Lot
4313 
Franklin W. Brooks, New York, 2c Black on Dark Buff, Paid Reply Card Essay, style with single stamp, card backed with white card glued above and below rows of perforations, clear strike of blue "Office of the Postmaster General Washington D.C. Jan. 25, 1878" oval handstamp, Very Fine and rare, ex-Knapp. USPCC No. MR1E-Ea var. Estimate $500 - 750.
The large number of Brooks essays that follow were part of an intense multi-year campaign by Franklin W. Brooks to change the postal laws to allow the issuance of paid reply or "return" postal cards, and to profit from the anticipated change by patenting various designs that might be adopted by the Post Office Department, the law was indeed overhauled to allow paid reply cards, but the act of March 3, 1879 forbid the use of any patented postal cards and prohibited the payment of royalties, as such Brooks made no money from his efforts, but he left a legacy of fascinating collectibles for essay and proof enthusiasts (see UPSS catalog p. 269 for a detailed discussion).
Realized: $500