I first became interested in researching and collecting counterstamps over forty years ago. My interest was triggered by the acquisition of an 1875 US half dollar stamped "D.S.& Co. / Auburn / ME" It was part of my late fathers's collection that I bought from him in 1976.
Despite his early efforts to attribute it, the lack of research tools available to us today made the task impossible. I didn't take up the hunt until some time later, but was ultimately successful.The issuer, Dingley, Strout & Co. was a Maine boot and shoe maker founded in 1876.
During the course of my investigation, I learned something of the company, the partners and changes in ownership , a bit about their personal lives, and the method of large scale boot and shoe manufacturing in the 19th century. Overall it was a history lesson I haven't forgotten.
In this and the hundreds of investigations I've done since, I've followed the same pattern of research. Just knowing the trade of an individual, or the business a company was engaged in wasn't ever enough for me. I needed to flesh them out as human beings or business entities. I needed to explore the history in which they lived, their reactions to the economic and political realities of the times, and discover other more mundane facts that told the "rest of the story".
As you may have guessed I love history for the lessons it teaches us and the glimpse it provides into the daily lives of generations we will never know. History scolds, praises, and encourages, but most importantly guides us through both the good and bad times of yesteryear. Their are lessons to be learned that can perhaps guide us around the deepest valleys. If we don't take the lessons to heart, then all bets are off.
This is the allure of counterstamp research to me. Every stamp tells a story, and I need to know what it is.
Bruce