Large Bank Note Issues (1873)

The Continental Bank Note Company reused all the National Bank Note Company’s 1870-1871 Issue printing plates. To distinguish its printings from these plates, CBNCo engraved a small mark (termed a ‘secret mark’ in philately) on the plates for most denominations.

The 1-cent Franklin has its secret mark at the bottom of the stamp. It is the small horizontal dash in the largest of the ‘pearls’ immediately to the left of the numeral ‘1’. CBNCo most likely engraved this mark with a small amount of acid applied to the plate on each stamp.

Beginning on May 1, 1873, the Post Office Department set a new one-cent rate for postcards, which the 1-cent Franklin filled. The stamp could also have been used for some third-class mail, drop letters, or in combination with other denominations, to fulfill higher rates. CBNCo printed approximately 780,000,000 stamps for the 1-cent Franklin issue over a period of six years. National Bank Note Company had only printed it for three years but produced double the number of 1-cent stamps.

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum

The 2-cent issue printed by the Continental Bank Note Company and that printed by the National Bank Note can easily be distinguished by color alone. No magnifying glass is necessary. The earlier NBNCo stamp is red brown in color; the CBNCo stamp is brown. That is very fortunate (stamp collectors rejoice!) because CBNCo’s secret mark—a small, diagonal line—on this 2-cent stamp is difficult to spot and has often not even transferred to the print. That mark can be found extending from the rim of the border line above the “U.S.” (at the top left of the stamp design) to the tip of the curled ornament.

The stamp paid multiple domestic rates or, in combination with other denominations, greater foreign destination rates. Continental Bank Note Company printed approximately 112,500,000 stamps of this 2-cent issue.

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum

During the period in which the Continental Bank Note Company printed U.S. stamps, the first-class domestic rate for a half-ounce letter was three cents. Because of that rate, Continental’s 3-cent stamp was used more than all of its other stamp issues. The 3-cent Washington comprised over two-thirds (2,610,000,000) of Continental Bank Note Company’s approximate total output of 3,909,662,000 stamps (including all issues and denominations).

The secret mark on this stamp is the heavy shading along the lower white borderline of the larger ribbon that appears below the ‘R’ in the word "THREE." On the earlier National Bank Note 3-cent stamp, that ribbon has a simple, crisp white outline.

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum

The 6-cent Abraham Lincoln of the 1873 Issue looks identical to its National Bank Note Company counterpart except for two major distinguishing features. Continental Bank Note Company’s stamp has a dull pink ink color and a secret mark; the NBNCo ink color is carmine. The secret mark can be seen at the stamp's bottom left. Below the word ‘six’ there are two ribbons whose ends curve toward the bottom of the ‘x’. At the point where they curve, there are four vertical lines that are heavily shaded.

Until the five-cent U.P.U. rate was established in 1875, the 6-cent Lincoln would have paid the half-ounce rates to many countries, including Great Britain and Canada, or in combination with other denominations, higher postal rates. Its most popular domestic use paid the double-weight first-class rate. Continental Bank Note Company printed approximately 47,000,000 of its 6-cent stamp.

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum

The orange vermilion ink and the Continental Bank Note Company secret mark differentiate this 7-cent Stanton stamp from the National Bank Note version of the same that was also printed in vermilion. The secret mark is easily found near stamp's small, almost complete circle in the bottom right corner. Where the ends of the lines come close to closing the circle, the secret mark is the two semi-circles around the bends of those lines.

The 7-cent Stanton was not available after 1875 because the Universal Postal Union standard international single-weight five-cent rate had been adopted. From 1871 through 1875, however, the stamp paid for an increasing number of single rates—for example, the 1871-1872 rate to England and Denmark and the 1873 rate to Hungary and Luxembourg. Continental Bank Note Company printed approximately 2,500,000 stamps of this 7-cent issue.

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum

In summer 1873 the Continental Bank Note Company produced two stamps for the same series—two depictions of Thomas Jefferson, one in old age and one in his prime—that were printed in identical brown ink. The 2-cent stamp was released in dark brown in the special 1875 printing, but in subsequent regular issues, it was printed in vermilion. The color for the 10-cent Jefferson always remained brown.

Though the various 10-cent Jefferson issues can be difficult to differentiate from each other, Continental Bank Note Company added a secret mark to the design of its stamp frames, specifically in the area of the white frameline outlining ‘U.S. POSTAGE’. This secret mark—a small bottom semi-circle—is in the curling scroll at the right of the frame line. The paper chosen by CBNCo was a white wove paper, which also distinguished its 10-cent Jefferson from the later American Bank Note issue.

Over its years of use, the 10-cent stamp paid various postal rates—from 1873 onward it paid the ten-cent registered mail fee and the Universal Postal Union single-weight five-cent rate to any country. CBNCo printed approximately 30,000,000 stamps of the 1873 10-cent issue.

