319

28
Jun
2018

2-cents Washington Shield Stamp (Scott #319)

The Bureau of Printing and Engraving reacted quickly to the public’s dislike of the original 2¢ stamp and produced a new 2¢ Washington stamp. The stronger more bold design replaced the ornate flag background with a shield and strengthened Washington’s portrait. The replacement stamp was placed into circulation in November 1903, ten months after the first 2nd Bureau Washington debacle. Like its predecessor, the Washington shield was cut into booklet panes, saw further use in the production of imperforate, and later private vending coil stamps.

Varieties (Scott catalog number):

Common Uses:

Solo Uses:

gabon cover

Star-in-diamond machine cancel

  • 1st class letter (< 1 ounce)
  • 2nd class (< 8 oz newspaper or magazine)
  • 3rd class (< 4 oz printed matter )
  • 4th class (< 2 oz samples or merchandise)

Favorite Covers:

Posted by Geoff in The Stamps, 1 comment
06
May
2024

Tau, Samoa Doane Cancel Update V

This census has slowly grown over the past six years, including a tenth Tau Doane cancel. JT of Goodwin Philatelics recently discovered the first 2-cent Washington stamp (Scott #319) with a Doane cancellation on a small envelope piece. Interestingly, this postmark does not have a year and is similar to Tau-7, where the day and postmark hour are recorded.

Tau Doane cancel #10 in the census.

Tau-7 was clearly used after the 1-cent Jamestown stamp (Scott #328) was issued on April 25, 1907. I’m assuming the newly discovered Tau-10 was also posted later in the 1900’s decade.

Posted by Geoff in U.S. Possessions, 0 comments
28
Nov
2022

Destinations: Africa

Here are some recent acquisitions of postal history destined for Africa. First off, this is my second cover to Cameroon, Africa. A first-class advertising envelope from Cincinnati, Ohio to Grand Batanga, Cameroon West Africa.

UPU letter rate to Cameroon, West Africa

My next item is a picture postcard from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to a small village in German Southwest Africa (Ontjo). The postcard passed through the port town of Swakopmund where it received a transit postmark.

Postcard to German Southwest Africa

Finally, a lovely postcard from California to Mombasa, British East Africa (modern-day Kenya). 

Postcard to British East Africa (modern day Kenya)3

Posted by Geoff in Covers, Destinations, Postcards, 0 comments
02
Feb
2022

Destination: Saba, Dutch West Indies

Here is a cool Caribbean destination postcard I recently found on eBay. Saba is a 13-square-kilometer island in the Lesser Antilles chain and was a part of the Dutch West Indies. The island is now a part of the Netherlands.

Saba, Dutch West Indies

postcard to Saba, Dutch West Indies

Posted by Geoff in Destinations, Postcards, 0 comments
18
Jan
2021

Destinations: Ukraine, Slovenia, Nicaragua, and Liberia

Here are four more international destinations added to the map. A couple of covers to the Austro-Hungarian Empire (Slovenia and Ukraine). A beautiful cover to Bluefields, Nicaragua, and a postcard to Liberia, Africa.

Here are the links on the destinations map.

Sagor, Austria (modern-day Slovenia)

To the western edge of Ukraine.

Mistakenly sent to Bluefields, West Virginia, and subsequently forwarded to Nicaragua.

Postcard to Cape Palmas, Liberia, West Africa.

Posted by Geoff in Covers, Destinations, Postcards, 0 comments
30
Dec
2019

The Shipwreck of SS Dakota

A popular category of philatelic study is disaster mail. Mail interrupted or damaged by a disaster such as a flood, fire, ship or plane wreck, war, etc. Below is an envelope recovered from the shipwreck of the S.S. Dakota, a passenger and cargo steamship that traveled the Pacific. The Dakota wrecked when she struck a reef off the coast of Japan near Yokohama on March 3, 1907. The ship was close enough to shore to avoid any deaths, and the passengers and cargo, including mail, were evacuated before she sunk.

Broadside of the S.S. Dakota.

Postcard of a photo about one hour after the accident.

Ninety-four shipwrecked passengers were transported to a nearby lighthouse and hamlets in a sparsely populated area. Two days later, the steamer Hakuai Maru arrived to carry the passengers and ten bags of mail to Yokohama. The surviving mail was severely water damaged. The cover shown below was sent from Montana to a U.S. Army Transport ship (USAT Logan) stationed in Nagasaki, Japan, and was franked with five 2¢ Washington stamps, as evident from the ghostly red stain on the right side. Feb 10, 1907, Missoula & Hamilton R.P.O postmark would have tied the ten cents of postage, paying twice the UPU letter rate for up to one ounce.

Hamilton, Montana, advertising cover damaged in the wreck of S.S. Dakota.

Mail aboard the wrecked ship was salvaged and subsequently delivered. A makeshift postal label in Japanese and English applied to the top of the cover, explaining, “Soaked and damaged in the wreck of Dakota. — Tokio (sic) Post Office”

Tokio Post Office manuscript label explaining the damage.

The damaged cover was also resealed with Japanese official seal stamps.

The reverse of the cover with Japanese official seals.

This is one of my favorite pieces in my collection. Please share any other info about the S.S. Dakota or other disaster covers or cards.

More info on the wreck of S.S. Dakota can be found at Wikipedia and WreckSite.eu.

Posted by Geoff in Covers, Destinations, 0 comments