UNITED STATES Telegraph stamps, etc.

Return To Catalogue - United States Overview

Note: on my website many of the pictures can not be seen! They are of course present in the cd's;
contact me if you want to purchase them: evert@klaseboer.com.

Post offices in China

1919 Stamps of the United States overprinted "SHANGHAI CHINA" and value

2 c on 1 c green 16 c on 8 c green
(Reduced sizes)

  2 c on 1 c green
  2 Cts on 1 c green (1922)
  4 c on 2 c red
  4 Cts on 2 c red (1922)
  6 c on 3 c violet
  8 c on 4 c brown
  10 c on 5 c blue
  12 c on 6 c orange
  14 c (red) on 7 c black
  16 c on 8 c green
  18 c on 9 c red
  20 c on 10 c yellow
  24 c on 12 c red
  30 c on 15 c grey
  40 c on 20 c blue
  60 c on 30 c red
  1 $ on 50 c violet
  2 $ (red) on 1 D black

The post offices of the United States in China were closed in 1922. Before the above stamps were issued precancels with "SHANGHAI" sometimes used.

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
2 c on 1 c	*	*
2 Cts on 1 c	***	R	1922
4 c on 2 c	*	**
4 Cts on 2 c	***	R	1922
6 c on 3 c	**	**
8 c on 4 c	**	**
10 c on 5 c	**	**
12 c on 6 c	**	***
14 c on 7 c	***	***
16 c on 8 c	***	***
18 c on 9 c	***	***
20 c on 10 c	***	***
24 c on 12 c	***	***
30 c on 15 c	***	***
40 c on 20 c	***	***
60 c on 30 c	***	***
1 $ on 50 c	RR	RR
2 $ on 1 $	RR	RR	Seems to exist with double surcharge: RRR

Probably a forged overprint '4 Cts.' on 1 c green

Parcel stamps of the United States in the values 1 c to 25 c exist with overprinted "SHANGHAI CHINA", (tied on small pieces with Shanghai cancels). These were unauthorized overprints made by John Darrah, an U.S. Postal Agent in Shanghai. Darrah himself declared later that his overprints were only precancels....

Special Delivery

1885 Special postal delivery secures immediate delivery at any post office

  10 c blue (1885, inscription in 6 lines)
  10 c blue (1887, inscription in 5 lines)
  10 c orange (1892)
  10 c blue (1902, with man on bicycle)

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
10 c blue (1885)	***	***
10 c blue (1887)	***	**	Also exist with shadowed lettering (***)
10 c orange	***	**
10 c blue (1902)	R	***

1907 Special delivery, helmet of Hermes

  10 c green

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
10 c	***	***

More Special Delivery stamps were issued in 1922 (10 c blue, man with motorcycle), 1925 (15 c red; man with motorcycle and 20 c black; mailtruck).

Parcel Post

1912 Parcel Post, various designs

  1 c red
  2 c red
  3 c red
  4 c red
  5 c red (mail train)
  10 c red (steamship and mail tender)
  15 c red (automobile service)
  20 c red (aeroplane carrying mail)
  25 c red (manufacturing)
  50 c red (dairying)
  75 c red (harvesting)
  1 $ red (fruit growing)

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1 c	*	c
2 c	*	c
3 c	*	*
4 c	**	*
5 c	**	c
10 c	***	*
15 c	***	*
20 c	***	**
25 c	***	*
50 c	R	***
75 c	R	***
1 $	R	***

These stamps were used for several months as parcel post stamps, but then used as ordinary postal stamps.

These parcel stamps in the values 1 c to 25 c exist with overprinted "SHANGHAI CHINA", (tied on small pieces with Shanghai cancels). These were unauthorized overprints made by John Darrah, an U.S. Postal Agent in Shanghai. Darrah himself declared later that his overprints were only precancels....

1912 Parcel Due stamp, inscription "U.S. PARCEL POST POSTAGE DUE"

  1 c green
  2 c green
  5 c green
  10 c green
  25 c green

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1 c	*	*
2 c	**	**
5 c	**	*
10 c	***	**
25 c	***	*

The next parcel post stamp had the inscription "SPECIAL HANDLING" and were issued in 1925 (10 c, 15 c, 20 ca nd 25 c all in green).

Postage Due

1879 Inscription "US POSTAGE DUE", "U" and "S" at the sides

  1 c brown
  1 c red (1891)
  2 c brown
  2 c red (1891)
  3 c brown
  3 c red (1891)
  5 c brown
  5 c red (1891)
  10 c brown
  10 c red (1891)
  20 c brown
  30 c red (1891)
  50 c brown
  50 c red (1891)

The brown stamps exist in two shades coming from two different issues (1879 and 1891).

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
1 c brown	*	*	Cheapest type
1 c red	*	*
2 c brown	**	*	Cheapest type
2 c red	*	c
3 c brown	*	*	Cheapest type
3 c red	**	*
5 c brown	***	*	Cheapest type
5 c red	**	*
10 c brown	***	*	Cheapest type
10 c red	***	*
30 c brown	***	***	Cheapest type
30 c red	***	***
50 c brown	R	***	Cheapest type
50 c red	R	***

1894 Smaller size, "U" and "S" on top

  1/2 c red (1925)
  1 c red
  2 c red
  3 c red
  5 c red
  10 c red
  30 c red
  50 c red

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
Cheapest types
1/2 c	*	*
1 c	*	vc
2 c	*	vc
3 c	*	*
5 c	*	c
10 c	**	c
30 c	***	**
50 c	***	*

In 1930 this series was re-issued with inscription "UNITED STATES" in the top.

Registration stamps

A first registration stamp was issued in 1872 (sorry, no image available yet).

1911 Registration stamp, inscripiton "UNITED STATES REGISTRY" image of eagle

  10 c blue

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
10 c	**	*

Air mail

1918 Aeroplane

  6 c red
  16 c green
  24 c red and blue

These stamps could also be used for normal postage.

Value of the stamps
vc = very common c = common * = not so common ** = uncommon		*** = very uncommon R = rare RR = very rare RRR = extremely rare
Value	Unused	Used	Remarks
6 c	***	**
16 c	***	***
24 c	***	***

A misprint of the 24 c exists (RRR):

Misprint, genuine

Many forgeries of this misprint exist. For example, the forger Peter Winter made a forgery of this misprint in the 1980's.

Peter Winter forgeries of this stamp, here a block of four stamps.

Later airmail stamps, example:

1923 airmail stamp; together with this 16 c value a 8 c green and 24 c red were issued (central design different).

Us airmail stamps with overprint 'RF' in different shapes were used in 1944 and 1945 by French naval personnel posted at naval bases. For more info, click on France Airmail stamps. Examples:

Casablanca issue (two different types)

Algiers issue, two different types

Marseilles issue

War issues

2 c + 3 c stamp of France of 1917 cancelled by the 'US ARMY POSTAL SERVICE' in 1918

Telegraph stamps

Note: I have only listed the stamps of which I have images. There are more telegraph stamps.

Rapid Telegraph

(These stamps have small holes as cancels)

Besides the above stamps with inscription 'TELEGRAPH' (1 c black, 3 c orange, 5 c brown, 10 c lilac, 15 c green, 20 c red, 25 c red and 50 c blue), also stamps with inscription 'COLLECT' exist (1 c brown, 5 c blue, 15 c brown and 20 c green).