AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF POSTAGE AND REVENUE STAMPS, OR OTHER MONETARY PAPERS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Bristow Hunt, of Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County
of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE
MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF POSTAGE AND REVENUE STAMPS, OR OTHER
MONETARY PAPERS." A communication from abroad by Louis Henry Gustavus
Ehrhardt, Analytical Chemist, of the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
United States of America.
Sealed the 30th September 1876, and dated the 3rd August 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Bristow Hunt at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 3rd August 1876.
BRISTOW HUNT, of Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF POSTAGE
AND REVENUE STAMPS, OR OTHER MONETARY PAPERS." A communication from
abroad by Louis Henry Gustavus Ehrhardt, Analytical Chemist, of the City of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
This Invention relates to a novel improvement in postage and revenue stamps
and other monetary papers, and has for its object to prevent the removal of any
cancellation marks made thercon without destroying the stamp or other paper.
The Invention consists in the making of a postage or revenue stamp or other
monetary paper printed upon paper previously prepared with a soluble size as
herein-after more fully set forth.
To enable those skilled in such manufactures to fully understand how to prepare
this improved stamp, and to thoroughly understand its advantages and the theory
of the destruction of the stamp by any attempt to remove the cancellation, I will
describe the process to be adopted to produce the results aimed at. The ordinary
unsized paper is taken and subjected to a bath of size soluble in water, com-
posed of gum tragacanth four pints, dissolved starch one pint, to which is added of
acetate of alumine one ounce, also in a dissolved state, or any other ingredients
which will produce a soluble transparent size that will thoroughly permeate the
fibre of the paper and leave both surfaces of the same completely covered by the
size, upon either of which is then printed in the ordinary manner and with ordinary
ink the design couposing the face of the stamp.the opposite side or surface,hoing
Price tell

page_text: gummed in the usual way. The stamp thus produced is afterwards subjected to
the ordinary calendering and finishing processes and is then ready for use.
When any cancellation mark has been made upon the face of a stamp thus made
any attempt to remove the same by any fluid will insure the destruction of the
stamp, owing to the fact that the contact of the fluid with the size dissolves the
same and thus softens the only agent by which the ink design is held in union with
the paper, and the friction necessary to remove the cancellation marks, disturbs and
removes the soluble and softened size and the ink design resting thereon.
It is known that all ordinary paper in the market for use is sized to a greater or
less extent with sizes which are not removably affected by contact with water, and
also that it has been proposed to treat paper in such a manner as to render it
transparent and destructible by the application of fluids, and that it has also been
proposed to coat the surface of the paper with a water color pigment which is
made to adhere by the addition of some gummy or mucilaginous substance, but all
of these methods are essentially different from the peculiar features of this Invention.
The ordinary sized paper is to all intents and purposes unaffected by the application
of water or other fluid, becoming only temporarily limp and wet, and again by time
restored to its natural condition.
With paper rendered transparent and destructible by the application of moisture
it is difficult to print thereon, for the reason that the sheets are apt to stick to the
plate and only a few out of a large number can be successfully printed, and that
when so printed the stamps are liable to stick together and are very brittle and
readily broken, and with paper coated with a water color pigment or paint held in
contact by the use or application of any mucilaginous substance, and a design printed
thereon, the pigment if sufficiently thick to be useful as a soluble coating renders
the stamp, design, or ink surface liable to be peeled off, as the pigment is simply an
interposed strata independent of the ink and the paper and held in contact with the
surface of the paper by the gummy admixed element, so that any crumpling of the
stamp will destroy the interposed pigment strata.
This Invention differs from all these processes in this, that the size is a soluble
one and becomes as it wore a part and parcel of the paper, and cannot be cracked
or broken off and yet may be wet, and if not subjected to any friction will dry
again and resume its natural condition, so that stamps printed thereon which may
be accidentally wet are not necessarily destroyed.
The size may be made of other suitable ingredients besides those herein-before
mentioned, and the method of application may be varied, as the size may be applied
by a brush or in any other convenient manner, though it is preferred to apply it in
the usual manner of applying size, namely; by "bathing" the paper as the most
rapid, economic, and successful method.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Bristow Hunt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 2nd February
1877.
BRISTOW HUNT, of Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF POSTAGE
AND REVENUE STAMPS, OR OTHER MONETARY PAPERS." A communication from
abroad by Louis Henry Gustavus Ehrhardt, Analytical Chemist, of the City of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
This Invention relates to a novel improvement in postage and revenue stamps
and other monetary papers, and has for its object to prevent the removal of any
cancellation marks made thereon without destroying the stamp or other paper.
The Invention consists in the making of a postage or revenue stamp or other

