Circa 1857 Mailing envelope sent to the New York Tribune that carried information or evidence related to the Sewing Machine War of the late 1850s Journalism,Law,Philately,Sewing Machines

This mailing envelope is addressed to "Sewing Machine / Tribune Office" and franked with a 1-cent Franklin stamp (Scott #7) that has been cancelled with a red New York carrier hand stamp, indicating it was delivered within the city. An American Philatelic Society Expertizing Certificate stating that it is "genuine in all respects" will be provided. In nice shape with some minor postal wear and soiling. After Elias Howe invented the instantly popular sewing machine in 1846, he immediately began to charge exorbitant licensing fees to those who tried to sell anything similar. Isaac Singer made several improvements to the machine, including a horizontal sewing surface, vertical needle, and thread controller. Two other inventors did the same for improved features like modified needles and feeding devices. Together, the inventions created a "packet thicket" with multiple people claiming credit for various parts of the same invention. This, in turn, led to the "Sewing Machine War" of the 1850s, during which inter-company litigation throttled the release of sewing machines into an eagerly awaiting public. The New York Tribune was an active participant in the War and devoted many inches of newspaper articles documenting the suits, countersuits, claims, technologies, and anything else imaginable about the fights that were keeping the invention from the public. This now-empty envelope delivered information that the sender hoped would be included in its news articles. Orland Potter, who owned one of the competing companies, finally solved the gridlock by organizing a meeting with the three other inventors during which all agreed to share the nine essential patents needed to build a then modern machine. In 1856, they together created the Sewing Machine Combination, the first "patent pool." Howe, who did not manufacture machines, received a royalty of $5 per machine sold in the United States and $1 for overseas sales. The manufacturers were allowed to sell their machines without fear of litigation and as well as their versions of the shared patent for $15 each. Singer soon dominated the market as a result of its better management, marketing, and manufacturing. (For more information, see Palmer s "How Singer Won the Sewing Machine War" online at the Smithsonian Magazine website and Mossoff s "America s First Patent Thicket: Sewing Machine War of the 1850s" available online through George Mason University s Anton Scalia Law School.) A scarce artifact documenting an important 19th-century manufacturing crisis. At the time of listing nothing similar is for sale in the trade, has appeared at auction, or is held in institutional collections. The envelope is philatelically significant as well; the Stamp Auction Network shows covers franked with the 1-cent Franklin (Scott #23) stamp regularly sell for $500-700.