1903 Die on proof paper, various colors

1861 Plate Essay Stamp Documents Contract Bidding Process

Now you can own #70-E2a, an essay of the 10¢ Washington stamp issued as part of the Civil War series.  The essay was produced by Toppan, Carpenter & Co in their bid for the contract to produce the new issue.  Their design had Washington in an oval, similar to the design chosen for stamp ...  more

1861 Plate Essay Stamp Documents Contract Bidding Process

Now you can own #70-E2a, an essay of the 10¢ Washington stamp issued as part of the Civil War series.  The essay was produced by Toppan, Carpenter & Co in their bid for the contract to produce the new issue.  Their design had Washington in an oval, similar to the design chosen for stamp #72. 

Private firms submitted essays to demonstrate the high quality of their work – so very few were produced.  And that’s a shame – these masterpieces represent an important step in philatelic history.  Now you can get this seldom-seen, handsomely engraved treasure for your collection.

More About Essays

Essays are designs for stamp vignettes, stamp borders, or both combined, which were never approved and used in the final printing of a stamp. Even though a design is finally adopted with only slight modifications, it is still an "essay". To attain the status of a proof, a proposed design, or essay, must be exactly like the issued stamp for which it was submitted.

Private bank note companies made all US stamps from 1847 to 1894.  Essays and printing bids were submitted by those firms. As early as 1851, the US Post Office Department established a policy of advertising for stamp proposals to be accompanied by essays, or examples of the stamps to be furnished. After the bids were opened, an Expert Committee was asked to rule on the designs, colors and paper.