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 The Six Cent Lincoln U.S. Bank Note Identification Guide




Six Cent Bank Notes of 1870 - 1882
Perforated 12 
Scott Number Date of Issue Earliest Known Usage Paper Type Printer Secret Mark Grill
137 April 1870 4/11/1870 Hard White National No Yes
148 April 1870 3/28/1870 Hard White National No No
159 1873 6/8/1873 Hard White Continental Yes No
170 1875 Special Printing Hard White Continental Yes No
186 1879 7/1/1879 Soft Porous American Yes No
195 1880 Special Printing Soft Porous American Yes No
208 June 1,1882 6/1/82 Soft Porous American Yes No


U.S. Bank Note Stamp - Paper Types · The Secret Mark on the 6¢ U.S. Bank Note Stamp


American Bank Note Six Cent - Scott 186 Vs 208
Side-by-side Comparison of the 6c Bank Notes A Close-up of the Re-engaved protion of the 6c Bank Note

Scott 186

Scott 208

Side-by-side comparison of the 6¢ American Bank Note of 1879 (left) Vs the 6¢ Re-engraved stamp of 1882. Note the thicker, duller color of the Scott 208.

 

A blow-up of the distinguishing areas of the 6¢ of 1879 (left) Vs the 6¢ Re-engraved stamp of 1882. There are three distinct lines on the re-engraved stamp at right and four indistinct lines on the stamp at left. All 208s will have this feature and the lines will be distinct.

Follow these steps in the identification of your six cent Bank Note:

Determine the type of paper the stamp was printed on, if it was printed on the "hard white" paper it is either a National or Continental printing. The National printings can often be separated by color alone, the color is quite a bit more vivid in general than the Continental and American printings. The stamp at the top of this page is the National Bank Note Printing, Scott 148. Compare the color with the Scott 186 in the diagram below it. The stamp should also be checked for the "secret" mark. If the stamp was printed on the "hard white" paper and does not have the "secret mark", it was printed by the National Bank Note Company. If the stamp has a grill, it may be Scott 137. If it does not have a grill it is Scott 148. Care must be taken when authenticating the grill. Many fake grills have been added over the years in an attempt to increase the value of the stamp. If you suspect your six cent National stamp has a grill, you must have it certified.

If the stamp was printed on the "hard white" paper and does have the "secret mark", it was printed by the Continental Bank Note Company and is Scott 159. 

If the stamp was printed on the "soft porous" paper, it is an American Bank Note printing. Compare the number of lines in the panel as shown in the illustrations above to determine the Scott number. The lines in the panel must be distinct for the stamp to be a Scott 208. Be sure to note the muddy color of the Scott 208.

If you are unsure of the type of paper used or the secret mark, you MUST assume that the stamp is the more common variety. If the stamp is unused and has at least partial gum, it should be certified to ascertain the type, since the value of the stamp will in most cases far out weigh the cost of certification.

Watch for re-perforation (to fake a more well-centered stamp), for re-gumming (a major problem with the Bank Notes), and even for bleaching of the cancellation (to remove the cancel). Unused copies carry a substantial premium over the used stamp.

We include the "Special" printings in this identification guide merely for completeness. Only 185 copies, total, of Scott 170 and 195 were sold, and they were never issued for postal use, rather for collectors only. We occasionally see uncertified copies of these stamps offered for sale at ridiculously low prices. You can rest assured that the stamp being offered is not genuine. These stamps are so rare, only 65 copies are known, they seldom come up for sale, except in the sale of a major U.S. Collection. 



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