Skip to main content
Smithsonian main website

Search

Donate

EnglishEnglish
EnglishEnglishAfrikaansAfrikaansAlbanianAlbanianAmharicAmharicArabicArabicArmenianArmenianAzerbaijaniAzerbaijaniBasqueBasqueBelarusianBelarusianBengaliBengaliBosnianBosnianBulgarianBulgarianCatalanCatalanCebuanoCebuanoChichewaChichewaChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)Chinese (Traditional)CorsicanCorsicanCroatianCroatianCzechCzechDanishDanishDutchDutchEsperantoEsperantoEstonianEstonianFilipinoFilipinoFinnishFinnishFrenchFrenchFrisianFrisianGalicianGalicianGeorgianGeorgianGermanGermanGreekGreekGujaratiGujaratiHaitian CreoleHaitian CreoleHausaHausaHawaiianHawaiianHebrewHebrewHindiHindiHmongHmongHungarianHungarianIcelandicIcelandicIgboIgboIndonesianIndonesianIrishIrishItalianItalianJapaneseJapaneseJavaneseJavaneseKannadaKannadaKazakhKazakhKhmerKhmerKoreanKoreanKurdish (Kurmanji)Kurdish (Kurmanji)KyrgyzKyrgyzLaoLaoLatinLatinLatvianLatvianLithuanianLithuanianLuxembourgishLuxembourgishMacedonianMacedonianMalagasyMalagasyMalayMalayMalayalamMalayalamMalteseMalteseMaoriMaoriMarathiMarathiMongolianMongolianMyanmar (Burmese)Myanmar (Burmese)NepaliNepaliNorwegianNorwegianPashtoPashtoPersianPersianPolishPolishPortuguesePortuguesePunjabiPunjabiRomanianRomanianRussianRussianSamoanSamoanScottish GaelicScottish GaelicSerbianSerbianSesothoSesothoShonaShonaSindhiSindhiSinhalaSinhalaSlovakSlovakSlovenianSlovenianSomaliSomaliSpanishSpanishSudaneseSudaneseSwahiliSwahiliSwedishSwedishTajikTajikTamilTamilTeluguTeluguThaiThaiTurkishTurkishUkrainianUkrainianUrduUrduUzbekUzbekVietnameseVietnameseWelshWelshXhosaXhosaYiddishYiddishYorubaYorubaZuluZulu
Smithsonian sunburst Smithsonian National Postal Museum
  • Visit
    Visit
    • Plan Your Visit
    • Location and Directions
    • Calendar of Events
    • Public Programs
    • Floor Plan
    • Tours and Itineraries
    • Amenities
    • Accessibility
    • Reviews
    • Alerts
    Visit »

    Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

    Admission is always free!

    2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
    Washington, DC 20002

    The museum's main entrance is located on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE. Other entrances have variable hours.

    street map of Postal museum

    Learn more
  • Exhibitions
    Exhibitions
    • Current Exhibitions
    • Past Exhibitions
    • Virtual Exhibitions
    • Upcoming Exhibitions
    The museum's Atrium
  • Learn
    Learn
    • For Researchers
    • For Educators
    • National History Day
    • Topical Reference Pages
    • Oral History
    • Research Articles
    • Stamp Collecting
    • Social Media
    • Activities
    Front windows showing stamp images at night
  • Collections
    Collections
    • Search the Collection
    • Collections Search Center
    • Collection History
    • Donating Objects
    • Object Loans
    • Collection Projects
    • Object Spotlight
    • Digital Asset Collections
    • Rights and Reproductions
    • Preservation
    • Shared Stewardship and Ethical Returns
    People in front of log post office building
  • About
    About
    • About the Museum
    • About Us
    • FAQs
    • Support the Museum
    • Host an Event
    • National Postal Museum Gala
    • Philatelic Achievement Award
    • Press
    • Site Map
    Information Desk in the Historic Lobby
  • Blog
  • Home
  • Collections
  • Search the Collection
  • 5c Franklin illegal use from Arkansas Territory to Washington, DC on cover
Click to view social media share links

5c Franklin illegal use from Arkansas Territory to Washington, DC on cover

Object Details

Description
This is the only cover from Eagletown prepaid with an 1847 postage stamp. It was addressed to Col. P. P. Pitchlynn, a Choctaw chief, while he was in the "City of Washington." Although Eagletown was in unorganized territory west of the Arkansas border, it was attached to Arkansas in the Post Office Department records for administrative purposes, and hence the designation "Ark" in the townmark.
The cover entered the mails on July 14, 1854, long after the 1847 stamps had been demonetized. Although a Post Office Department order had declared these stamps unusable for postage after June 30, 1851, only three examples are known showing that a local office refused to recognize them. Seventy-three covers are known where the stamps were accepted after demonetization.
Since the Act of March 3, 1851, had provided that single-weight letters traveling a distance of up to 3,000 miles would incur prepaid postage of only three cents, this usage represents a two-cent overpayment of the 1851 rate.
Eagletown did not receive any 1847 stamps. This 5-cent stamp was carried there from some other source, probably Doakesville (or Doaksville).
Data Source
National Postal Museum
Date
July 14, 1854
Object number
2003.2019.8
Recipient
Peter P. Pitchlynn, Native American (Choctaw), born 1806
Printer
Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edson
Type
Covers & Associated Letters
Medium
paper; ink (red brown) / handwritten; engraved
Dimensions
Height x Width: 2 3/4 x 5 in. (7 x 12.7 cm)
Place of Origin
Eagletown (Choctaw Nation), Arkansas
Place of Destination
District of Columbia
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
On View
Currently on exhibit at the National Postal Museum
Title
Scott Catalogue USA 1
Topic
National Stamp Collection
Covers & Letters
Record ID
npm_2003.2019.8
Usage
CC0
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm88e5e92bd-aad5-45ba-ab38-ee28f848b55c
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

HomeSmithsonian National Postal Museum

Visit »

Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Admission is always free!

2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002

The museum's main entrance is located on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE. Other entrances have variable hours.

street map of Postal museum

Learn more
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Press
  • Site Map
  • e-News
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Flickr

Have you signed up for our monthly e-newsletter?

Owney, the Railway Mail Service Mascot

Back to Top