Szczegóły o  Encased Postage - EPS 13 Take Ayer's Pills (#114)

Silver & Gold

This is a rare Civil War era encased postage piece.

EPS - 13  three cents

Take Ayer's Pills

Mica is complete.  Slight crazing can be seen at 8 o'clock.  Wear on the brass is minimal and all printing is sharp and shows minimal signs of flattening. 

This will be a great addition to your collection whether it is your first encased postage or part of a larger collection.

Be sure to review the pictures that illustrate the quality of this item.

The item pictured is the item you will receive.

US sales & shipping only.

HISTORY OF ENCASED POSTAGE

During the early stages of the Civil War, the Union was not faring well and they needed to finance the cost of the war by borrowing money.  Uncertainty of the outcome of the war combined with the fact that the currency was not backed by silver or gold led to a lack of confidence in US currency and a subsequent hoarding of coins.  This shortage of coinage made trade very difficult.

On July 17, 1862, Congress authorized the use of postage stamps to satisfy debts of less than $5.00. 

John Gault took advantage of this new law and on August 12, 1862 received a patent for his design of wrapping a postage stamp around a cardboard disk and placing it in a coin-like piece of brass.  The front with the stamp was covered with transparent mica to protect the stamp while making the denomination visible.  The brass back piece was used by merchants to advertise their business.  Gault sold these encased postage pieces to merchants for a markup over the face value of the encased stamp.  He additionally sold advertising to the merchants for an additional 2 cents each. 

On August 21, 1862 the government issued postage currency and later in 1863 released paper fractional currency in denominations from 3 cents to 50 cents.  The government also minted increased quantities of brass and copper-nickel coinage.  This easeed the need for Gault's innovation and made encased postage obsolete.  Citizens recognized that the encased items had no value except for the stamp inside so they tore apart the brass pieces to get the stamps.  This resulted in very few of the encased postage items surviving.

  It is estimated that there were approximately 750,000 encased postage pieces produced and sold and of those, only between 3,500 and 7,000 are believed to still be in existence today.

Bid with confidence that you will receive exactly what is described. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

I honestly describe everything I sell, but please view the pictures and grade the items for your self.  My description is only my opinion.  No warranties are expressed or implied.  

Payment Options

Pay Pal is the preferred form of payment.  I also accept major credit cards. Contact me if you want to use an alternate form of payment or if you have any questions regarding payment or shipping. 

Shipping & Handling

All purchases will be shipped free to customers within the United States. 

If you are the winner of more than one item please send me an e-mail before paying and I will ship your items together in one package.

Returns

Items are sold with a "No questions asked"  100% return policy.  Returns will be accepted if notified within 14 days of receipt.  Purchase fees will be refunded upon return of the item, however shipping fees are not reimbursable.

Feedback

I will always try to provide honest descriptions of my products and quick service.  I will provide feedback for all purchases when shipped.  Please provide positive feedback in return when you receive your item.  If you are dissatisfied for any reason, please reach out to me so that I can resolve the issue.

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