US Bicentennial two dollar bill
alpha33
Posts: 297 ✭✭✭
How rare is it for the US Postal Service to be open for business on the Forth of July?
Answer;
The only time I know of was July 4, 1976 in Brattleboro, Vermont. On the 200th birthday of These United States of America, the post office in Brattleboro, Vermont opened for the day. Issuing and canceling commemorative bicentennial stamps for anyone who was interested.
I have one that was attached to a 1976 Bicentennial two dollar bill and cancelled that day in Brattleboro, Vermont 1976. My father matched up a pair of Bicentennial two dollar bills with two Bicentennial stamps and had them cancelled as a set. I have one of those two sets. There is only one other set that I know of and it belongs to my brother. I'm thinking about sending it off to PCGS. Thoughts? See pictures........................
Comments
Not worth the cost of slabbing or anything close to it. A curiosity item but that is about it.
Never liked when stamps were adhered to notes.
"When they can't find anything wrong with you, they create it!"
Some post offices were open for the occasion - or if someone knew the postmaster in a post office that would do the stamps for friends. The Franklin post office in Philadelphia is open 365 days a year.
Pretty sure postmasters make their own hours. Some even close for lunch. Peace Roy
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Nice pair. The value lies in the story and that they’re family heirlooms. Put them in quality currency sleeves and write down the details for generations to come.
OK, but this begs the question of just how rare are July 4 cancellations on these $2 Bicentennial notes? Most were cancelled in April but how many different post offices created these on July 4, 1976? Shouldn't someone start a list somewhere?
Since all the post offices were closed on Independence Day, all were cancelled with made up dates.
Well I've found Buffalo, NY, Monticello, VA, Valley Forge, PA, Van Nuys, CA, Banner, WY, Rome, GA, Haverhill, MA and Peoria, IL, all in one place. And there are others.
https://currency.ha.com/itm/small-size/federal-reserve-notes/july-4-1976-bicentennial-postally-cancelled-fr-1935-a-b-c-e-f-g-j-l-2-1976-federal-reserve-notes-choice-crisp-uncir-total-8-notes-/a/141846-82346.s
https://currency.ha.com/itm/federal-reserve-notes/-july-4-1976-postal-cancellation-fr-1935-h-2-1976-federal-reserve-note-pcgs-gem-new-65ppq/a/141624-82347.s?ic4=ListView-Thumbnail-071515
Both Dates on same note:
https://currency.ha.com/itm/small-size/postally-cancelled-first-day-of-issue-apr-13-1976-july-4-1976-fr-1935-c-2-1976-federal-reserve-notes-four-examples-total-4/a/141820-83348.s
And From the NY Times, October 7, 1979 by Ed Reiter
_"The $2 bill may be viewed as a failure in some circles, but to Andrew J. Vero of Annapolis, Md., it's a source of enjoyment and inspiration. It is also the cornerstone of a new hobby specialty of which Mr. Vero is, indisputably, the chief architect: the collecting of postmarked currency.
This fledgling hobby field came into being on April 13, 1976 — the official release date of the new $2 bill. On that day, the United States Postal Service made available a special cancellation service: Anyone bringing one of the new bills to a post office could affix first‐class postage and have the stamp or stamps hand‐canceled — thereby certifying, at least in theory, that the notes were obtained on the first day of issue.
Thousands of Americans — possibly even millions — took advantage of the offer. That prompted the Postal Service to repeat it on July 4, 1976 — the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, an event which is depicted on the $2 bill's reverse. The response was enthusiastic the second time, as well. And so, on July 6, 1976, the Postal Service made currency postmarking a regular part of its program for collectors.
The service no longer is limited to $2 bills. Nonetheless, most hobbyists still seem to favor that denomination in assembling sets of postmarked paper money."_
nice post @sellitstore but I'll say it again...there were no postal workers on the job July 4th...I went to the local PO for mine and their hand stamps can be changed to any date....it wasn't the 4th
i like the cancellation stamp at brattleboro, vt. been there many times
I'm certainly not disputing that as I seem to remember getting a postmark at my post office on a day other than shown on the postmark and it could have been this July 4, 1976 postmark. I just don't remember the exact details other than it was long ago, and it wasn't a postal worker violating any rules for me. I believe that postmasters may have been allowed to apply the July 4th postmark for a short time period which extended beyond the 4th. Perhaps your postmaster wasn't doing anything that he wasn't allowed to do. I don't think that mine was. It would seem pretty stupid to leave your fingerprint (your postmark) as evidence of any wrongdoing, yet many postmasters did this, on, OR AROUND July 4, 1976. I'd guess that they were authorized and I'll update if I ever locate my postmarked note. I probably still have it somewhere.
Harry Rinker explained in 2019 how collectors had the opportunity to obtain both April and July 4, 1976 postmarks.
To answer my own question: Neither is rare and there are too many different of each to compile an anywhere near complete list.
harryrinker.com/col-1699.html
I have a set of these stamped $2 bills with a postage stamp of the flag of each state on a note, postmarked 13 April 1976. (I got them as a lot for an average of $1.98 each, so I think I did ok there).
It brings up a few interesting collecting possibilities:
Collect a note from each district with the correct state stamp on it for the district, and then do the same with a collection of star notes.
Here is my Alabama,
Alaska!
That was postdated one day before I was born WOW.
James
Here’s a cool first day of issue stamped $2 that I picked up today.
These postmarked $2 might be neat, historical, sentimental, etc., but are of little value.
Value is a function of supply and demand. It does more matter how "rare" they might be if there is little demand.
It just seems cool to me that on April 13th, 1976, someone got the ink smear error at the bank and took it over to the PO to get the stamp. It was truly a first day of issue error and may be unique.