The United States Five Cent Stamp of 1856 - Richard Frajola and Frederick Mayer

Description

PROGRAPHICSCORP2007
Bellingham and Lakewood, Washington
It is time for me to do books again.  I have several hundred or so that are in-demand and worth selling, and several hundred that are not quite worth the effort of selling and shipping.  Hopefully, this is one that falls within my "in-demand" category.
The United States Five Cent Stamp of 1856 - Richard Frajola and Frederick Mayer, The Collectors Club, New York, 2005.  Pictorial hard covers over boards, about 8-1/2 by qq inches, 165 stated pages. Mint condition.
The 5-cent Jefferson stamp of 1856 is one of the stepchildren of the United States imperforate classic issues as it was not issued to prepay a specific postal rate. The Act of March 12, 1855, required the prepayment of postage on letter mail commencing April 1, 1855, and prepayment with postage stamps, or stamped envelopes, commencing January 1, 1856. A 10-cent denomination was added to the previously issued 1-cent, 3-cent and 12-cent stamp series of 1851 to facilitate prepayment of the new rate for letters carried over 3,000 miles. However, there was no compelling reason for the issuance in 1856 of the 5-cent stamp. Before looking into why the stamp was issued, an examination of when the stamp was issued might help put the matter in perspective. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . and that is why you need this book.
GENERAL COMMENTS
We started out selling philatelic literature as a spin-off from our selling stamps, stamp collections and postal history.  However, as more and more books and libraries drop into our laps, philatelic literature has become one of our major categories. Many philatelic reference books are collectible in their own right. Most are out of print. We try to price according to collectibility, condition, rarity, and to a much lesser extent their value as reference guides.  Additionally, and on a condition-compared-to-condition basis, we try to undercut the competition.
Another comment about value as an inherent collectible, as compared to value as a reference guide: The truth is that more detailed and more up-to-date information is going to be available on the internet, but then you would not have that rare and hard-to-find book sitting there on the shelf, would you!  And, if you use a book as a working reference copy, what's easier:  Carrying a book into a stamp show or lugging in your computer?
Dust jackets: In the field of modern literary first editions, the lack of a dust jacket is death. I see a totally different result when it comes to philatelic literature. Many such books never came with a dust jacket to begin with, while some books I have seen with jackets and at the same time -- the very same book -- still in shrinkwrap and without dust jacket. If I show a book with dust jacket, then you are going to get that book with a dust jacket. If I do not show a dust jacket, then no dust jacket, and maybe the book never had one to start with. (Or maybe it did.)
When it comes to books and stamps, "very fine" pretty much means the same thing. However, "good' when it comes to books is still a pretty nice item, while "good" when it comes to stamps is a dog. The book you bring home new from the book store might rate only a "fine" rating, but still be close to as-new. A "fine" stamp on the other hand is no great shakes.
We ship by Media Mail within the United States.  We also will happily ship to Canada.  We will do the best we can to minimize the cost of postage, but it is still going to be expensive.
Free shipping within the U.S.
This item will be shipped from United States zip code 98498.