Greenleaf & Company
Barber, Jones & Co.
Kirby & Sons
The match company that became Greenleaf & Company was founded in Milwaukee in 1844 by Robert Pierce. In 1860 it was sold to Messrs. Ball, HIll & Greenleaf, which, by 1865 was known as Greenleaf & Company. The Greenleaf one-cent stamps were issued from October, 1864 through July, 1873. 12,068,849 were issued on old paper and 5,449,019 on silk paper. The one shown was printed on silk paper.
The three-cent stamps were issued from November, 1864 through December, 1872. 4,319,904 were issued on old paper and 1,107,202 on silk paper. This one is on silk paper.
A plate proof of the three-cent Greenleaf stamp.
The five-cent stamps were issued for use on packages of 500 matches. They were issued from November, 1864 through August, 1872. 1,096,032 were issued on old paper and 68,000 on silk paper. This example is on old paper. Greenleaf & Company stamps were ordered by successor management, including First National Match Company, Barber & Company, and Barber & Peckham. The cancel on the stamp above indicates that it was used by one of the Barber companies, being ony partially readable.
In 1873 the owner of the Greenleaf factory, Barber, Jones & Company, had the one-cent stamp changed to add "B.J. & CO" just above the phoenix, without removing the Greenleaf name at the top. These stamps were issued from May of 1873 through August of 1875. 5,401,920 were printed, all on silk paper.
By 1875 the owner of the Greenleaf factory was Kirby and Sons, running the O.K. Match Works. The Greenleaf die was altered once again by removing the small "B.J. & CO" from the central part of the design and changing the company name at the top to reflect the new ownership. The Kirby stamps were issued from November of 1875 into December of 1879. 440,160 were issued on silk paper.
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