Sale 1332 — United States Stamps
Sale Date — Tuesday-Thursday, 8-10 October, 2024
Category — Vending and Affixing Machine Perforations
1c Blue Green, Imperforate Vertical Coil, The Parkhurst Company (314V). Single with Parkhurst vending machine knife cuts at top and bottom, capturing guideline at top, tied by clearly struck oval grid cancel with duplex "Indianapolis, Ind. Sta. B Sep. 3 8:30AM 1908" datestamp on illustrated postcard addressed in pencil to Greenville, Illinois, with writer's notation at bottom "This stamp is out of a a vending machine", stamp has tiny tear at right and small corner crease at bottom right
VERY FINE APPEARANCE. ONE OF TWO RECORDED USED-ON-MAIL EXAMPLES OF THE ONE-CENT 1908 IMPERFORATE VERTICAL COIL VENDED BY THE PARKHURST COMPANY'S MACHINE DURING ITS TRIAL IN SEPTEMBER 1908.
The Parkhurst Company, founded by Layton M. Parkhurst, was one of the contenders during the 1908 tests conducted by the U.S. Post Office Department for the purpose of selecting a firm to provide patented vending machines to dispense stamps in post offices throughout the United States. In its final decision, the USPOD chose the U.S. Automatic Vending Machine Company as the best product, but never purchased any of the machines and abandoned the concept of installing any stamp-vending machines in post offices for the next 30 years. Philatelic authors have speculated that the need to use privately perforated coils in the USAV machines deterred postal officials from entering into a contract.
This is one of two recorded postcards with an imperforate stamp that was dispensed from a Parkhurst vending machine. It was postmarked at the Indianapolis Station A post office on September 3, 1908, the earliest recorded date of use of a Parkhurst vended stamp. The sender's comment, "This stamp is out of a a vending machine," reflects the novelty of the device. The Lake County Times, Sep. 4, 1908, reported: "The Parkhurst stamp vending machine which was placed in the main corridor of the Federal building at Indianapolis this week has attracted much attention. It will be given a thirty day test and if it is satisfactory may be adopted by the United States government" ("The Parkhurst Co. Coils Conundrum: Private or Government Perforations," Scott R. Trepel, Collectors Club Philatelist, July-August 2023).
2c Scarlet, International Vending Machine Co., Perforated Approximately 12½ (320b). Pair, bright color, bold strikes of New York registry oval cancels, small thin spots, Fine appearance, an extremely rare used pair of the 2c International Vending Machine Co. privately perforated coil, the copy of the 1940 American Board of Experts certificate which accompanies, signed by both Bartels and Klemann, misidentifies this as Scott 322—it is for a strip of five on piece, the only source of used examples of this rare private vending machine coil—SCV $2,600 as singles
5c Blue, Imperforate, U.S. Automatic Vending Co. Ty. I (315). Guide line pair, original gum, very lightly hinged, deeply rich color, Very Fine, a rare private vending machine coil line pair
2c Carmine, Alaska-Yukon, Brinkerhoff Ty. II, Coiled Sideways (371). Strip of four, original gum, h.r. at center, side stamps Mint N.H., rich color, Very Fine