US postage due stamps were authorized by Act of Congress on March 3, 1879, and they became effective on July 1, 1879.
The new stamps were to be affixed by a postal clerk to letter mail, to
indicate the amount to be collected from the addressee, resulting from
the insufficient prepayment of postage by the sender. Before the
creation of postage due stamps, the amount of insufficient postage to be
collected by the carrier was written by hand or hand-stamped on the
front of the envelope.
All of the US postage due stamps of 1879 to 1891 were printed by the
American Banknote Co. on unwatermarked, soft porous paper, and they are
all perforated 12. The designs of the seven stamps, as shown above, are identical, except for the central
denomination numerals and names.
The four American Banknote Co. printings are
differentiated by their colors. The shades within each major group can vary considerably. Comparison with reference examples of the actual shades is often necessary.
The catalog attributes, for stamps from the 1879 printing, that are printed in brown shades, are as follows.
The catalog attributes, for stamps from the 1879 special printing, that are printed in deep brown, are as follows.
The 1879 US postage due stamp special printings should NEVER BE PURCHASED WITHOUT A CERTIFICATE!
The catalog attributes, for stamps from the 1884 printing, that are printed in red brown shades, are as follows.
The catalog attributes, for stamps from the 1891 printing, that are printed in claret shades, are as follows.
A new, smaller size series of US postage due stamps was introduced in 1894. These US postage due stamps were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing on unwatermarked or watermarked paper, and they are all perforated 12. The designs of the seven stamps, as shown above, are identical, except for the central
denomination numerals and names.
These US postage due stamps are the contemporary companions of the 2nd and 3rd Bureau Issues of definitive postage stamps.
The catalog attributes, for stamps that are unwatermarked and perforated 12, are as follows.
The catalog attributes, for stamps that are watermarked double-lined USPS and perforated 12, are as follows.
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US Postage Due Stamps 1879-1897