Developed & Supported by Mark Scheuer. Based on the work of Thomas J. Alexander. Dedicated to the memory of Creighton Hart and Susan McDonald. Feedback, additions, and corrections most welcome. Please send to: markscensus@uspcs.org
√ Click here for the census user’s guide as a PDF
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| Scott Number | |
|---|---|
| Date | May 15, 2026 |
| From City | Editor |
| From State | |
| To City | Users |
| To State | |
| Addressee | Census Info & Update |
| Cert Author | |
| Cert # | |
| Fake | |
| Quantity 1 | 0 |
| Quantity 2 | 0 |
| Bisect | |
| Others |
Notes
Since last month:
3 duplicates removed
1 Alexander listed cover added
6 unlisted covers added
A communication to all users:
1. This census is hosted by the USPCS, free to use by members and non-members alike.
2. Please refer to this as the "USPCS 1847 Issue Cover Census".
3. This is NOT the Alexander Census. That was his 2001 book, which is referenced throughout these listings. Thomas Alexander was not a contributor to any entries made herein, except for his notes in the APRL, which are fully noted where used.
4. I also used Creighton Hart's and Susan McDonald's 10c 1847 cover census that Thomas Alexander also used in compiling his work.
5. Auction calatog texts are quoted verbatim and corrected, where needed, at the end of the entire listing description. The catalogs are referenced and any images used are noted. The text and images remain as the copywrited property of the original sources.
Statistics
1. Thomas Alexander's 2001 book is the source of 12,778 listings in this census following the removal of 495 known duplicate listings. A few dozen, or so, duplicate listings remain but many will be removed following confirmation using his notes in the APRL, as research time permits.
2. To date I have added 2971 additional listings over the past 25+ years.
3. The total number of entries is now 15,772. This number will change frequently as new covers are added and as duplicate listings are removed. This can occur daily.
4. Entries with no image or description are those listed in Alexander's 2001 book that I have been unable to find in any auction catalog or online site.
5. Entries with descriptions, partial images, or full images are covers I have identified. To date, this numbers 12,507, or nearly 80%.
6. Images are frequently replaced as better ones become available. Cover images are resized to 6.5 inch widths and may be adjusted (darkness, contrast, sharpness) for clarity.
7. Based on the # of known covers and the # of those unlisted in Alexander's book, I estimate that 16,687 covers actually exist. This is a simple, proportional estimation. (Total = Alexander listed + # Added x [1+ 0.01 x % Alexander listed not yet found]; this assumes equal sampling from both populations, listed and unlisted.)
8. Experitization certificates listed on the index page under PF# include the Philatelic Foundation (default, no preceeding letter), A=APEX, C=William T. Crowe, E=PSE, G=PSAG. Other sources, mainly European and Canadian, are listed in the description details but are not listed on the index page. To date, 4335+ covers are certified, of which 409 have problems (NG designations).
Biographical Information
1. Generally from internet sources, usually unquoted unless from published books where users may find more detailed information or recent journals under copywrite. Online sources like Wikipedia and the 1850 Federal Census are not referenced but are frequently used.
2. Google AI, a recent addition, has been extremely useful.
3. I use a number of city directories I have collected over the years including Doggett's (NYC), McElroy's (Philadelphia) and many other cities like Boston, St. Louis, Baltimore, Detroit, New Haven, Albany, etc. These are from the stamp issuing periods and were generally published annually, although I only have a few editions. Many are available from the Toronto-based Internet Archive.
Additions
1. I generally go through recent auction catalogs after the sale closes. This allows me to edit the entries once, after the prices realized are posted. (I do not add buyer premiums to the prices.)
2. I regularly search EBAY and Hipstamps and a few dealer sites for new cover entries. I do not quote prices from these sources. These are only referenced if descriptions or images are used. Otherwise, resellers are not mentioned.
3. Current auction sources heavily used are Stamp Auction Network, Robert A. Siegel, Schuyler J. Rumsey, Daniel F. Kelleher, H. R. Harmer, Cherrystone and StampCircuit.
4. Other sources include Richard Frajola's PhilaMercury, the Philatelic Foundation, APS APEX certificates, and Stamp Smarter for PSE Certs.
5. Several collectors and members have made contributions to this census. Their entries are identified and greatly appreciated.
6. I am particularly thankful to Eric Stone for database construction and problem solving and to Gordon Eubanks and the USPCS organization for supporting this effort.
Recent updates
1. Robert A. Siegel Auctions sale 1373 pr added.
2. Schuyler J. Rumsey sale 130 pr added.
3. Daniel F. Kelleher sale 837 pr added.
4. 7 new entries added in the past 30 days.
5. Improved images in Robert A. Siegel's Power Search found starting around sale 800. Currently working on sale 906 and will end at sale 1023. After this, the original images are just fine. Already updated over 200 images.
