185P4 5c Zachary Taylor 1879 issue plate proof on card

The American Bank Note Company Issues 1879-1881

In 1878 Continental Bank Note Company (CBNCo) negotiated with American Bank Note (ABNCo) to consolidate their businesses. The merger went into effect in 1879, and American Bank Note assumed control of the federal contract for postage stamps that Continental Bank Note had brought to the marriage.
The Large Bank Note Issues (1879-1881) represented ABNCo’s effort to fulfill the stamp contract with minimal expense and time. Just as CBNCo had used the National Bank Note 1870-1871 Issue plates, ABNCo produced stamps using the printing plates for CBNCo’s most recent issue. The one distinguishing difference between the American Bank Note Company stamps and those of the previous two companies was the soft porous paper used by ABNCo. The denominations of the CBNCo issues were continued by ABNCo with the exception of the 12- and 24-cent stamps. American Bank Note did not produce an original stamp design for a postage stamp until the 5-cent Garfield in 1882.