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The Abraham Lincoln Wing part of the Peter Schwartz Collection |
Turner T-57-A (var)
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The Abraham Lincoln Wing part of the Peter Schwartz Collection |
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two lathework profiles from the essay below right, are said to be
profiles of Lincoln. What do you think? |
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| The item at right, on card with an unadopted
saftey overprint of yellow wavy lines, is a proof of a 4 ounce tobacco
strip stamp on card. This stamp was used to indicate that the proper tax had been
paid on a package of 4 ounces of "16c class" tobacco -- that is,
tobacco with stems. (The "32c class" denoted tobacco without stems.)
Because the overprint is different in both color and design from that of the adopted overprint, this item should be classified, more properly, as an essay. This item is notably different than the item illustrated in Turner in that the large numeral "4" is absent from the oval to the left of Lincoln's head (see below). Scroll down to view a side-by-side comparison of
the essay and two of the issued stamps. TG16a (below left) has an
overprint of what Springer described as "tiny circular groups of vertical
pink dashes".
It is probably fair to assume that the absence of the "4" in both the essay and the stamp indicate that this particular essay was produced as part of a test of types of overprints proposed for the initial issuance of this design. The stamp itself was printed on a mottled paper. The stamp below, right, is a Springer TG16b, printed on violet silk paper. Here the large "4" has been added to the design, probably denoting the actual tax paid (4c) and not the quantity of tobacco. Turner's illustration for T-57-A features this large numeral as part of the design, and is described as having the same overprint as the essay illustrated here. Note also the security punch and partial banknote
company CDS at the center of the strip. While this essay has suffered some
damage and is heavily repaired, it is still considered to be rare and highly
desirable.
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