Private Perforations on U.S. Stamps

Private Perforations on U.S. Vending and Affixing Machine Coil Stamps

Attleboro · Brinkerhoff · Farwell · International Vending Machine · Mailometer · Schermack · U.S. Automatic Vending

Other users of early Bureau coils in their stamp affixing machines:
Eliot Post Stamp Affixer Company
Nielson Mailing Machine Co. of Erie, PA
Hewitt Sealer and Stamper Co. of Chicago
Simplex Stamp Affixer - Charles J. Francher of Granby, CT

Other users of early Bureau stamps (not coils) in their vending machines:
United States Vending Co. of New York - 1892-1896
Shipman Manufacturing Co. of Los Angeles (1891?-1890s)
Postage Stamp Service Machine Co. N.Y. (1891?-1890s)
American Stamp and Ticket Vending Machine Co. - Abel and Wolheim (1906-)

A Brief History of Postage Stamp Vending and Affixing Machines

Stamp affixing machines attach stamps to envelopes, a very useful tool for bulk mailers. Stamp vending machines provide cost savings in the distribution of stamps in that they allow stamps to be sold individually or in strips from a machine that need not necessarily be located in a post office nor require an attendant. Both were developed independently.

In the early 1900's it was realized that even more cost savings could be had by combining the two machines. But a problem immediately arose when the stamps of the day tore apart within the machines, since they were perforated 12, a perforation with lots of holes rather close together. Many of the manufacturers of these machines added their own perforations to imperforate sheets of stamps provided by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in an effort to solve this problem.

By 1908, the Bureau was experimenting with its own coil stamps, as mentioned perforated 12, but found that these stamps were separating in the coiling process itself, even before they were placed in the vending machines. As a counter measure, the Bureau adopted a more widely-spaced perforation of 8.5 and discovered that although this solved the problem of separation inside the machines, the stamps were so difficult to separate that the stamp itself would often tear, and if the vending machine were not attached to the counter, the effort required would pull the machine off the counter. Finally, in 1914, a compromise perforation of 10 was reached. This proved so successful that it has been used since.

While the Bureau was perfecting its own coil stamps for use in vending and affixing machines, the private manufacturers were tweaking their own machines and perforations. This began as early as October of 1906 when the U.S. Post Office released imperforate sheets of 400 of the one and two cent stamps to the Brinkerhoff, Schermack and U.S. Automatic Vending companies. Later, the two and five cent stamps were also released to the International Vending Machine Company and the four and five cent stamps to the Schermack Co.

A short time later, philatelists realized that the 1¢, 2¢, and to a lesser degree the 5¢ stamps were being issued imperforate and demanded that such stamps be issued to the general public. They were, and may be found listed in Scott as 314, 320 and 315, respectively. The 4¢ stamp is known only with Schermack Type III perforations and although Johl states "it was so issued in the regular course of business ...", it probably never was made available to the public. The privately perforated stamps are simply known as variations of the Scott catalog numbers listed, e.g. "Scott 314 with Brinkerhoff perforations", with the 4¢ known simply as "314A" since it is always found with Schermack Type III perforations.

Although these "Issue of 1902" stamps were the first privately perforated U.S. stamps, the greatest variety of privately perforated stamps are found on the imperforate Washington Franklin issues. The practice of privately perforating stamps was largely discontinued about 1914, when the U.S. Post Office adopted the rotary press and started producing their own coil stamps in quantity, although the Schermack Company continued to add their own perforations to various regularly issued stamps, possibly as late as December of 1927 when the Post Office issued coil stamps that could be used in the Schermack Vending machines. Thus private perforations are found on five series of U.S. stamps: the 1902 Series, the 1908 Series (the Washington Franklins), the 1909 Commemoratives, the 1922 Series, and the Harding Memorial stamp of 1923, Scott 611. At the risk of belaboring the point, private perforations were only applied to IMPERFORATE stamps, there would be little point in perforating an already perforated stamp, and in fact many of the imperforate stamps were issued by the Post Office Department expressly for the private vending companies listed below.

The Scott Catalog listings for the various private perforations found on U.S. stamps are not where one might expect, rather they are given their own section in a perhaps well-hidden part of the catalog entitled "VENDING & AFFIXING MACHINE PERFORATIONS".

The Attleboro Stamp Company used their own machine to affix stamps to their company newsletter, the "Attleboro Philatelist", during the summer and fall of 1909. Only three issues of U.S. stamps are known with this perforation, Scott's 343V, 344V and 371, and all are scarce.


Attleboro Perfs on Scott 343V and 344V	Attleboro Perfs on Scott 371

The Brinkerhoff Company originally produced their privately perforated coil stamps in Sedalia, Missouri, but later moved to Clinton, Iowa.

The Agris Auction Catalog states that the move was made to Denver (not Clinton, Iowa), perhaps to be closer to their coil stamp vending machines in many of the Western states. If any one has further information on Brinkerhoff's presence in Denver, Colorado, we would be delighted to hear from you.


Brinkerhoff Type I Scott's: 314,320,320a,343 344,345,346,347,368,371 383,408,409	Brinkerhoff Type II Scott's: 314,320,320a,343 344,345,346,347,368,371 373,383,384,408,409	Brinkerhoff Type IIa Scott's: 314,320,320a,343 344,345,346,347,368,371 383,384,408,409	Brinkerhoff Type IIb Scott's: 314,320a,343,344 345,346,347,368 383,384,408,409

The Farwell Company, a wholesale dry-goods firm operating out of Chicago contracting with the Schermack Company to produce vending machines for coiled stamps, made a dizzying array of perforation types in an attempt to perfect coil separation in the vending machines.