If you have any comments about the usefulness of this entry, email me directly. You can find my email on the member's page. Also, let me know if you want this kind of information in the Postmasters' Provisional or US City Despatch censuses.
mark scheuer
May 15, 2026
ps. I have reference to 20 Baltimore red box PAID covers that some philatelists consider variants of Postmaster Provisionals. Let me know if you think they would be a worthwhile addition to the Postmaster's Provisional census, to be listed as 3Xvar (similar to the blue 2X variations I added to the Annapolis entries).
pps. I am thinking about updating this entry monthly.
3 duplicates removed
1 Alexander listed cover added
6 unlisted covers added
A communication to all users:
1. This census is hosted by the USPCS, free to use by members and non-members alike.
2. Please refer to this as the "USPCS 1847 Issue Cover Census".
3. This is NOT the Alexander Census. That was his 2001 book, which is referenced throughout these listings. Thomas Alexander was not a contributor to any entries made herein, except for his notes in the APRL, which are fully noted where used.
4. I also used Creighton Hart's and Susan McDonald's 10c 1847 cover census that Thomas Alexander also used in compiling his work.
5. Auction calatog texts are quoted verbatim and corrected, where needed, at the end of the entire listing description. The catalogs are referenced and any images used are noted. The text and images remain as the copywrited property of the original sources.
Statistics
1. Thomas Alexander's 2001 book is the source of 12,778 listings in this census following the removal of 495 known duplicate listings. A few dozen, or so, duplicate listings remain but many will be removed following confirmation using his notes in the APRL, as research time permits.
2. To date I have added 2971 additional listings over the past 25+ years.
3. The total number of entries is now 15,772. This number will change frequently as new covers are added and as duplicate listings are removed. This can occur daily.
4. Entries with no image or description are those listed in Alexander's 2001 book that I have been unable to find in any auction catalog or online site.
5. Entries with descriptions, partial images, or full images are covers I have identified. To date, this numbers 12,507, or nearly 80%.
6. Images are frequently replaced as better ones become available. Cover images are resized to 6.5 inch widths and may be adjusted (darkness, contrast, sharpness) for clarity.
7. Based on the # of known covers and the # of those unlisted in Alexander's book, I estimate that 16,687 covers actually exist. This is a simple, proportional estimation. (Total = Alexander listed + # Added x [1+ 0.01 x % Alexander listed not yet found]; this assumes equal sampling from both populations, listed and unlisted.)
8. Experitization certificates listed on the index page under PF# include the Philatelic Foundation (default, no preceeding letter), A=APEX, C=William T. Crowe, E=PSE, G=PSAG. Other sources, mainly European and Canadian, are listed in the description details but are not listed on the index page. To date, 4335+ covers are certified, of which 409 have problems (NG designations).
Biographical Information
1. Generally from internet sources, usually unquoted unless from published books where users may find more detailed information or recent journals under copywrite. Online sources like Wikipedia and the 1850 Federal Census are not referenced but are frequently used.
2. Google AI, a recent addition, has been extremely useful.
3. I use a number of city directories I have collected over the years including Doggett's (NYC), McElroy's (Philadelphia) and many other cities like Boston, St. Louis, Baltimore, Detroit, New Haven, Albany, etc. These are from the stamp issuing periods and were generally published annually, although I only have a few editions. Many are available from the Toronto-based Internet Archive.
Additions
1. I generally go through recent auction catalogs after the sale closes. This allows me to edit the entries once, after the prices realized are posted. (I do not add buyer premiums to the prices.)
2. I regularly search EBAY and Hipstamps and a few dealer sites for new cover entries. I do not quote prices from these sources. These are only referenced if descriptions or images are used. Otherwise, resellers are not mentioned.
3. Current auction sources heavily used are Stamp Auction Network, Robert A. Siegel, Schuyler J. Rumsey, Daniel F. Kelleher, H. R. Harmer, Cherrystone and StampCircuit.
4. Other sources include Richard Frajola's PhilaMercury, the Philatelic Foundation, APS APEX certificates, and Stamp Smarter for PSE Certs.
5. Several collectors and members have made contributions to this census. Their entries are identified and greatly appreciated.
6. I am particularly thankful to Eric Stone for database construction and problem solving and to Gordon Eubanks and the USPCS organization for supporting this effort.
Recent updates
1. Robert A. Siegel Auctions sale 1373 pr added.
2. Schuyler J. Rumsey sale 130 pr added.
3. Daniel F. Kelleher sale 837 pr added.
4. 7 new entries added in the past 30 days.
5. Improved images in Robert A. Siegel's Power Search found starting around sale 800. Currently working on sale 906 and will end at sale 1023. After this, the original images are just fine. Already updated over 200 images.
If you have any comments about the usefulness of this entry, email me directly. You can find my email on the member's page. Also, let me know if you want this kind of information in the Postmasters' Provisional or US City Despatch censuses.
mark scheuer
May 15, 2026
ps. I have reference to 20 Baltimore red box PAID covers that some philatelists consider variants of Postmaster Provisionals. Let me know if you think they would be a worthwhile addition to the Postmaster's Provisional census, to be listed as 3Xvar (similar to the blue 2X variations I added to the Annapolis entries).
pps. I am thinking about updating this entry monthly.