page_text: monetary paper printed upon paper previously prepared with a soluble size as
herein-after more fully set forth.
To enable those skilled in such manufactures to fully understand how to prepare
this improved stamp, and to thoroughly understand its advantages, and the theory
of the destruction of the stamp by any attempt to remove the cancellation, I will
describe the process to be adopted to produce the results aimed at. The ordinary
unsized paper is taken and subjected to a bath of size soluble in water composed
of gum tragacanth four pints, dissolved starch one pint, to which is added of acetate
of alumine one ounce, also in a dissolved state, or any other ingredients which will
produce a soluble transparent size that will thoroughly permeate the fibre of the
paper and leave both surfaces of the same completely covered by the size, upon
either of which is then printed in the ordinary manner and with ordinary ink the
lesign composing the face of the stamp, the opposite side or surface being gummed
in the usual way.
The stamp thus produced is afterwards subjected to the
ordinary calendering and finishing processes and is then ready for use.
When any cancellation mark has been made upon the face of a stamp thus made
any attempt to remove the same by any fluid will ensure the destruction of the
stamp, owing to the fact that the contact of the fluid with the size dissolves the
same and thus softens the only agent by which the ink design is held in union
with the paper, and the friction necessary to remove the cancellation marks disturbs
and removes the soluble and softened size and the ink design resting thereon.
It is known that all ordinary paper in the market for use is sized to a greater
or less extent with sizes which are not removably affected by contact with water,
and also that it has been proposed to treat paper in such a manner as to render
it transparent and destructible by the application of fluids, and that it has also
been proposed to coat the surface of the paper with a water color piginent which
is made to adhere by the addition of some gummy or musilaginous substance, but
all of these methods are essentially different from the peculiar features of this
Invention. The ordinary sized paper is to all intents and purposes unaffected by
the application of water or other fluid, becoming only temporarily limp and wet
and again by time restored to its natural condition.
With paper rendered transparent and destructible by the application of moisture
it is difficult to print thereon, for the reason that the sheets are apt to stick to the
plate and only a few out of a large number can be successfully printed, and that
when so printed the stamps are liable to stick together and are very brittle
and readily broken, and with paper coated with a water color pigment or
paint held in contact by the use or application of any musilaginous substance,
and a design printed thereon, the pigment if sufficiently thick to be useful as a
soluble coating renders the stamp, design, or ink surface liable to be pecled off, as the
pigment is simply an interposed strata independent of the ink and the paper and
held in contact with the surface of the paper by the gummy admixed element, so
that any crumpling of the stamp will destroy the interposed pigment strata.
This Invention differs from all these processes in this, that the size is a soluble
one and becomes as it were a part and parcel of the paper, and cannot be cracked or
broken off and yet may be wet, and if not subjected to any friction will dry again
and resume its natural condition, so that stamps printed thereon which may be
accidentally wet are not necessarily destroyed.
The size may be made of other suitable ingredients besides those herein-before
mentioned, and the method of application may be varied, as the size may be applied
by a or in any other convenient manner, though it is preferred to apply it in
the usual manner of applying size, namely, by bathing the paper as the most rapid,
economic, and successful method.
Having now described the nature and object of the said Invention, together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical
effect, I would remark in conclusion that what I claim as the Invention communicated
to me by the aforesaid Louis Henry Gustavus Ehrhardt is, the improved manufacture
of postage or revenue stamps or other monetary papers printed upon paper previously

page_text: treated with a soluble size, substantially as described and for the purposes herein-
1efore set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Bristow Hunt, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Second day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
BRISTOW HUNT. (L.S.)