The 1¢ stamp was issued on March 20, 1869, and was used for the 1¢ drop letter rate and 2¢ drop and carrier usage. It is sometimes found on covers sent abroad which have higher rates. Examples would be the 1¢ used with a 6¢ 1869 to pay the 7¢ rate to Germany or strips of four 1¢ stamps to make up the 4¢ to France, via Great Britain, in 1870. It is also found as a strip of three 1¢ stamps with a fancy cancellation, the most famous being the “Running Chicken” cover (shown below) which depicts a running chicken whittled in cork by John Hill, the Postmaster of Waterbury, Connecticut, and was only used for several days. There are approximately five known “Running Chicken” cancellations on cover with most of them appearing on 3¢ stamps.
Used large multiples of the 1¢ are scarce as they were either used on their own or as a supplement to other denominations. They can often be seen in pairs when not used as a carrier rate and in strips of three when paying the 3¢ rate.