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum

Continental Bank Note Company simply reused the National Bank Note design when it created the 12-cent Clay issue, and therefore the small, secret mark applied by CBNCo to the original printing plate can be cited as its sole artistic contribution to the entire 1873 Issue. The mark was etched out of the ‘2’ at the bottom center (under the portrait), making the two curls of the number appear more crescent-shaped. The difference between this ‘2’ and the even, fully rounded shape in the National Bank Note stamp is very noticeable when directly compared.

The 12-cent Continental Bank Note Company stamp, in combination with a 1-cent stamp, could have paid the registered fee and first-class mail rate or an unusual quadruple first-class rate. This stamp was also used in combination with many other stamps to pay larger foreign destination rates. Approximately 2,915,000 stamps of this issue were printed by Continental Bank Note Company.

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum

The 15-cent Webster was the last stamp of the Continental Bank Note 1873 Issue with a discernible 'secret' mark. The secret is the small amount of plate wear at bottom and center, between the ‘1’ and the ‘N’ of ‘FIFTEEN’ and also replicated symmetrically between the ‘5’ and the ‘C’. The National Bank Note 15-cent Webster has more clear and distinct lines in this area and has a darker and clearer orange color ink overall. The CBNCo printing employs a lighter yellowish-orange color. As with the 12-cent stamps, the NBNCo and CBNCo printings of this 15-cent issue are more easily discerned by directly comparing the two stamps.

Like other stamps of this series, the 15-cent Webster had more uses after the adoption of Universal Postal Union rates. Before 1875, the stamp could pay the five-times domestic rate or, in combination with other stamps, the large foreign destination rates. After the U.P.U. rate was put into effect, the stamp conveniently paid both the registered fee and the U.P.U. five-cent rate for a single letter. Continental Bank Note Company printed approximately 2,050,000 stamps of the 15-cent Webster issue.

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum

The most complicated and rare stamp of the entire Continental Bank Note Issue is the 24-cent General Winfield Scott. Philatelic specialists have contested the actual issuance of this stamp. Support for the CBNCo-printed 24-cent Scott was largely speculative. Those assenters had to assume that the terms of the Post Office Department contract, which set delivery dates and printing production levels for each stamp issue (following the transfer of the original National Bank Note plates to Continental), had been met. After all, Continental had printed stamps for all the other denominations. Still, supporters acknowledged that the CBNCo printing was probably very small; because they also believed that Continental had acquired a large, existing quantity of the 24-cent Scott stamps from National Bank Note Company when it purchased their equipment in 1873.

Continental had apparently not engraved a distinguishing 'secret mark' on this National Bank Note printing plate. And no obvious indication of ownership could be determined by studying the color varieties since the shades were too indistinct. Specialists finally had a break through when a paper variety known as 'ribbed paper' was attributed to Continental Bank Note Company. No other company contracted to print United States stamps had used this paper. The ribbing is a series of either small vertical or horizontal lines in the paper of the stamps.

It was not until the 1960s that a single 24-cent Scott was finally attributed to CBNCo based on a positive identification of the paper. The 24-cent Continental stamp was likely used in combination with other stamps to pay larger foreign destination rates. The fact that there is only one known example makes the 24-cent Scott Continental Bank Note Company Issue the rarest stamp in United States Philately!

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum

Color is the best way to distinguish National Bank Note Company’s 30-cent Hamilton from that of Continental Bank Note. NBNCo’s ink is a very full, rich black; CBNCo’s ink is a much duller, off-gray black. Again similar to several of the preceding stamps in the 1873 Continental Issue, the 30-cent Hamilton is more easily discerned from the NBNCo printing by a direct comparison of the two stamps. Though the 30-cent stamp could have been used to pay ten times the first-class domestic rate, it typically paid expensive foreign-destination letter rates to Peru, Mexico, and India. Continental Bank Note Company printed approximately 2,050,000 stamps of the 30-cent Hamilton issue.

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum

Continental Bank Note Company did not add its ‘secret mark’ to the 90-cent Perry printing plate created by National Bank Note Company. Instead, as with the 30-cent Hamilton, it chose ink color as its distinguishing characteristic. To say that this stamp is mostly easily differentiated by its color is almost a misuse of the word 'easily'. The color variance is that minor. As the major colors listed, NBNCo had used carmine; CBNCo used rose carmine.

As the subject of a 90-cent stamp, Oliver H. Perry was the first and only individual depicted who had not served a president of the United States. Further, of all United States stamps 1847-present, he was the only non-president portrayed on a 90-cent stamp.

The 90-cent Perry was mostly used in combination with other denominations to fulfill expensive rates. Approximately 197,000 stamps of this issue were printed by Continental Bank Note Company.

Alexander T. Haimann, National Postal Museum