprietary Proof & Census of the Morton Dean Joyce Collection of These Issues,” by Richard Friedberg. See pf. 16 for (green: 4 known 1 BEP, 3 unknown) and RP1TC1 (black: 1 from B&C, 2 from BEP, 1 unknown).

Link to my Kensett presentation:
*https://lcps-stamps.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Kensett-Co-History-and-Canned-Fruit-Proprietary-Revenue-Stamp-Census-5.pdf

Enjoy! Collection of Dr. Charles J. DiComo, President of both the Philatelic Society of Lancaster County (PA) & Empire State Postal History Society (NY); U.S. Philatelic Classics Society (USPCS) Life Member; Editor of award-winning Chairman’s Chatter; Director, PA Postal History Society (PaPHS); President, North Museum of Nature & Science (PA); President, Millport Conservancy (PA); Emeritus, Council of Philatelists, Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

Affiliations: APS, APS WU30, ARA, BNAPS, EFOCC, ESPHS, PAPHS, PSLC, RSCC, USPCS, et al.

Philatelic Bio: https://www.lcps-stamps.org/member-spotlight/

Sharing: Just posted on Substack my article titled “The History of the Ill-Fated Dirigible Akron and the Discovery of a Scarce “Souvenir of Balloon Akron” Fabric Postcard from 1912.” which appeared in “The Card,” March 2022, Vol. 33, No. 3, Issue 372, pp. 3-5.

This article discusses the discovery of a very scarce Souvenir of Balloon “Akron” postcard from 1912. As denoted on the postcard front, “This sample of fabric was cut from the Balloon Akron.” It further reads “which is to carry, Melvin Vaniman and party of six to Europe in October.

“Akron” was made by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. at Akron, Ohio, U.S.A., in 12 weeks. The Balloon is 258 feet long and 45 feet in diameter, contains 6,000 square yards of fabric; has greatest net lifting power of any dirigible ever made – 80 people. The expedition is being financed by Mr. F.A. Seiberling, president, The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.”

The cards were created by an unidentified publisher after the 1911 crash of the Akron. Tourists, who were eager for postcards and souvenirs, purchased the entire stock of the first printing. A second printing was later created with only the image side and required the attachment of a white paper backing mimicking the reverse. This is only the fifth or sixth known to collectors.

Enjoy & subscribe to my Substack. I will be posting more award-winning articles over the next weeks & months.

Link: https://open.substack.com/pub/charlesdicomo/p/the-history-of-the-ill-fated-dirigible?r=ohmjc&utm_medium=ios
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Enjoy! Collection of Dr. Charles J. DiComo, President of both the Philatelic Society of Lancaster County (PA) & Empire State Postal History Society (NY); Life Member U.S. Philatelic Classics Society (USPCS); Editor of award-winning Chairman’s Chatter; Director, PA Postal History Society (PaPHS); President, North Museum of Nature & Science (PA); President, Millport Conservancy (PA); Emeritus, Council of Philatelists, Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

Affiliations: APS, APS WU30, ARA, BNAPS, EFOCC, ESPHS, PAPHS, PSLC, RSCC, USPCS, et al.

Philatelic Bio: https://www.lcps-stamps.org/member-spotlight/

Sharing: The scarce U.S. Private Die Proprietary Match Revenue, on experimental silk paper, ~13 known.

Issued Jun. to Dec. 1870, only 565,000 in total by Carpenter.

History: L.W. Buck & Co. manufactured matches in Clinton, Iowa in 1869-70. The Buck factory burned in 1870 and was not rebuilt.

Showing the completed album page with L.W. Buck added. 🙂
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Enjoy! Collection of Dr. Charles J. DiComo, President of both the Philatelic Society of Lancaster County (PA) & Empire State Postal History Society (NY); U.S. Philatelic Classics Society (USPCS) Life Member; Editor of award-winning Chairman’s Chatter; Director, PA Postal History Society (PaPHS); President, North Museum of Nature & Science (PA); President, Millport Conservancy (PA); Emeritus, Council of Philatelists, Smithsonian Institution National Postal Museum (SI-NPM).

Affiliations: APS, APS WU30, ARA, BNAPS, EFOCC, ESPHS, PAPHS, PSLC, RSCC, USPCS, et al.

Philatelic Bio: https://lcps-stamps.org/member-spotlight/

Sharing: A “Kiss Print” on #372 - 2¢, Carmine shade, Hudson-Fulton Celebration Commemorative, Issue of 1909.

Images clearly show a complete design to the left in “Hudson-Fulton Celebration”, “1609”, “1909”, “U.S. POSTAGE”, TWO CENTS”, both numeral “2”’s and the central nautical scene in the Hudson River.

Reference: ‘The United States Postage Stamps of the Twentieth Century’, by Beverly S. King and Max G. Johl, Revised, H. L. Lindquist, New York, 1937, Volume I, 1901-1922.
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Enjoy! Collection of Dr. Charles J. DiComo, President of both the Philatelic Society of Lancaster County (PA) & Empire State Postal History Society (NY); U.S. Philatelic Classics Society (USPCS) Life Member; Editor of award-winning Chairman’s Chatter; Director, PA Postal History Society (PaPHS); President, North Museum of Nature & Science (PA); President, Millport Conservancy (PA); Emeritus, Council of Philatelists, Smithsonian Institution National Postal Museum (SI-NPM).

Affiliations: APS, APS WU30, ARA, BNAPS, EFOCC, ESPHS, PAPHS, PSLC, RSCC, USPCS, et al.

Philatelic Bio: https://www.lcps-stamps.org/member-spotlight/