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U.S. Special Delivery stamps

Scott E1, plate number 496

Scott E1P3, proof on India paper, plate number 495

Scott E1P4, proof on card, plate number 495 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)

Scott E2, plate number 73

Scott E2P3, proof on card, plate number 552

Scott E3, plate number 552

Scott E4, plate number 77

Scott E5, plate number 257

Scott E5 var, dots in curved frame variety, plate number 882

Scott E5P5, proof on card, plate number 492 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)

Scott E5P5, proof on stamp paper, plate number 257

Photographically cropped from the unique top plate block of 6 in public hands (Image courtesy of Schuyler Rumsey Auctions)

Scott E5 var, offset plate number 880 appearing on the back of E5a having plate number 882

Photographically cropped from the unique plate block of 9 (Image courtesy of Schuyler Rumsey Auctions)

Scott E6, original printing, plate number 1483

Scott E6, misperfed horizontally, plate number 1481

Scott E6, 1909 reprint, plate number 5243-09

Scott E7, plate number 4916

Scott E8, plate number 5854

Scott E8 var, missing top frame line, plate number 5514 (Image courtesy of eBay / bjstamps)

It appears that all examples of plate 5514 have this condition, sometimes described as an "error."

Scott E9, plate number 5863

Scott E10, plate number 6043

Scott E11, ultramarine, plate number 11841

Scott E11 var, "pink back" variety, plate number F11815

Scott E11 var, paper fold error, plate number 8508

Scott E11a, gray blue, plate number 10653

Scott E11b, gray violet, plate number 13554

Scott E11c, blue, plate number 5520

Scott E12, gray violet, plate number 17638

Scott E12, gray violet, precancel, plate number 16094

Scott E12, plate number 13916 with misplaced F in bottom position

Scott E12 var, under-inked, plate number F14329

Scott E12a, deep ultramarine, plate number 15103

Scott E13, plate number F16834

Scott E13 var, plate number 16834 with missing 1 (Image courtesy of Daniel F. Kelleher Auctions)

Scott E13 var, special paper, plate number F16838

Scott E14, 20¢ Truck, plate number 17192

Scott E14 var, partial double transfer, plate number 17180

Scott E15, gray violet, plate number 22738

Scott E15P var, proof in gray, plate number 18919 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)

Scott E15 var, gray violet, sliced and repaired with tape (should have been rejected), plate number 22739

Scott E15a, red lilac, plate number 22739

Scott E15c, imperforate between vertically, plate number 19283

Scott E16, plate number 22034

Scott E17, plate number 23170

Scott E17P, proof plate number 23170 (Image courtesy of the National Postal Museum)

Scott E18, plate number 22168

Scott E18 var, local precancel, plate number 22168

Scott E19, 20¢ Truck, plate number 24553

Scott E19 var, 20¢ misperfed to left, plate number 24553

Scott E19 var, 20¢ over-inked, plate number 24552

Scott E20, 20¢ Letters, plate number 25060

Scott E21, 30¢ Letters, plate number 25806

Scott E22, 45¢ Arrows, plate number 31506

Scott E22 var, color shift, 45¢, plate number 31485

Scott E23, 60¢ Arrows, plate number 33006

Scott E23 var, local precancel, plate number 33006

Some collectors consider the Priority Mail or Express Mail stamps of recent decades a continuation or subset of the original special delivery stamps. Scott numbers those stamps with regular issues because they can be used for regular postage and are not limited to the special service indicated.

Airmail Special Delivery stamps

Scott CE1, plate number F21312

Scott CE1 var, probably fake local precancel, plate number 21314

Clues:
- The population of Afton, Wyoming in the 1930's was around 800 people. (Even today the census is only 2000). There was no legitimate need for precancels to service high volumes of outgoing airmail special delivery mail.
- No example is known on cover. The precancellation appears to have been applied some time after any possible contemporary usage.
- The stamp was offered along with a number of other identical suspicious local precancels on airmail, airmail special delivery, certified mail, semipostals, and even the imperforate airmail special delivery stamps spanning more than 90 years. There is even a precancel offered on an Officially Sealed label!
- Most of these suspicious precancels used the same font and format, even for other tiny towns scattered across the U.S.

Scott CE1 var, gum on face of the stamp, plate number F21315

Scott 771, imperforate "Farley" special printing, plate number F21314

Scott CE2, red plate number 21491

Scott CE2 var, local precancel, red plate number F21494

Scott CE2 var, blue (vignette) shifted to top, blue plate number F21497 (Image courtesy of Bill Langs)

Registration stamp (1911)

Scott F1, plate number 5720

Certified Mail stamp (1955)

Scott FA1, plate number 25180

Scott FA1 var, local precancel, plate number 25180

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This page last updated March 24, 2026.