The Meaning of S.T. 1860.X Posted on October 1st, 2010 by Editor in Did You Know? Do you know the meaning of S.T. 1860.X? Among the most plentiful encased postage stamps issued as monetary substitutes in 1862, when coins were hoarded and rarely found in circulation, are those issued to advertise Drake’s Plantation Bitters. Put up in log-cabin shaped bottles, the nostrum was mainly alcohol, and was said to cure just about every affliction known to the human race. The subject of much speculation was the cabalistic inscription at the top of the reverse “S.T. 1860 X.” What did it mean? Hmmm. What did it mean? edited Edit: This is reposted from Stack's Bowers Website
This may be a dumb question, but where is the correlation between the numbers 1-8-6-0 and the letters C-R-O-I?
I am thinking that it might be latin, but I have not confirmed this yet. (Each letter corresponds to a number in latin) Edit: I really have no clue, I am not sure about the Latin thing anymore. Patric Drake might have just made it up like he did the benifits of his bitters.
ST 1860 X The popular explanation (and it seems to be the official one) is "Started in 1860 with ten dollars"
Supposedly didn't mean anything, but was put there to stir up controversy as to what it meant --- great way to get people talking about it. Also this is the product that got defacing natural settings banned. from http://www.harpweek.com/09cartoon/BrowseByDateCartoon.asp?Month=October&Date=28 [TABLE="width: 791"] [TD="width: 125, bgcolor: #F8F8D3"][/TD] [TD="width: 465, bgcolor: #F8F8D3"]J. H. Drake and his partner, William P. Ward, insisted that “S. T. 1860 X” did not stand for anything, but was a gimmick to capture public attention. It worked. There was much discussion over what the trademark meant, with the more popular answer being, “Started Trade in 1860 with Ten Dollars.” A more unlikely suggestion was that “1860” substituted for “c-r-o-i” to spell “St. Croix,” the home to the rum that made up much of the product. In 1867, public reaction against Drake’s painted signs on the sides of the White Mountains prompted the New Hampshire legislature to enact the first law in the nation regulating outdoor advertising. The act prohibited the defacement of any natural setting of scenic beauty with commercial advertisements. [/TD] [/TABLE]
