Perkins, Bacon & Co. Ltd.: Stamp Printer
Oct 25, 2023 12:43:28 GMT
Ryan, rod222, and 7 more like this
Post by michael on Oct 25, 2023 12:43:28 GMT
We have a thread for Harrison & Sons and De La Rue so it's about time we had one for Perkins Bacon & Co. Ltd. No American printers?
A brief history:
Jacob Perkins, born in 1766, was an inventor and engraver from Newburyport USA who ran a successful business in refrigeration and fire engines for which he had several patents. His second daughter, Sarah married Joshua Bacon in 1817 and by 1819 Jacob and Joshua were in business together with Joshua. Jacob developed an anti-forging process for the steel engraving of banknotes and in 1819 came to England with the intention of selling this process to the Bank of England. He failed to win this contract but had more success with other English Banks under various company names with partners Gideon Fairman and George Heath, a well known engraver.
In 1821 Joshua Bacon followed him to England to run the printing and engraving business and in 1829 became a partner in the newly name company, Perkins & Bacon. In 1834, Henry Petch became a partner and it was under the new name Perkins, Bacon and Petch that they won the contract to supply the World's first postage stamp, the Penny Black.
Jacob Perkins died in 1849 and Henry Petch in 1852 and it was in 1853 that the name was changed to the one most people will associate them with, Perkins, Bacon and Co. and in 1887 it became a Limited Company. Joshua continued to work for the Company and died in 1863, aged 73.
In 1863 they lost most of their colonial contracts because of poor service, poor delivery and their indescretion in supplying stamps to Ormond Hill from waste stock. In 1880 they lost their British stamps contract to De La Rue, and their business declined. They had a revival in the 1900s but in 1906 they went into liquidation and again in 1935 for the final time.
There is no known picture of Jacob Perkins but several of Joshua Bacon:
A brief history:
Jacob Perkins, born in 1766, was an inventor and engraver from Newburyport USA who ran a successful business in refrigeration and fire engines for which he had several patents. His second daughter, Sarah married Joshua Bacon in 1817 and by 1819 Jacob and Joshua were in business together with Joshua. Jacob developed an anti-forging process for the steel engraving of banknotes and in 1819 came to England with the intention of selling this process to the Bank of England. He failed to win this contract but had more success with other English Banks under various company names with partners Gideon Fairman and George Heath, a well known engraver.
In 1821 Joshua Bacon followed him to England to run the printing and engraving business and in 1829 became a partner in the newly name company, Perkins & Bacon. In 1834, Henry Petch became a partner and it was under the new name Perkins, Bacon and Petch that they won the contract to supply the World's first postage stamp, the Penny Black.
Jacob Perkins died in 1849 and Henry Petch in 1852 and it was in 1853 that the name was changed to the one most people will associate them with, Perkins, Bacon and Co. and in 1887 it became a Limited Company. Joshua continued to work for the Company and died in 1863, aged 73.
In 1863 they lost most of their colonial contracts because of poor service, poor delivery and their indescretion in supplying stamps to Ormond Hill from waste stock. In 1880 they lost their British stamps contract to De La Rue, and their business declined. They had a revival in the 1900s but in 1906 they went into liquidation and again in 1935 for the final time.
There is no known picture of Jacob Perkins but several of Joshua Bacon:
