SECURITY EMBOSSING

Overprinting, underprinting and perfins are all well known methods used by firms to protect their stock of postage stamps. However, a lesser known security measure is embossing which was perhaps the first form of private security endorsement ever to be used on postage stamps.

A number of embossed examples of postage stamps exist from the early half of the Queen Victoria era. As a process in itself, embossing was widely used, for example in tying fiscal stamps to documents and the personalisation of postal stationary. It appears that several firms extended the application to including their supplies of postage stamps.

So far, dated copies have been noted from 22 June 1847 through to 16 August 1875, spanning the introduction of the mainstream security endorsement measures. It is almost certain that later dates are yet to be found. According to McGowan ("The British Philatelist", November 1931) in December 1878 a Mr J.R.Mortimer enquired of the Post Office if he could impress his name and address on stamps by means of a relief-die and he was informed that there was no objection but that his plan was not so effective as perforation.

The earliest example I have seen is probably a 1d red imperf said to be from plate 34 which would date it circa June 1843. It has a "grill" type of embossing has clearly affected the maltese cross cancelation thus proving that the embossing was applied prior to use.

The earliest dated copy is a 1d imperf, said to be plate 72, on cover posted in Leith and addressed to Wick with the cover backstamped Leith JUN 22 1847. The stamp is embossed with a design enclosing the letters J.B & Co. The same design was impressed into the wax seal used to seal the letter. The letter is signed something like "John Balfo(...) & Co" but as always seems the case with early letters, the handwriting is awful!

Another firm that employed embossing was Novelli & Co who had offices in both Manchester and London. Some half a dozen examples have come to light, the plates used seeming to suggest that the company may have used embossing for several years.

I have since acquired a cover bearing the perfin die N0680.02 on cover. On the envelope flap is an embossing the same as that found on the stamps.

Another firm used embossing simultaneously with underprinting. The illustrated 'FEG within oval' is taken from a photocopy of an advertisment describing the stamp as "F.F.GODDEN(?) MANCHESTER unofficial underprint with embossed initial. 1864 1d plate 161 ... embossed F.E.G. ... and on reverse this previously unrecorded underprint which is unfortunately covered by paper ...". Two similar underprints have been noted. The first reads "F.E.Gaddom", origionally illustrated in the "GB Journal Vol 4 1963" which goes on to mention examples from plates 159 and 161 (plates put to press 17.8.72 and 17.9.72 respectively). The second underprint reads "F.E.Gaddum" which has recently appeared in the latest Stanley Gibbons Queen Victoria Specialised catalogue volume 11 which records only plate 161. Perfin die F1300.01 has been provisionally identified as belonging to the firm F.E Gaddum, Manchester with examples known from the early 1870's . Note that the illustration for the embossing was taken from a small photocopy of a stamp with cancellation and should be treated as being my best guess !

Since both Novelli and F.E.Gaddum were located in Manchester and using embossing at about the same time, I wonder if perhaps they shared the same supplier of stationary who also supplied they're stocks of stamps.

The latest dated copy I have seen is for S. Bretton, an upholsterer in Eastbourne. The impression is on a 1d red, plate number indecipherable, and cancelled "Eastbourne AU 16 75". It is attached to a small piece on the reverse of which are the words "..ephen Bretton...aker & Upholsterer...us Road".

Many examples of embossing take the form of text contained within an oval, possibly made from dies that were origionally intended for other purposes such as embossing stationery. However at least one firm appears to have used a die produced specifically for marking stamps, consisting of a fairly crude series of cuts.
I know of several further copies of partially embossed 1d reds who's user can not be readily identified. However two may have just enough for the user to be identified. The first of these almost certainly involves the name "Cuthbert". Given the positioning of the place name, "Harlin(g)", I would guess that it is preceeded with perhaps "East", "West", or such like. The stamp, a 1d red "star" perf 14, is cancelled with a 57? numeral. There is an East Harling just off the road from Thetford to Norwich, Norwich using the "575" numeral.

The second example was illustrated in latest "GB Journal" and reads "Thomas Hans.../Ship(broker?)/North Shi(elds?)" and is on a 1d red star which presumably dates it prior to 1864, plate unknown.

The following is a list of all of the embossed examples I am currently aware of (I have not actually seen thise examples in italics):-