The two cent stamp of the 1861 - 1869 series is one of the most popular of the classic postal issues; it is the only one with a universally recognized nickname - the Blackjack. It is easy to see how this nickname came about - the stamp is black, and it bears an oversized likeness of Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States. This stamp was designed by James Macdonough of the National Bank Note Co., and the die was completed by a team of engravers. The original artwork source is either a miniature by John Wood Dodge or a painting by Miner Kilbourne Kellog. Figure 1 is an unused block of this handsome stamp.

Figure 1

The Blackjack was issued on July 1, 1863 because of changes in postal rates that went into effect that same day and brought about the need for a two cent stamp. One of these rates was the local or drop letter rate which rose from one cent to two cents and included city delivery from post offices that employed carriers. Figure 2 shows an example of this; it was postmarked at Westfield, N.Y. and addressed to Westfield.

Figure 2

Another rate change was the unsealed printed matter rate which also rose from one cent to two cents. This was for circulars, prices current, printed notices etc. which were sent in an unsealed envelope for two cents. Figure 3 shows an unsealed cover from Nashville, Tenn. to Grand Rapids, Mich. franked with a single Blackjack.

Figure 3

Figure 4 shows a similar cover franked with a single Blackjack, mailed from New Bern, N.C. to New York City, but it is not an unsealed rate. It is a short paid first class letter that should have been prepaid three cents. Because this letter was mailed during the penalty period (July 1, 1863 - May 31, 1865), the deficiency in postage was doubled, so two cents postage due was added instead of one cent.

Figure 4

The Blackjack was sometimes used to make up a rate when stamps of the correct denomination were not available. The most common examples of this were the use of the Blackjack with a one cent stamp to make up the three cent first class rate and the use of three Blackjacks to make up the double rate. Other, more interesting, make-up usages are those to foreign countries. Figure 5 shows a cover, addressed to London, England, franked with two ten cent stamps and two Blackjacks to make up the 24¢ British treaty rate. Figure 6 shows a spectacular cover that has been opened to show both back and front. It is franked with 21 copies of the Blackjack and one three cent stamp to make up the 45¢ rate to Macao (British mail via Southampton).

Figure 5

Figure 6

Being a black engraved stamp, this two-center shows plate varieties better than most other stamps. Plate varieties include scratches, cracks and double transfers. Double transfers show up on the stamp as a doubling of part of the design resulting from an incorrect positioning of the transfer relief during the making or re-entering of the plate. Probably the most famous of all the double transfers on classic U.S. stamps is the Atherton Shift which was discovered by Stanley Ashbrook while examining the Blackjack collection of H.P. Atherton of Springfield, Mass. This variety shows a pronounced doubling at the top of the stamp design, especially in the upper left corner and is shown here as Figure7.

Figure 7

Other varieties exist, such as double perforations, laid paper, stitch watermarks and printing smears, and one of the more interesting is the printed-on-both-sides variety which usually results from a press set-up print or other printer's waste being turned over and reused. Figure 8 is a typical example of this variety.

Figure 8

A more thorough discussion of the grills can be found in the synopsis of the three cent 1861 stamp, so it would be redundant to dwell excessively on that subject here, but it is important to point out a few things about the Blackjack grills. Of the six denominations of the Z grill, the two cent is the most common, although it is still a fairly scarce stamp. The two cent D grill is very scarce and almost never found by accident. The Blackjack E and F grills are more common and, combined, seem almost as common as the ungrilled stamp.

Although the Blackjack was issued during the Civil War, there are not many Civil War usages associated with this stamp, because it did not perform regular first class postal duty, so their use on prisoner-of-war letters would be very rare. Some uses from Union occupation post offices can be found, such as the covers shown as Figures 3 and 4 of this synopsis.

Some of the most dramatic uses of the Blackjacks are the bisects. These are halves of two cent stamps used to pay one cent. This is almost unknown among all the other denominations of the 1861 series. Although this practice was considered to be against regulations, postmasters tended to do what was most expedient and practical, so bisected blackjacks were allowed to pass through the mail. Figure 9 shows a blackjack cut in half diagonally, used to pay a one cent rate; perhaps the post office in Santa Clara was out of one cent stamps. It was used during a period (after May 1, 1865), when the drop letter rate was reduced to one cent in towns whose post offices did not employ carriers.

Figure 9

Figure 10 shows one and a half Blackjacks used to pay the three cent first class mail rate on a cover from White Creek, N.J. Were they out of three cent stamps at the White Creek post office? Maybe.

Figure 10

In 1875, the Post Office Department ordered stamps of the all the designs that had been previously issued in the U.S. They were printed to be sold as souvenirs for the Centennial Exposition of 1876. The 1861 designs were printed on new plates, but were nearly exact duplicates of the prior issues; identification is usually based on paper and shades. The Blackjack is one of the few reissues that has a visible mark that distinguishes it from the previously issued stamps; it is the "star" or "mole" on Jackson's left cheek. This can be seen in Figure 11. It has been attributed to a rust spot on the die. This constant plate variety was discovered by Maryette B. Lane in the 1960s, after the stamps had been around for about 90 years. It can also be found, although much fainter, on some of the two cent F grills

Figure 11

The two cent Blackjack is popular for good reasons. It provides a lot of interest for collectors and specialists of all levels.

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