United States: Specialized Stamps: Guideline And Straight Edge Positions -- Scott #285-293 Trans-Mississippi
Many early U.S. stamps were printed in large "printer's sheets" which were then divided into smaller "panes", often by cutting, for more convenient handling and sale at the post offices. Many of the large printed sheets included "guidelines" which were often, but not always, placed to help identify where the sheets should be cut before shipping to post offices. The straight edges from cutting the sheets down to panes, and traces of the guide lines can sometimes be found along one or sometimes two edges of these early stamps. It can be a fun and challenging endeavor to collect stamps with these straight edges and guidelines in all the possible positions. "Position pieces" in general offer a glimpse into the production process and can add variety and appeal to any collection.
In some cases (or most cases in certain time periods) the plates were engraved with guidelines in the margins of the stamps between the central rows and/or columns. The division of the sheets into panes was often made by cutting, creating natural straight edges. In many cases, but not all, the guideline was to guide that cutting, thus some straight edges are naturally combined with a guideline but in some other cases, a guideline is not related to a straight edge.
Note that when a guideline coincides with a straight edge, sometimes the guideline gets cut off in the process -- it is on the adjacent stamp. Likewise, a poorly centered stamp with a perforated guideline may have the entire guideline showing on one stamp and not the adjacent stamp. For these reasons, while a complete and clear guideline is always preferable, any hint of the presence of a guideline qualifies as the stamp showing a guideline. Furthermore, almost by definition, complete guidelines are much more likely to be visible on poorly centered stamps.
For many / most stamp early issues involving straight edges and guidelines, the information about sheet sizes, pane sizes, and the existence of and locations of straight edges and guidelines can be difficult to obtain. While the annually-issued Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps & Covers does usually list sheet and/or pane sizes, it does not discuss straight edges and guidelines in the listings. To my knowledge (as of March 2025), this set of combined information has never been gathered and documented in a single reference book or website. To understand the scarcity of the straight edges and guidelines, one needs to know what possibilities exist in the context of sheet and panes sizes. The location on a stamp -- top, bottom, left, right, or a corner position -- of a straight edge or guideline also defines the row or column in the sheet that the stamp is from.
For a very long time, collectors somehow came to the conclusion that the straight edge and/or guideline examples of stamps were less desirable. Thus many of those stamps were used up for postage or were discarded or relegated to the duplicates bin. This was further exacerbated by the fact that, by their inherent nature, completely visible guidelines often require that the stamp be poorly centered, thus causing some collectors to discard, or at least not save, such stamps. However, the reality is that originally -- by their very nature -- the straight edge and/or guideline positions were scarcer position pieces and with so many having been discarded over the decades, they are now often seldom seen and are now considered to be desirable position pieces.
Collecting the all the possible positions of straight edges and guidelines for each stamp issue is a surprisingly challenging endeavor! If you have reached the end of being able to find affordable stamps for your U.S. collection, I recommend considering collecting these positions. It is great fun and, even though they are much scarcer than "normal" stamps, they can often be found at lower cost than the "normal" stamps. I have seen a few album pages displaying a "normal" stamp in the center, surrounded by the possible straight edge and guideline positions of that -- it is a beautiful sight to behold!
I do offer straight edge and guideline U.S. stamps on my website when I have time to describe them. However, because I do not possibly have time to list all of them on my website, I also welcome straight edge and guideline want lists which state the Scott number and positions needed. When I do list these stamps, I specify all the information (sheet size, pane size, straight edge and guideline positions, etc.) necessary to fully understand the scarcity of each item. To provide this information, I have done a lot of work, including tracking down images of full sheets of early U.S. stamps (often quite rare). This web page is just a small sample -- though often sold out -- of the range of straight edge and guideline stamps in my stock. Please send your want list. I invite serious collectors of this material to work with me and to allow me to assist them in building their collections.
