1862 C.Y. Haynes Civil War Stamps Featuring Union Mottos

A rare find, this is a c. 1862 uncut half sheet of twenty-four C. Y. Haynes and Company envelope seals featuring Union mottos from the American Civil War (1861 - 1865). Used to seal envelopes, these 'wafer seals' would have made plain the sender's feelings on the war. Some, such as 'Eternal Vigilance is the Watch Word of Liberty' and 'The Eyes of the World are Upon Us' are overtly patriotic but not overtly hostile. Others, such as 'The Union Must and Shall Be Preserved', 'Strike for the Government and the Union', and 'Let Us Die for Our Country Never Surrender' evoke the hostilities engulfing the country. Stamps reading 'Glory Shrouds the Heroes Grave', and 'He That Falls in His Country's Cause Dies Nobly' remember the dead. Some are even illustrated. One stamp reads 'The Traitors Doom' around an illustration of a corpse hanging from the gallows. An illustration of a snake appears on another with the text 'Crush the Serpent of Rebellion'. Three bear illustrations of the Stars and Stripes. One reads 'Remember Fort Sumter'. The second states 'Wipe Out the Insults Heaped Upon Me' around an illustration of the flag, while the third has two flags and reads' Oh Long May It Wave'.

Wafer Seals

In the early history of written correspondence, writing and sending letters was reserved for royalty and by custom royals sealed their letters with wax and a hand-held wooden and brass sealer. The Post Office in England introduced mail general public 1635, and those that could afford to send mail adopted the custom of sealing envelopes with wax. Eventually, sending letters became more economical, leading to the development of wafer seals, small pieces of colored paper with adhesive backs. As they gained popularity in Britain, printers began adding images, mottos, scenery, and other decorations. By the late 1830s, the use of wafer seals had made its way to the United States. Wafer seals were used in the U.S. from the 1840s through the 1860s, when envelopes with adhesives superseded the need for seals entirely.

Publication History and Census

These seals were created and printed by C. Y. Haynes and company c. 1862. Full sheets of forty-eight seals were printed with two identical sets of twenty-four seals on one sheet. They were typically sold in twenty-four seal half sheets. The present sheet was printed in blue, but seals were also produced in red, green, and gold. We note the presence of six sheets in the collection at The Library Company of Philadelphia. An entry in OCLC catalogs two sheets in the collection at Columbia University in the City of New York, one of which is 'mutilated'. Sheets such as this appear from time to time on the private market.