Schernikow Die Essays

Early in the 20th Century there occurred a bankruptcy sale of the effects of the Philadelphia Bank Note Company which had inherited from the Toppan, Carpenter Company the duplicate dies of the 1851 issue, to which numerals had been added to all the values except the 10c and 30c, for submission as essays with their proposal for the 1861 contract.

The buyer of the dies was Ernest Schernikow, an officer of the Hamilton Bank Note Company. In 1903 they made reprints from the dies in as many as fifteen colors. It is believed that this was done to help recoup the $10,000.00 Schernikow paid for the effects of the Philadelphia Bank Note Company. For years they were peddled along Nassau Street in New York.

There is a separate page for the Schernikow reprints of the Philadelphia Bank Note Co. 1877 essays.

Shernikow Die Essays - Toppan, Carpenter & Co.
1851 contract submissions

11-E17c
3c Complete design on proof paper (1903) Row 1: Black, Dull scarlet, & Deep green $125.00 each. Row 2: Full size Dull violet & Deep blue $175.00 each. Row 3: Black $95.00, Dull red-violet $125.00, & Black $125.00.

11-E17d
3c Complete design on colored card. Dark blue on pale green card, full size for this. $300.00 Deep orange on ivory card, somewhat reduced in size. $195.00

Shernikow Die Essays - Toppan, Carpenter & Co.
1861 contract submissions

One-cent Issue (63-E)

63-E1b
1c Vignette die pulled on colored card (1903). Dull violet on blue card. $150.00

Three-cent Issue (65-E)

Five-cent Issue (67-E)

Twelve-cent Issue (69-E)

69-E1c &69-E1d
12c vignette die pulled on green bond paper (1903). $150.00

Twenty-four-cent Issue (70-E)

Ninety-cent Issue (72-E)

72-E5d
90c final die stage pulled on proof paper and printed through a matte, full size (1903). $175.00 each (Only the scarlet remains)