Steve Levine
P.O. Box 951
Linden Hill Station
Flushing, NY
11354
Phone: 718-939-5788
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Steve Levine |
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OCTOBER, 2011
Dear Friends & Collectors,
Back in 2011 I "discovered" a new variety of U544. Although it's been integrated into my regular stock and can be ordered through my website, I decided to keep this page running with the expanded description.
U544? A NEW DIE VARIETY?
An article appeared on Page 164 of Postal Stationery, the September-October issue. Written by Bill Geijsbeek, it described....well, I'm not sure how to characterize this. A new Die Variety? A "sub"-variety (like there are 3 sub-varieties of Die 5 of U534)?
For those non-UPSS members out there, please examine the scan below.
Upper Left is Die 1 (U544a), Upper Right is Die 2 (U544), Lower Left is Die 3 (U544b) and Lower Right is the "NEW" Die in question.
The
major features of Die 1 are:
1. Lincoln has a nose that could open cans. It's long & sharp.
2. All bars of the "E" in STATES are of equal length.
3. The center bar of "E" of POSTAGE is a bit higher than dead-center.
The
major features of Die 2 are:
1. Lincoln has a nose that is somewhat more blunt than Die 1.
2. The center bar of the "E" in STATES is shorter than the other 2.
3. The center bar of "E" of POSTAGE is dead-center.
The
major features of Die 3 are:
1. Lincoln has a nose that is somewhat more blunt than Die 1.
2. The center bar of the "E" in STATES is shorter than the other 2.
3. The center bar of "E" of POSTAGE is dead-center.
4. The "F" and "I" of FIVE are close.
Die 3 is very much like like Die 2, except for the "FI"
in FIVE...and the lettering is usually thicker.
This new Die has the following features:
1. Lincoln's nose is blunt,
like Dies 2 and 3.
2. The center bar of "E" of STATES is shorter, like Dies 2 and 3.
3. The center bar of "E" of STATES is a bit higher than dead-center, but
not as high as it is on Die 1.
4. The most important feature is the "A" of STATES; it's taller than the
two "T"s which surround it. This appears on no other die.
5. The back of the neck and hair have a smoother line than the other dies.
This may not show up well on the scan.
These envelopes (I have about 25) have been sitting in
storage for nearly 30 years. I put them there years ago meaning to
research them someday; my "apartment problem" brought them out from the deepest
recesses of my storage racks.
Of greater importance, during the past 30 years I have
never found another group like this. They are scarce.
PRICE FOR THE U544? /SIZE 12 MINT ENVELOPE IS $12.50
That's all for now...I hope to be in touch with you again soon.
Best Regards,
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