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#MA2163
#65, 1861-62 3c Washington, Rose, Perf. 12, Shield Cancel
$150.00
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Issued as part of the 1861-62 series by the National Bank Note Company, this 3-cent rose stamp was issued as part of the 1861-62 series. This stamp was issued to replace the demonetized stamps of the previous issue, which were declared invalid for postage on June 1, 1861, to prevent Confederate postmasters from converting existing stamp stocks to cash for the Southern war effort. The 3-cent value served the standard domestic letter rate and saw heavier use than any other stamp of its period, appearing on letters throughout the Civil War years and beyond.
The portrait of Washington is based on a sculpture by Jean-Antoine Houdon. The frame design of the 1861 series differs from the preceding 1857-61 issue, and the denomination appears in numerals in the upper corners in addition to being written out at the bottom — a deliberate change to distinguish the new stamps from the voided old ones. The stamp was printed in sheets of 200, divided into vertical panes of 100.
The cancel on this stamp is a shield fancy cancel — one of the more elaborate and less commonly seen cancel designs of the Civil War era. Shield cancels were hand-carved from cork or wood by postal clerks and required considerably more skill to execute than simple grid or bar cancels. The shield form — echoing the heraldic shield of the American coat of arms — appears to have been a popular patriotic motif among cancel carvers during the war years. Shield cancels are among the more sought-after designs in the fancy cancel specialty, and a complete, identifiable shield strike is a find for collectors of Civil War era postal history.
Issued as part of the 1861-62 series by the National Bank Note Company, this 3-cent rose stamp was issued as part of the 1861-62 series. This stamp was issued to replace the demonetized stamps of the previous issue, which were declared invalid for postage on June 1, 1861, to prevent Confederate postmasters from converting existing stamp stocks to cash for the Southern war effort. The 3-cent value served the standard domestic letter rate and saw heavier use than any other stamp of its period, appearing on letters throughout the Civil War years and beyond.
The portrait of Washington is based on a sculpture by Jean-Antoine Houdon. The frame design of the 1861 series differs from the preceding 1857-61 issue, and the denomination appears in numerals in the upper corners in addition to being written out at the bottom — a deliberate change to distinguish the new stamps from the voided old ones. The stamp was printed in sheets of 200, divided into vertical panes of 100.
The cancel on this stamp is a shield fancy cancel — one of the more elaborate and less commonly seen cancel designs of the Civil War era. Shield cancels were hand-carved from cork or wood by postal clerks and required considerably more skill to execute than simple grid or bar cancels. The shield form — echoing the heraldic shield of the American coat of arms — appears to have been a popular patriotic motif among cancel carvers during the war years. Shield cancels are among the more sought-after designs in the fancy cancel specialty, and a complete, identifiable shield strike is a find for collectors of Civil War era postal history.
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