IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF POSTAGE AND OTHER STAMPS
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in
the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE MANUFACTURE OF POSTAGE AND OTHER STAMPS."-A communication
from abroad by Samuel Ward Francis, of Washington, in the United
States of America, Doctor of Medicine.
Sealed the 6th June 1865, and dated the 3rd April 1865.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at
the Office of the Commissiouers of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd April 1865.
I, JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF POSTAGE AND OTHER STAMPS," a com-
munication to me from abroad by Samuel Ward Francis, of Washington, in
the United States of America, Doctor of Medicine, to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a peculiar manufacture of postage and other
stamps, whereby the chemical cancellation or obliteration of such stamps
after use is insured, and consists essentially in incorporating into or applying
on to such stamps, either before or partly before and partly after use, such
ingredients as will chemically combine to produce a dark color or stain under
the action of moisture.
In applying this Invention to ordinary revenue stamps which should be
cancelled immediately they are applied, both or all the chemical ingredients
employed may be embodied in or combined with the stamp before it is
delivered for sale, so that when moistened for the purpose of causing the same

page_text: to adhere to a document it may be simultaneously defaced and rendered unfit
to be used again.
The paper of which the stamps are made should be slightly or not at all
sized or glazed, and should be soaked in a solution of ferrocyanide of potassium
or an infusion of nutgalls, or the solution may be applied on the side which
is to be gummed, and the paper then allowed to dry. Sulphate of iron reduced
to an impalpable powder is rubbed on to the opposite side or face of the
stamp, and the back is gummed over in the usual manner. It is preferred
to apply the gum by means of stencil plates or other appliances which will
admit of any desired pattern or design being left ungummed in the centre of
the stamp, so that when the stamp is moistened the ferrocyanide of potassium
will combine with the sulphate of iron, and produce a stain of a deep blue
color of the same design as that of the part left ungummed. By using gallic
or tannic solutions a pergallate or pertannate of iron will be formed leaving
a black stain.
Other ingredients both organic and inorganic may be used in carrying out
this Invention, the substances mentioned being merely given as good examples.
In lieu of using an infusion of nutgalls the paper may be soaked in a solution
of sulphate of iron, and fine powdered nutgalls substituted for the powdered
sulphate of iron. For preparing postage stamps which should not be can-
celled until they arrive at the post office one of the ingredients only is used
in their manufacture, as, for example, the solution of sulphate of iron, the
other ingredient being applied to the stamp by a glove finger provided or not
with a pad or sponge and worn by the clerk who sorts the letters, so that by
simply taking up each letter in such a manner that the nutgalls or other
equivalent chemical may be applied to the stamp, its cancellation will be at
once effected,
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
3rd October 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-eighth year of Her reign,

page_text: did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Henry Johnson, Her special license that I, the said John Henry
Johnson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Henry Johnson, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF POSTAGE AND OTHER STAMPS," a communication
to me from abroad by Samuel Ward Francis, of Washington, in the United
States of America, Doctor of Medicine, upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Henry Johnson, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal
Patent Office within six calendar months [next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Henry Johnson, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say :-
The said Invention has for its object the dispensing with the cancelling or
defacing of stamps by writing over or stamping, or by any operation other
than the affixing of the same on to the paper. For certain purposes, such as
postal, its further object is to so prepare stamps as to admit of their
obliteration or defacing after being affixed in the most expeditious manner
-without the necessity of stamping or other heretofore employel mode for
cancelling the same.
To carry this Invention into effect, due regard must be had to the mode of
using the stamps and the means of protection against fraud provided by the
-laws and the Government; thus revenue stamps should be cancelled as soon
as used or attached to the instrument in writing; the danger of using them
again arises mostly from the omission to cancel the same; if, therefore, a
stamp be made self-cancelling or self-destructive by the very act of attaching
it the object of this Invention will be attained. But for postages, the self-
cancellation would afford no means of protection against fraudulent use of
stamps already cancelled; such stamps should reach the office of deposit
clean so that the inspecting officer may satisfy himself that the stamps had
never been used before. The cancellation, however, is effected, according to

page_text: this Invention, by simply handling or distributing the letter, thus saving
great loss of time attending the defacing and stamping of each individual
letter. This Invention therefore consists in incorporating with or applying
on to the stamp two or more ingredients such as will chemically combine to
produce a dark color or stain under the action of moisture.
For revenue stamps, both or all ingredients may be embodied in or
combined with the stamp before delivered for sale, so that when moistened for
the purpose of sticking the same on to paper, it may be defaced at once and
become unsaleable or unfit to be used again. For postage stamps but one of
the ingredients is used, so that no chemical combination or stain will be
effected by merely moistening it, the other ingredient or ingredients being
used at the receiving office and applied to the stamp in the manner herein-
after described for the purpose of producing the combination which effects the
cancellation.
To enable others to make and use this Invention I shall now proceed to
describe the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect.
Paper but little or not at all sized or glazed should be used for the stamps.
This paper is soaked in a solution of ferrocyanide of potassium or an infusion
of nutgalls, or the solution may be applied on the side which is to be
gummed, and the paper is allowed to dry. Sulphate of iron reduced to an
impalpable powder is rubbed on to the opposite side or face of the stamp, and
the back is gummed over in the usual manner. It is preferred to gum the
back of the stamps in such a manner as to leave a central ring, bar, cross, or
other figure, device or letter free from gum; for this purpose the gum may
be spread over the paper by means of stencil plates. It will be understood
that by wetting the stamp or paper the ferrocyanide of potassium will
combine with the sulphate of iron and produce a stain of a deep blue colour
which will permanently deface the stamp; with the gallic or tannic solutions
a pergallate or pertannate of iron will be formed which is black. Of course
other ingredients both organic and inorganic may be used to produce com-
binations with similar effects. The face of the stamp may be coated with a
varnish or sizing so that no ordinary dampness may affect the stamp before it
is used. Instead of soaking the paper with an infusion of nutgalls the paper
may be soaked with a solution of sulphate of iron, and fine-powdered_nutgalls
may be used in lieu of the powdered sulphate of iron.
For postage stamps the paper is soaked in sulphate of iron before it is
gummed, otherwise the stamp is prepared in the usual manner; these stamps
may be affixed by moistening them without defacing them, and the letters are
dropped into the post office with clean stamps on them. To cancel these the

page_text: sorting clerk who takes the letters up to ascertain their destination uses a
finger glove or some other equivalent device provided with a sponge, pad, or
other contrivance impregnated with a solution of nutgalls or the chemical
equivalent. By simply taking up the letter with the fingers and but slightly
pressing it at the part bearing the stamp, becomes immediately and perma-
nently defaced without staining any other portion of the envelope or letter.
In this way a large number of defacing clerks employed in the post offices is
dispensed with, and a great expence to the Government is saved.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe in conclusion that it is susceptible of many modi-
fications without departure from the principle thereof; I therefore do not
confine myself to the precise ingredients specified, or the manner of applying
the same, but what I claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is, incorporating into or applying on to
stamps either before, or partly before, and partly after being used, ingredients
such as will chemically combine to produce a dark color or stain under the
action of moisture, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Thirtieth day of October, One thousand
eight hundred and sixty-five.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.B.)