Circa 1857 Mailing envelope sent to the New York Tribune that carried information or evidence related to the Sewing Machine War of the late 1850s
- Used
Seller: Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC, Stafford, VA, U.S.A.Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
AbeBooks seller since January 5, 2001
Condition: Used - Very good
£ 384.99
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
This mailing envelope is addressed to "Sewing Machine / Tribune Office" and franked with a 1-cent Franklin stamp (Scott #7) that has been cancelled with a red New York carrier hand stamp, indicating it was delivered within the city. An American Philatelic Society Expertizing Certificate stating that it is "genuine in all respects" will be provided. In nice shape with some minor postal wear and soiling. After Elias Howe invented the instantly popular sewing machine in 1846, he immediately began to charge exorbitant licensing fees to those who tried to sell anything similar. Isaac Singer made several improvements to the machine, including a horizontal sewing surface, vertical needle, and thread controller. Two other inventors did the same for improved features like modified needles and feeding devices. Together, the inventions created a "packet thicket" with multiple people claiming credit for various parts of the same invention. This, in turn, led to the "Sewing Machine War" of the 1850s, during which inter-company litigation throttled the release of sewing machines into an eagerly awaiting public. The New York Tribune was an active participant in the War and devoted many inches of newspaper articles documenting the suits, countersuits, claims, technologies, and anything else imaginable about the fights that were keeping the invention from the public. This now-empty envelope delivered information that the sender hoped would be included in its news articles. Orland Potter, who owned one of the competing companies, finally solved the gridlock by organizing a meeting with the three other inventors during which all agreed to share the nine essential patents needed to build a then modern machine. In 1856, they together created the Sewing Machine Combination, the first "patent pool." Howe, who did not manufacture machines, received a royalty of $5 per machine sold in the United States and $1 for overseas sales. The manufacturers were allowed to sell their machines without fear of litigation and as well as their versions of the shared patent for $15 each. Singer soon dominated the market as a result of its better management, marketing, and manufacturing. (For more information, see Palmer’s "How Singer Won the Sewing Machine War" online at the Smithsonian Magazine website and Mossoff’s "America’s First Patent Thicket: Sewing Machine War of the 1850s" available online through George Mason University’s Anton Scalia Law School.) A scarce artifact documenting an important 19th-century manufacturing crisis. At the time of listing nothing similar is for sale in the trade, has appeared at auction, or is held in institutional collections. The envelope is philatelically significant as well; the Stamp Auction Network shows covers franked with the 1-cent Franklin (Scott #23) stamp regularly sell for $500-700.…
Seller Inventory # 010586
Bibliographic details
- Title
- Circa 1857 Mailing envelope sent to the New York Tribune that carried information or evidence related to the Sewing Machine War of the late 1850s
- Condition
- Very good
- Binding
- Envelope or Cover
- Seller catalogs
- Journalism, Law, Philately, Sewing Machines
Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
Stafford, VA, U.S.A.
Shipping rates within U.S.A.
| Item | 4 to 14 business days | 2 to 6 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 0.00 | £ 18.69 |
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Store description
We specialize in first-person narratives and original source material to include diaries and correspondence, business ledgers and invoices, photograph albums, scrapbooks, ephemera, postal history and all types of Paper Americana. Member: Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA), American Stamp Dealers Association (ASDA), American Philatelic Society (APS), The Ephemera Society, and The Manuscript Society
Specialty
and all types of paper Americana, Ephemera, Scrapbooks, Photograph Albums, Business Ledgers and Account Books, and Journals), Diaries, Primary Source First-Person Manuscripts (to include CorrespondenceAssociation member
Seller's business information
Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC
VA, U.S.A.
Terms of sale
PAYMENTS: Checks and money orders payable in US dollars are accepted. Charge
cards are accepted through ABE. Under special circumstances charge cards may be
accepted through PayPal. Sales Tax of 6.0% required for books ordered from or
shipped to addresses in Virginia. Please order via ABE or email message; I do
not normally accept telephone or fax orders.
RETURNS: Returns accepted for any reason within seven days. Full refund will
be provided if items are returned in the same condition as sent.
CONTACT INFORMATION: Kurt A. Sanftleben trading as Read'Em Again Books. 4393
Kevin Walker Dr., #107, Montclair, VA 22025. We have an additional location
within the Fredericksburg Antique Gallery at 1023 Caroline Street,
Fredericksburg, VA 22401. E-mail - info@read-em-again.com. Phone - 703-580-
7252.
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Information regarding the right of withdrawal
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You shall send back the goods or hand them over to Kurt A. Sanftleben, LLC, Stafford, Virginia, U.S.A., +1 5714090144, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
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