1861–66 Issue
(Scott No. 77)
This stamp was issued just a year after the assassination of President Lincoln. Many collectors consider this a Mourning stamp, others consider it to be a Memorial or a Commemorative stamp. The denomination of the stamp, 15c, was not necessary to care for the domestic registration fee that was set at 20c by the Postmaster General. However the registration fee was reduced three years after it’s issuance to 15c. Therefore, before 1869 the common use of this stamp was on regular mail, thereafter on registered mail. Unfortunately most regular mail usage was on large, unwieldy packages and thus are undesirable to collectors.
A Specimen Proof of this Issue