Hand-Drawn Cachets Reflect Creativity

Question: I have seen Civil War patriotic covers (envelopes) with embossed designs and some with hand-drawn designs. Would a cover from 1863 with a hand-drawn flag on the reverse be considered a Civil War patriotic? My cover has a 1-cent Franklin, 2-cent Jackson and 3-cent Washington stamp, and a hand-drawn flag on the reverse. --J.N.

Answer: Yes, this is a Civil War patriotic cover, worth maybe $20 or $30 (or more), depending on the condition and postmarks. It sounds like a double-weight letter, costing 6 cents postage, that is 3 cents per half ounce, the first-class rate in 1863.

I happen to like hand-drawn cachets (cover designs) because they tend to be “one-of-a-kind” and show some thought and creativity on the part of the sender of long ago. Hand-drawn designs are not necessarily more valuable than printed designs, and the overall condition of the stamps affixed and the cover’s appearance are the major factors that determine its market price. Civil War mail isn’t rare, but handsome covers in nicely preserved condition always have a market.

Q: Do you think it is worthwhile to save a booklet of the recently released Self-Adhesive Extraordinary stamps? --G.N.

A: You’re asking me to predict the future, something that is always hard to do in stamp collecting. By “worthwhile” I assume that you mean whether or not these stamps will be a good long-term investment, paying at least the equivalent of bank interest for, say, 5 or 10 years.

It all depends on how many of these booklets are sold, how many are then used up for postage and how many are left in pristine mint condition for future collectors, who may or may not generate demand sufficient to make the market price of these things rise over the years. None of these factors are known at present, which is why stamp collecting is so exciting and interesting, even for stamp booklets, which non-collectors might consider just routine postal issues good only for use on daily mail.

Of course, you can always use the stamps for postage at any time, as they will never be worth less than face value.

Q: I enclose a copy of my letter addressed to the Postmaster General concerning a problem some of your readers may have encountered--receiving mail from overseas with the stamp missing. These are usually commemoratives or high-value issues. It is something that I experience quite regularly these days, and for a stamp collector it is most frustrating.

Surely foreign mail must have the correct postage to enter this country, so I must conclude the stamp theft takes place in the U.S. Postal Service. I urge anyone else who has experienced this problem to write to the Postmaster General at the U.S. Postal Service, 475 L’Enfant Plaza S.W., Washington, D.C. 20260. --G.M.

A: You can understand, of course, that somebody might take an unused stamp off an envelope with the intention of reusing it. But when canceled stamps, especially of the kind that a collector might enjoy, are ripped off mail, then we can only speculate how desperate some postal employee must be to add nice canceled stamps to his collection.

The Postmaster General and his staff would be pleased to hear any compliments or legitimate complaints that mail-users have, although in this case it might be appropriate also to notify your local post office about this problem in the hope that they can do something to correct it if the stamp swipings are taking place locally.

Q: With all the recent turmoil in China, are their stamps illegal or hard to obtain? --T.E.

A: No. Stamps from the People’s Republic of China are freely imported and bought and sold in the United States. Many local dealers will be happy to show you a selection.

Q: What is going to happen with the stamp market in view of the changes in prices in the Scott catalogues? --R.Q.

A: Until 1988, Scott stamp catalogues traditionally overpriced most stamps, it being understood by collectors and dealers alike that the real values were below catalogue values. With the 1989 and 1990 catalogue editions, Scott has announced a change in pricing policy. Now catalogues indicate net retail prices--in other words, the price at which you may find a stamp for sale at a stamp shop. A lot of philatelists dislike the new pricing scheme, but everybody knows that the real values of stamps are only indirectly affected by catalogues.