The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-12-02
SECRET MARKS ON STAMPS
Long Undiscovered Now Element of Value to Collectors

Secret marks long undiscovered and
other peculiarities give exceptional val
ue to many of the United States post
age stamps issued from 1870 to 1875,
says the Charleston News and Courier.
The stamps of 1870 were printed by
the National Bank Note company and
were all embossed in relief on the back.
They consisted of eleven denominations
i cent. ultramarine, with the portrait
of Franklin; Scent, green, portrait OF
Washington; scent, carmife, Lincoln;
7-cent, vermillion, Stanton; lucent
brown, jefferson; 12-cent, violet, Clay;
15-cent. orange. Webster; 24-cent, pur-
pie, Scott: 3O-cent, black, Hamilton
and 9O-cent, carmine, Perry
In 1873 the Continental Bank Note
company of New York got the contract
for printing the stamps, and while It
used the identical plates of the former
company, its engravers added to each
denomination a secret mark, almost I'M
discoverable by the layman. that the
two issues might be distinguished. The
stamps were of the same general cOlors
as the 1870 issue.
The secret marks remained unknown
to stamp collectors until 1895, when
private mark was found on the l2-cent
stamp. and afterward mark after marx
came 10 llSnls uDlil ali NtAC ftCACAiAtiteN
lions were found to have secret marks
except the "a, 80 and 90-cent stamps.
These were distinguished by other pc
culiarities.
The stamps of the 1S7O-75 period can
be divided into five general classes:
Those of 1901, with enclosing on the
back; those of 1S70'T1. without embos-
sing; the Continental company's
stamps of 1873. the stamps specially
printed for sale to collectors in 1873,
and. lastly, the regular issue Of 1875,
of which the two denominations were
specially printed.
The rarest one-eent stamp of this Sc
ries is that of the special printing or
1875, which can be recognized by the
fact that it is printed on hard, white
woven paper. instead of the regular pa
per of the 1878 issue. Like the regular
one-cent stamp of 1878 it bears a secret
mark. which consists of a small cres-
cent drawn inside the first small white
ball to the left of the large figure Il.
This stamp unused is valued at $50
A STAMP with the same mark, but on
the regular paper, is worth 81, and that
without any mark, the regular stamp OF
1S7O-'71, with enclosing, is valued at
$3.50.
The 2-cent stamp of the special print
ing series is also the rareSt of the de-
nomination of the period mentioned.
The stamp is dark brown, is printed on
the same paper as the 1-cent and shows
a secret mark in the form of a short
diagonal line under the scroll at the left
of ''JJ. s." This variety in unused con-
dition is valued at $40; the stamp on
the regular paper with the same mark
at S1.5O, and the stamp of the lSIO-'u
issue. with enclosing, which does not
show the mark, at s..
The Scent blue green special printing
stamp IS valued at $50 The secret
mark consists of the lower part of the
tail in the heavy shading of the left
ribbon. The stamps on regular paper
with the secret mark and that without
it are both valued at 81.
On the scent dull rose stamp on the
hard white paper the first four vertical
lines of the shading in the lower part
of the left ribbon have been strength
ened as a means of Identification. This
stamp. unused and in perfect condition,
is valued at $50. The same design on
regular paper is quoted at $1.15, while
the one without the private mark is
valued at SIS If embossed.
The vermillion-colOred 7-cent stamp