Scott #158 (1873 3¢ green Washington, Continental

Updated August 7, 2026

Lot number	22
Estimate	8.00 - 25.00 USD
Auction	Coin, Stamp, Collectables and More 29
Date	August 28, 2026 at 6:00 PM CDT
Auction house	Featherznest
Location	Grapevine, Arkansas

Scott #158 (1873 3¢ green Washington, Continental Bank Note Co. printing), with the characteristic secret mark.Identification detailsStamp: 3¢ green George Washington (profile facing left), “U.S. POSTAGE” at top, “THREE CENTS” at bottom. Perf 12, no watermark, hard white wove paper (Continental printing).Secret mark: Heavy shading (cross-hatching/lines) under the upper tail of the left ribbon (the ribbon element associated with the large numeral “3” on the left side of the design). Your close-up photo clearly shows this dense shading in the ribbon area, which distinguishes the Continental printings from the earlier National Bank Note versions (Scott 147, which lacks the heavy shading under the ribbon tail).Note on #158 vs. #184: Scott #184 (1879 American Bank Note Co.) has the same secret mark but is printed on softer, more porous paper. Distinction requires examining paper texture/feel or translucency (hard/non-porous for #158). Your 1882 use date is consistent with remaining stocks of #158 still in circulation, and you correctly noted the secret mark.The large “4” is a Philadelphia numeral killer (duplex cancel style), tying the stamp to the cover along with the circular date stamp.Cover detailsOrigin: Printed corner-card envelope from the Girard House, a well-known 19th-century hotel on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia.Address: “Miss Austin & Flossie Tuttle / Bath / Steuben Co / N.Y. / Box 432.”Cancels:Front: Philadelphia, PA, SEP 30, 1 AM (year not shown in the CDS portion visible).Reverse: Bath, N.Y., SEP 30, 1882 receiving cancel (confirms the year).Same-day or next-day transit from Philadelphia to Bath, NY, is plausible for the period.

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