Guideline And Straight Edge Positions -- Scott #285-293 Trans-Mississippi
Scott #285 Green [1898 1c green Trans-Mississippi, Marquette] Mint, very lightly hinged, with F-VF centering. Very fresh! Perforated four sides example with horizontal guideline at top, from row 6, in columns 1-4 and 7-10, of the printer sheet of 100. The printer sheets of 100 were vertically divided (straight edges), between columns 5 and 6, into panes of 50. 10 stamps (two of which are the additional positions with a straight-edge) out of every 100 stamps (10%) originally had the guideline at top (and 10 stamps at bottom), but many of those have been lost to time. (The guideline examples that also have a straight edge on one side are additional collectible positions. All the guidelines terminate in the sheet margins with an arrow.) I believe collecting such stamps (which have become scarce over time due to being discarded or being reperforated) could be a challenging and enjoyable endeavor. (Scott 2023 $27.50 for normal examples.)
ACTUAL item.
22.00
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246856
Scott #285 Green [1898 1c green Trans-Mississippi, Marquette] Used with XF centering and light cancellation. Remarkably crisp and clear engraving impression. Right margin example with natural straight edge at right, with vertical guideline, from the right column of the left pane of 50 from the printer sheet of 100. 10 stamps out of every 100 stamps (10%) originally had this feature at left and 10 stamps at right, but many of those that survived have since been reperforated. (This issue also has a horizontal guideline (perforated) across the center, between rows 5 and 6. All the guidelines terminate in the sheet margins with an arrow.) I believe collecting such stamps (which have become scarce over time due to being discarded or being reperforated) could be a challenging and enjoyable endeavor. A superior example! (Scott 2023 $30 for VF-XF/85 for normal examples.)
ACTUAL item.
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22.00
249656
Scott #286 [1898 2c copper red Trans-Mississippi, Farming in the West] Used with VF centering and virtually vignette-free cancellation. Perforated four sides example with horizontal guideline at top, from row 6, in columns 1-4 and 7-10, of the printer sheet of 100.The printer sheets of 100 were vertically divided by cutting (straight edges), between columns 5 and 6, into panes of 50. 10 stamps (two of which are the additional positions with a straight-edge at right or left) out of every 100 stamps (10%) originally had the guideline at top (and 10 stamps at bottom), but many of those have been lost to time. (The guideline examples that also have a straight edge on one side are additional collectible positions. All the guidelines terminate in the sheet margins with an arrow.) I believe collecting such stamps (which have become scarce over time due to being discarded or being reperforated) could be a challenging and enjoyable endeavor. Well centered examples that show the complete guideline at top are remarkably hard to find.
ACTUAL item.
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SOLD
246868
Scott #287 Brilliant Orange [1898 4c orange Trans-Mississippi, Indian Hunting Buffalo] Mint with Fine centering. Wonderfully fresh appearance with brilliant color! Perforated four sides example with horizontal guideline at bottom, from row 5, in columns 1-4 and 7-10, of the printer sheet of 100. The printer sheets of 100 were vertically divided (straight edges), between columns 5 and 6, into panes of 50. 10 stamps (two of which are the additional positions with a straight-edge) out of every 100 stamps (10%) originally had the guideline at bottom (and 10 stamps at top from row 6), but many of those have been lost to time. (The guideline examples that also have a straight edge on one side are additional collectible positions. All the guidelines terminate in the sheet margins with an arrow.) I believe collecting such stamps (which have become scarce over time due to being discarded or being reperforated) could be a challenging and enjoyable endeavor. An excellent and unusual example. (Scott 2023 $110 for normal example.)
ACTUAL item.
69.00
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246867
Scott #287 [1898 4c orange Trans-Mississippi, Indian Hunting Buffalo] Mint, no gum, with Fine centering, but with thins. Right margin example with natural straight edge at right with vertical guideline, from the right column of the left pane of 50 from the printer sheet of 100. 10 stamps out of every 100 stamps (10%) originally had this feature at left and 10 stamps at right, but many of those that survived have since been reperforated. (This issue also has a horizontal guideline (perforated) across the center, between rows 5 and 6. All the guidelines terminate in the sheet margins with an arrow.) I believe collecting such stamps (which have become scarce over time due to being discarded or being reperforated) could be a challenging and enjoyable endeavor. Very low price. (Scott 2023 $110 for normal example.)
