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impression
of 1851 trime coin die sunk on glazed card
The
above proof impression is accompanied by an original signed letter of
George F. Nesbitt who held the contract to supply imprinted postal
stationery to the Post Office Department from 1853 until 1870.
The
letter to the Assistant Post Master General can be seen here
and a transcript follows.
"New
York, August 14th 1857
Hon. John Marron
Third Assistant P.M. General
Dear
Sir,
As per understanding, I called at the United States Mint yesterday but
did not see Mr. Snowden;- he had left the city to be gone several days.
I saw his representative who introduced me to the chief Die Sinker, Mr.
Longfield (presumably this a reference to James Barton Longacre).
Mr. Longfield informed me that there was no Head of Washington at the
Mint that he thought suitable for the purpose, nor could he tell me of
anyone capable of producing what I required. He thought that the death
of Mr. C.C. Wright (Charles Cushing Wright) had left a vacancy in
that branch not easily filled.
Mr. Longfield recommended the enclosed as a suitable mark for the three
cent envelopes, and suggested that if was used he would like the credit
of originating the idea. I told him I would forward the card and his
remarks to you.
I shall make all diligent exertion to produce a head that will please,
and will inform you as early as possible how I progress.
Very
respectfully,
George F. Nesbitt
(docket
on verso)
14th
August 1857
G.F. Nesbitt
Has visited the mint about new dies for envelopes. Specimen
within."
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enlargement
of design
Postal
stationery had been introduced in 1853 (see page here).
It would appear from the above that a new design was contemplated in
1857. However, no new design was introduced until 1860.
There
is another
example of this essay that is owned by the Library Company of
Philadelphia. It came to them in 1948 with their acquisition of the
Longacre papers. They also own a March 24, 1851 letter from Longacre to
Thomas Corwin, Secretary of the Treasury related to their example which
says, in part:
"It
is the first impression I have taken from the dies I have been preparing
for the three cent piece ordered by congress... On so small a coin it is
impossible that the device can be at once conspicuous and striking
unless it is simple - complexity would defeat the object."
In
addition, there are two examples of a similar coin pattern imprinted on
glazed card that exist for the 1849 gold dollar, also from the Longacre
papers and owned by the Library Company of Philadelphia. I surmise that
the essay that was submitted by Nesbitt for postal stationery was
produced in 1851 and retained by Longacre at the mint until turned over
to Nesbitt in 1857. This item is then in a class by itself as it served
as a coin pattern as well as a postal stationery essay.
The
US Patterns web
site contains excellent information about this and other United
States pattern coinage.
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