There are three distinguishable types of separation between the perforations: none, 2mm or Type A, and 3mm or Type B. The number of perforations on either side of this separation also varied. The following nomenclature is based on the number of perforations above the separation, followed by the Type of separation, followed by the number of perfs below. Thus a stamp with four perforations above, a 3mm separation and three perfs below would be named "4B3". Most of the Farwell perforated stamps are scarce and many are faked. Caution is advised when dealing with these perforations.


Farwell Group I - Six Holes Found on Scott's: 384	Farwell 2A3 Found on Scott's: 384	Farwell 2B3 Found on Scott's: 383,384

Farwell 3A2 Found on Scott's: 383,384	Farwell 3B2 Found on Scott's: 383	Farwell 3B4 Found on Scott's: 383,384

Farwell 4B3 (also 4A3 - not shown) Found on Scott's: 383,384	Farwell 4A or 4A4 Scott's: 343,344,368,383,384,408,409,482	Farwell 4B or 4B4 Scott's: 343,344,368,383,384,408,409,482

Farwell 4A5 Found on Scott's: 383,384,408,409	Farwell 5A4 Found on Scott's: 408,409

The International Vending Machine Company of Baltimore, Maryland installed its own vending machines in local post offices and Washington, D.C. for a thirty day trial period in 1908. Perforations on these coils are close to 12.5 (although some older sources claim they were perforated 13). Don't confuse the government issued coils - Scott's 322, 352, 353, 354, and 355, all perforated 12, with the International Vending Coils, which were made from the imperforate stamps 320 and 320b, 343, 344, 346 and 347 respectively. Scott lists an International Vending Machine coil, perf 12.5, made from the 3c stamp, Scott 345. All examples of this scarce private perforation are valuable.

Please note: many of the older texts suggest the coil was issued perf 13 and this appears to not be the case. Furthermore, many texts list the imperforate Washington Franklin stamps of 1912, Scott's 408 and 409 exist with International Vending Machine Coils. Again, this would be unlikely since International Vending Machine Company closed its doors before 1912. These coils, if genuine, may be privately perforated examples of Scott's 408H and 409H.

International Vending Machine Coil perf 12.5
Found on Scott's: 320, 320b, 343, 344, 345, 346, and 347

The Mailometer Company of Detroit, Michigan, formed in 1906and originally named the "Detroit Mailing Machine Company", used a vending machine invented by Joseph Schermack, then a production manager for the company. Later, Schermack would patent his device and take over the company (see Schermack below). The Mailometer vending machines proved to be quite successful and many, but not all, of the perforations listed below are common.


Mailometer Type I Found on Scott's: 320,320a,320b,343,344 345,346,347,368,371,373,383,384,408,409	Mailometer Type II Found on Scott's: 320,320b,343,344 345,346,347,368,371,373,383,384

Mailometer Type III Found on Scott's: 320,320b,343 344,345,346,347,368,371,373	Mailometer Type IV Found on Scott's: 320,320b,343,344,345 346,347,368,371,373,383,384,408,409,482,483

The Schermack Company of Detroit, Michigan has provided us with the most famous privately perforated coil, the Schermack Type III, and, of course two of the great rarities of 20th century U.S. philately are found only with the Type III perforations, Scott 314A, the four cent stamp of the Series of 1902 and Scott 482a, the two cent type Ia Washington imperforate. The name of the company went through several changes, from the original "Detroit Mailing Machine Company", to the "Schermack Mailing Machine Company", and after Schermack resigned to the "Mail-om-eter Company" and finally to the "Mail-O-Meter Company" or simply "Mailometer Company".


Schermack I - 8 Holes Found on Scott's: 314,315,320,320a 343,344,345,346,347,368	Schermack Ia - 7 Holes Scott's: 314,320,320a,368	Schermack Ib - 6 Holes Scott's: 314,320,320a,368


Schermack II - 6 Larger Holes Found on Scott's: 314,315,320,320a 343,344,345,346,347,368,383,384	Schermack Type III Scott's: 314,314A,315,320,320a,320b,343,344,345,346,347 368,371,373,383,384,408,409,481,482,482A,483,484,531, 532,533,534,534A,534B,535,575,576,577,611,631

The U.S. Automatic Vending Company was not only involved in the production of the following privately perforated varieties, but they also tried, unsuccessfully, to make vending tickets for many venues including among others the New York Subway. You may notice the similarity of some of the following varieties to today's ticket stubs, particularly the Type Ia, and it is most probable that today's ticket designs owe a little something to these early attempts. Note that the type Ia has had the top and bottom margins of the stamps trimmed to facilitate ease of use in their vending machines.

While all of these vertical coils are of Type I and most of the horizontal coils are of Type II, the Type Ia Scott 371 has Type I perforations but is in horizontal format. There are other distinctions between the Type I and Type II perforations; the notches on the Type II stamps are further apart and the slit between the stamps, barely discernible in the diagrams below, is wider and nearly meets the notches in the Type II. The Alaska-Yukon stamp, Scott 371, exists in both Type Ia and Type II perforations.

The first example below was an experiment using the ordinary perforated 12 two cent stamp of the day, Scott 319(c). The second, also experimental, was a forerunner of the private coils that would soon follow.


USAV Experimental First Coil Found on Scott 319c	USAV Experimental Type IIIx Found on Scott 368	U.S. Automatic Vending Type I Scott's: 314,315,320,320a,320b,343,344 345,346,347,368,371,383,384,408,409

U.S. Automatic Vending Type Ia Found on Scott 371	U.S. Automatic Vending Type II Scott's: 314,315,320,320b,343,344,345 346,347,368,371,373,383,384,408,409	U.S. Automatic Vending Type III Scott's: 314,315,320,320b,343,344,345 346,347,368,371,373,383,384,408,409,459