There’s an old truism that things are not always what they seem to be. That statement applies just as much in stamp collecting as it does in life in general.
Take, for example, the newest addition to my 14¢ American Indian collection. This cover mailed from Charleston, West Virginia, in 1933 bears a parcel post postmark on its front, and my initial assumption when I saw it was that it was sent by parcel post or fourth-class mail.
14¢ American Indian collect-on-delivery cover mailed from Charleston, West Virginia
Upon closer inspection, however, I discovered that there’s no way this is an example of fourth-class mail. The collect-on-delivery fee applicable at the time this envelope was mailed was 12¢ for matter valued at no more than $5, and that leaves only 2¢ for postage. No parcel post rate was that low; even mailing a letter first-class cost 3¢ by the time this envelope was used.
I found the answer to this mystery in Henry Beecher’s and Anthony Wakrukiewicz’s seminal work U.S. Domestic Postal Rates, 1872–2011. In that volume, Wakrukiewicz illustrates two other covers that at first glance appear to be examples of fourth-class mail, but which actually had to have been sent third-class! That is the case with this cover, too.
A quick search turned up a couple of other interesting connections to this cover as well. You can read my full write-up for complete details.
Purgatory Post commemorates Bedell Bridge, Bunker Hill
June seems to have been a rather quiet month in the world of local posts, which is probably to be expected. Some folks travel during the summer, and with longer daylight hours, others simply spend more time outside than on stamps; however, one local post that has been active in terms of releasing new stamps over the past month is Purgatory Post.
On June 10, the New Hampshire-based local post issued a 26-sola stamp picturing the Bedell Covered Bridge, which spanned the Connecticut River between Haverhill, New Hampshire, and Newbury, Vermont. The bridge was built in 1866.
Purgatory Post 26-sola Bedell Bridge stamp
The Bedell Bridge was closed to traffic in 1958, but a committee later raised $250,000 to rebuild the bridge, which was rededicated in July 1979. Unfortunately, the structure was demolished by a windstorm later that year, and the bridge was never rebuilt.
On June 18, Purgatory Post issued a 10-sola stamp commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill. The vignette reproduces part of John Trumbull’s The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Purgatory Post 10-sola Battle of Bunker Hill stamp
British forces won the Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775, but not until colonial forces had repelled them twice. It was only after the colonists exhausted their supply of ammunition that they retreated, leaving the hills around Boston under British control.
I’ve had a very busy week, and as a result, I’m a little tardy in writing about this…but as of Sunday of this week, the Summer 2025 Supplement (123 KB, 2 files, 9 pages) for The Philosateleian U.S. Stamp Album is available. This update includes spaces for all United States postage stamps (and Philosateleian Post’s newest local post stamp) issued from March through May of this year.
You can download and print the new pages at your convenience, and as always, thank you for your interest and your support.
Purgatory Post marks anniversary of Second Continental Congress
Purgatory Post earlier this month released the latest in its series of stamps leading up to the United States of America’s semiquincentennial celebration. The 9-sola stamp marking the 250th anniversary of the start of the Second Continental Congress was issued may 10.
Purgatory Post 9-sola Second Continental Congress stamp
The stamp’s vignette is comprised of a portion of Robert Edge Pine’s Congress Voting Independence of Confederation
The Second Continental Congress is perhaps best known for producing the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain, but it also served as the fledgling nation’s de facto government until it was disbanded in 1781 once the Articles of Confederation came into effect.
As longtime readers of this blog will know, Purgatory Post is a private local post based in New Hampshire.
Philosateleian Post FDC shows some scrapes and bumps
When I released Philosateleian Post’s new prickly pear cactus stamp earlier this month, I sent a first day cover to myself. That envelope was in my post office box last week, and it has signs of some rough handling.
Philosateleia 1s Prickly Pear Cactus first day cover
As you can see, the Philosateleian stamp has a long horizontal scrape across roughly 75% of its width. Additionally, there’s a bite “missing” from the bottom edge of the envelope, a chunk that was apparently removed by mail processing equipment somewhere along the way.
On the plus side, the Appalachian Trail (Georgia) stamp I used survived unscathed, and since I used my mailer’s postmark to cancel it, I have a nice used copy with little of the image obscured.
