The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-12
Sensational History of Stamps
That Had Changed Their
Hue.
A LOCAL COLLECTOR TAKEN IN.
Experts Mystified and Philatelists
All Over the Country De-
Ceived.


During the later months of 1894 stamp
collectors were considerably surprised and
puzzled to learn of the existence of scent
stamp of the issue of 1890, printed in the
dark brown color of the Accent of the same
issue. The matter was taken up in the
philatelic press and all kinds of theories
were advanced for their existence.
By some it was claimed that the alleged
errors were simply essays made by the con-
tractors and were never intended to be
issued to the public for use, while by
others it was claimed that they were
'changelings" of the ordinary scent
sta mp produced by chemical manipula-
ton. Some went so far to prove their idea
as to make changelings of the scent
stamp, but com parlson with the color OF
the Accent or with the so-called error al
ways showed the manipulated stamp to be
defective in some respect that unmistaka-
bly, showed its true character to the expert.
These error stamps at last fell into the
hands of the G. H. Mekeel Stamp and Pub
fishing Company of st. Louis one of the
largest stamp dealers in the United States,
who offered them for sale at $50 each, with
guarantee that they were genuine
errors. Notwithstanding the high char
acter OF the firm several of the more trucu-
lent and persistent of the philatelic
journals continued to assail the character
of the stamps, claiming it was an impos-
sibility that with the system in vogue in
the establishment where the stamps were
printed such an error could get into circu-
lation They cited the fact that such an
occurrence was precedented.
In order to break the force of these at
tacks the owners Of the stamps printed in
both their weekly and monthly publica-
tions the following letter from Kerr Craige,
Third Assistant Postmaster-GeDeral:
Ssr: The three scent postage stamps of
the 1890 series, printed in the color of the
Accent stamps submitted with your letter,
are herewith returned. Although of the
wrong color these stamps are good for
postage. | cannot account for the mistake
made in thus printing them"
This however, did not have the desired
effect and libel suits were threatened against
the two most bitter assailants of the" error"
One was thus made to apologize and ST.
enced, but the other firmly maintained its
stand.
Meanwhile the Mekeel Company contin-
ued to offer the stamps for sale, and as
subsequent events developed, found quite
number of customers for them. Among
the purchasers were Henry J. Croker of
this city and prominent collector of
Stockton, who each paid the full price of
$50 for his specimen.
At last, induced by desire to put all
doubt at rest, most heroic course was de-
termined upon and carried out by the
Mekeels. The whole matter was reported
to Americas greatest philatelic expert,
John h. Tiffany, a prominent attorney of
st. Louis. The disastrous and unexpected
result of his labors is described in Mr..
Tiffany's report, the salient portions of
which are herewith given.
After referring to the fact that the char
acter of the terror" had virtually been
determined by the statement of an officer
of the manufacturing company that the
latter had delivered them to the Postoffice
Department as finished proofs" Mr.. Tiff
fanny says:
1--WE were confronted with a situation,
the only solution of which was to ascertain
whether there was any chemical agent
which would restore the finished proof to
the color of the ordinary stamp of the same
value and at the same time not change the
color of the 4-cent OF the same shade. Soon
as the suggestion was made G. II. Mekeel
proposed that the experiment be made
and offered to supply the necessary speci-
men of the finished proof error or what
ever is. TWAS determined to make the first
experiment with protoxide of hydrogen,
which we knew would restore some of the
acknowledged changelings to their original
color. Accordingly, on the morning of
April 9, a number of persons interested
met at the Mekeel establishment, and
lings were subjected to treatment of the
fluid. They did not all respond equally
rapidly, but eventually the portion of each
that had been treated was not very differ
ent from the ordinary stamp.
Next number of specimens of the r.
cent value, as near in shade to the finished
proof as could be found, were subjected to
ba frao ont lint
tions of the fluid produced little If any
change in these. Mr.. Mekeel then pro-
duced a specimen of the finished proof
and the liquid was applied. Unlike the
Accent, but rather more quickly than most
of the changelings, the specimen was
stripped of its coat of velvet brown, and
became of the shade of the ordinary stamp
of this value.
'Sucb, then, is the result of the only sat
isfactory method of determining whether
this error is printed in the color of the
Accent or not. 1t is in the color of the
4cent; it was evidently not printed with
the same ink as any 4-cent that we could
test"
In concluding Mr.. Tiffany said: "These
specimens are so much more delicate in
shade and are so far from showing any
traces of having been tempered with, and
so unlike any of the known changelings
that, were | to hazard an expression of
opinion, should suspect that they were in
reality produced by those slow and I'M
noticed processes of natures chemistry in |
the vaults of the department or the safe of
the postmaster, which might easily occur
anywhere that gas is burned or soft coal
used"
In justice to themselves and their pa
irons who had purchased specimens of the
terror from them, the Mekeel Company |
printed the experts report in their publ
cation and offered to return the amounts |
paid for them. They also published the |
full correspondence between them and An |
ton Amann, collector of Dayton, Ohio, |
from whom they had purchased the stamps. |
This correspondence showed that Amann |
had received letter ranked with one |
of the 'errors" from Carthagena, Ohio, |
and that he had Immediately written the |
postmaster of Carthagena, asking him if |
he had any more of the scent stamps of |
the same color. This resulted in his Sc
curing 1872 of them. He sold eleven of them
to collectors for SIS each, donated two to
European friends, six were damaged and |
unit for stamp collection, and the re-
manning 169 were sold to the G. III. Mekeel |
Stamp and Publishing Company under
contract which described them as "errors"
printed in the color of the 4-cent stamps of
the same issue. 1t was further provided |
that the Mekeel Company should take de-