1c Engraved Vignette With Watercolor Frame, Essay On Thick Cardboard (219-E2). 54 x 57mm, with engraved vignette from 1c Bank Note (212) cut to shape and mounted in a hand-drawn watercolor frame, scoring line at top helped the artist determine starting point for design

VERY FINE. THE UNIQUE HAND-DRAWN WATERCOLOR COMPOSITE ESSAY FOR THE ONE-CENT 1890 SMALL BANK NOTE ISSUE, SHOWING A RADICALLY DIFFERENT STYLE OF FRAME. AN IMPORTANT ESSAY.

The new series continued the theme of Franklin for the 1c stamp -- a portrait of Franklin was the subject of every 1c stamp starting in 1851, including the 1869 Pictorial Issue. This watercolor frame is a significant departure from the one eventually adopted. It includes large block lettering at bottom and a country label at top, which was incorporated into the oval for the adopted design. The numbers at the sides are also severely truncated.

It is likely that the 1c and 2c designs were the first to be worked on, since these were the denominations with the greatest demand. These two denominations also have the largest number of different frame designs, though this is the only hand-drawn design for the 1c. The first plate numbers used were for 2c plates (Plates 1-10) and then 1c plates (Plates 11-15).

The ABN Co. contract to supply stamps expired on June 30, 1889. Sealed proposals for a new contract were accepted up to June 17, which did not require any artwork. Only two bids were submitted, one by ABN Co. and one for a much lower amount from Charles F. Steel. ABN Co. protested, noting that Steel's company did not meet the criteria for bidding. Steel's facilities were found not to be fireproof, so the bidding was opened again starting Sep. 11, 1889 (in reality, Steel was paid off by ABN Co. to fail to meet the requirements). The 1941 Brazer catalogue lists this as an essay for the 1889 contract, "circa July 17, 1889." We are unaware of Brazer's reasoning for attributing this to the earlier bidding process.

Ex Brazer. The Essay-Proof Journal noted in 1953 that Brazer exhibited this item at The Collectors Club.

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