ACTUAL item.
15.00
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246866
Scott #287 Orange Yellow [1898 4c "orange" Trans-Mississippi, Indian Hunting Buffalo] Used with XF centering and neat cancellation, but faint corner bend. Right margin example with natural straight edge at right with vertical guideline (faint), from the right column of the left pane of 50 from the printer sheet of 100. 10 stamps out of every 100 stamps (10%) originally had this feature at left and 10 stamps at right, but many of those that survived have since been reperforated. (This issue also has a horizontal guideline (perforated) across the center, between rows 5 and 6. All the guidelines terminate in the sheet margins with an arrow.) I believe collecting such stamps (which have become scarce over time due to being discarded or being reperforated) could be a challenging and enjoyable endeavor. Examples this nicely centered and neatly canceled are hard to find. (Scott 2023 $25 for normal example.)
ACTUAL item.
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22.00
249657
Scott #288 Bright Blue [1898 5c blue (shades) Trans-Mississippi, Freemont on Mountain] Used with Fine centering and neat cancellation. Perforated four sides example with horizontal guideline at top, from row 6, in columns 1-4 and 7-10, of the printer sheet of 100.The printer sheets of 100 were vertically divided by cutting (straight edges), between columns 5 and 6, into panes of 50. 10 stamps (two of which are the additional positions with a straight-edge at right or left) out of every 100 stamps (10%) originally had the guideline at top (and 10 stamps at bottom), but many of those have been lost to time. (The guideline examples that also have a straight edge on one side are additional collectible positions. All the guidelines terminate in the sheet margins with an arrow.) I believe collecting such stamps (which have become scarce over time due to being discarded or being reperforated) could be a challenging and enjoyable endeavor. Examples that show the complete guideline at top are surprisingly hard to find. Attractive example of the bright blue shade mentioned by Scott (same value).
ACTUAL item.
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16.00
266095
Scott #288 Dark Blue [1898 5c blue Trans-Mississippi, Freemont on Mountain] Used with Fine+ centering, but some aging on back. Perforated four sides example with horizontal guideline at top, from row 6, in columns 1-4 and 7-10, of the printer sheet of 100. The printer sheets of 100 were vertically divided (straight edges), between columns 5 and 6, into panes of 50. 10 stamps (two of which are the additional positions with a straight-edge) out of every 100 stamps (10%) originally had the guideline at top (and 10 stamps at bottom), but many of those have been lost to time. The guideline examples that also have a straight edge on one side are additional collectible positions. All the guidelines terminate in the sheet margins with an arrow. I believe collecting such stamps (which have become scarce over time due to being discarded or being reperforated) could be a challenging and enjoyable endeavor. (Scott 2023 $25 for normal example.)
ACTUAL item.
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10.00
248608
Scott #290 Blackish Violet [1898 10c Trans-Mississippi, Hardships of Emigration] Mint, original gum, modest hinge remnant, with F-VF centering. Perforated four sides example with horizontal guideline at bottom, from row 5, in columns 1-4 and 7-10, of the printer sheet of 100. The printer sheets of 100 were vertically divided (straight edges), between columns 5 and 6, into panes of 50. 10 stamps (two of which are the additional positions with a straight-edge) out of every 100 stamps (10%) originally had the guideline at bottom (and 10 stamps at top), but many of those have been lost to time. (The guideline examples that also have a straight edge on one side are additional collectible positions. All the guidelines terminate in the sheet margins with an arrow.) I believe collecting such stamps (which have become scarce over time due to being discarded or being reperforated) could be a challenging and enjoyable endeavor. This is the blackish violet shade mentioned by Scott (same value). The sad scene, of a horse having just died in the wagon harness [and thus the consequences to the family and the other horse], really brings home the difficulties the emigres faced. An attractive position piece that seldom offered! (Scott 2024 value for a normal example is $140.)
ACTUAL item.