#63 1861 1¢

Basic Information

Color: Blue (for more shades see below)
Subject: Benjamin Franklin
Printing method: line-engraved intaglio on flat plates
Printer: The National Bank Note Company
Perforations: 12
Watermark: none
Scott #: 63
Plates: 9-10, 22, 25, 27
Quantity issued: 138,000,000
Issued and earliest date of use: August 17th, 1861

Value

An unused stamp with perfect gum: $375-$525
An unused stamp with gum and a hinge mark: $80-$200
A used stamp: $11-$18

Usage

Three #63 used on a patriotic cover paying the standard 3¢ rate

#63 was primarily used for prepaying the 1-cent postage rate for "drop letters" (delivered within the same post office), circulars, and newspapers during the early Civil War era. It was the standard adhesive for low-weight, local mail and printed matter.

Drop Letters: 1¢ per 1/2 ounce for letters delivered in the same city or town where mailed.
Printed Matter: Used for newspapers, circulars, and other printed items.
Carrier Fee: Used to pay the fee for local delivery by mail carriers

The Inspiration for the Design

The design of the 1861 US 1¢ stamp (#63) was inspired by a sculpture of Benjamin Franklin, which is currently located in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia.

The portrait was modeled after a bust (sculpture) of Franklin, not a painting, contrasting with many other 1861 issues that were modeled after paintings.

Encased Stamps

Currency Substitute
Stamps were encased in brass and mica holders during the US Civil War (1862) to serve as durable, small-denomination emergency currency (commonly 1¢, 5¢ or 10¢). This innovation by John Gault addressed a severe, wartime coin shortage caused by citizens hoarding gold and silver, while allowing businesses to make change and advertise their services.

Crossing the Mason-Dixon line

Dealing with the Confederacy
Union authorities assumed that a large number of the 1856 3¢ issue remained unaccounted for in the hands of Confederate Postmasters. To prevent fraudulent use of these stamps, Congress authorized the design and production of the 1861 3¢ to replace the old stamp design as soon as possible.

A notice went out to Postmasters declaring that they could exchange the old design for the new design, but they only had seven days to do so. After that point, all the old designs would be demonetized and therefore of no value. This notice was an abject failure, and the period of grace was twice extended, all the way up to November.

Some of the border states of the confederacy kept the stocks of the new design. Although invalid in the Southern States, they were happy to sell at 50¢ on the dollar to postmasters in Union Kentucky.

The Postmaster General declared that no mail from the North would be delivered to the South by the US Postal Service. This did not sit to well with the southerners. It prompted two companies in Kentucky to start a roaring business delivering mail across the border. These companies then smuggled guns, slaves, and all sorts of contraband during the course of the civil war. These companies were Whitesides and The Adams Express, an example of a mail from each is shown here.

Shades and varieties of #63

Blue
(#63)
Ultramarine
(#63a)
Dark Blue
(#63b)
Bright Red-brown (#28b)
Horiz. Imperf. (#63d)