La Posta January 2002 51
Rate fluctuations
During the North’s most depressing Civil War year,
1863, the five-cent registry fee escalated to 20 cents
and remained there until after the war, ending on De-
cember 31, 1868. Late in this high fee period, on June
1, 1867, the registration fee finally was required to be
paid in stamps. Thus, 20 cents in stamps would ac-
company standard postage on envelopes for 1½ years
between July 1867 and December 1868.
The fee declined to 15 cents on January 1, 1869, and
further to eight cents on January 1, 1874. This last
rate was short lived also, another 1½ years, and re-
maining examples of this rate are scarce. The registry
rate was increased to an even ten cents on July 1, 1875.
Standard circle dials
With the demise of the straightline marker in 1868,
new circular registered markings took hold. A blue
dated circle made its debut in March and April 1868,
apparently simultaneously with a black ink device,
perhaps indicating two separate registry clerks at work.
The black dates from March 1868 and continues at
least through early 1869.
Figure 8 Three backstamps, (top) a floreate fancy dated
This first circle (REGISTERED on top) is followed
Oct. 24, 1877 (Shachat collection); (center) a “Wide
by a smaller (25mm) REGISTERED on bottom
rim, Textured background, Straightline Registry
Backstamp” of Oct. 25, 1878; (bottom) an early “large marker, with dates up to 1875. A larger version (27mm)
filled square corner, dotted line” backstamp dated Apr.
succeeds this in 1877 and 1878 and a larger letter va-
8, 1879.
riety concludes the series in late 1878-1879. These
are all black dials.
was a labor saving device until duplex cancellers came
along.
Figure 9 On March 22, 1878, famed early stamp dealer John Hazeltine sent postage stamps in
this extra heavy stock envelope to Massachusetts. It has the early dial origin registry hand stamp
combined with fuzzy cork killers. The reverse bears a fancy floreate backstamp to boot. The
extra ten cents was due to package weight.
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