Scott #149 US stamps

#149 - 1871 without grill 7¢

7¢
Vermilion, deep vermilion

Type of Paper: Hard white wove paper, thin to medium thick
Subject: Edward Stanton
Number issued: 2,500,000
Perforations: 12
Scott #: 149
Printer: National Bank Note Company
Earliest Documented Use: May 11, 1871

Value

Used
$19 - $27
No postmark with gum (MH)
$150 - $230
Full perfect gum, no postmark
no trace of stamp hinge mark (MNH)
$1,000 - $4,000

The 7¢ Postal Rate

1871 cover to Germany with #149

Upon the conclusion of the postal treaty with the North German Confederation, fixing the single letter rate by direct steamers at seven cents to take effect the 1st of July 1870, a stamp of that denomination was adopted and the profile bust of the late Edwin Stanton selected for the design. This has been completed in a satisfactory manner, but owing to the temporary discontinuance of the direct mail steamship service to North Germany, it was not yet been issued to postmasters.

The design inspiration

This one presented a difficulty for me. Try as hard as I could I could not find the source document from which the vignette was derived. The closest I could come was this 1863 engraving.

Notable Sales

Pair and two singles, each cancelled by matching cork duplexed with "Winchester, Mass. Mar 8" cds on 1872 cover to Saigon, Indochina via Singapore, endorsed "Via Southampton", red "Boston, Paid, Mar 9" exchange cds and red crayon "24" cent credit to G.B., London Paid (3.21) transit cds and red crayon "1" pence colonial credit, reverse with partial Singapore arrival backstamp and docketed "Received at Saigon May 14th 1872"

Sold July 2021 for $1,770

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#149 Characteristics

The paper

#149 is printed on hard white wove paper, thin to medium thick.

Hard paper was used by the National Bank Note Company and the Continental Bank Note Company. Soft paper was used by the American Bank Note Company,

The hard paper of the Bank Note issues is fairly white, perhaps it might better be called grayish white or sometimes a somewhat bluish white, while the soft paper seems slightly yellowish when compared with the hard paper.

Soft paper has a looser weave and more porous paper than hard paper, so it feels softer, displays a mesh or weave when viewed by holding the stamp between your eyes and light so that you are looking “through” the stamp.

Some people can also ID hard paper be “flicking” the edges and thereby “feeling” the stiffness of the paper versus the feel of soft paper if flicked in the same way. There's more of a snap to the hard paper.

On high magnification the perforation tips on soft paper will have more strands of paper sticking out than hard paper.

Soft paper is fairly dead looking under a long wave UV light ( (briefly and from a reasonable distance in a darkened room) while hard paper reflects more light. If reference copies of stamp designs known only on hard paper or soft paper are viewed under UV light, the difference in paper brightness should be apparent.

For a reference stamp obtain the inexpensive 1861 3¢ (#65), it is only available in hard paper.