$1 Columbian Cancellation

Can anyone give me information about this cancellation? Does it look a little "off" to you?



Thanks,
KirkS

Hi Kirk.....

It looks like a Boston machine cancel......fairly common in the 1890's.......any number could be inserted.

Thanks Tom.

I bet you're correct. All in all, it aligns nicely with the image on the stamp -- not obscuring the title nor too much of the scene.

It's currently on ebay and I'd love to add it to my collection, but the $350 price is a bit steep for me.

I have Columbians up to the 50c denomination; I fear I may never have the rest of the set

KirkS

Kirk.....


I agree......it's quite nice and will almost certainly never be in my collection......but not from lack of desire.

Well, it's in my collection of scans, now! As well as Tom's pic of the Boston machine cancels!

Thanks KirkS and Tom!

k

Hi Kim.....


There are a lot more Boston Machine cancels........I'll post pictures later today. I think you'll be surprised.

A basic question about machine cancels...particularly in relation to this $1 Columbian.

I think of them as hitting letters that run along an automated line, but my understanding is based only on a few pictures and diagrams I've seen over the years. Is this the case? If so, is the implication that the $1 stamp was going through the system as a "regular" letter in order to receive this cancel? What service might it have been paying for?

I would have thought in the 1890's a $1 stamp would have received some hands-on attention at the time of mailing. I'm bracing myself for a bunch of replies that include smileys rolling on the floor...

This is a most interesting topic as these were out of reach of most Americans in the early to mid 1890's,it would cost $15.00 for all the high dollar-values and the average man couldn't afford them,also the fourth Class package weighing the maximum permissible weight of four pounds would cost only .64c to mail.
A St Louis stamp dealer by the name of C H Mekeel was one of the first to cut a deal with a Postmaster (Baker) in Shrewsbury Illinois,and have all the mail ($1.00 Columbian stamps affixed) that was hand delivered (by one of Mekeel's workers named W.L.Scott) to the postmaster cancelled and delivered via postman to C H Mekeel's address,Scott was then given a kickback or a percentage of the profit from the sale of the stamps.
Mekeel would carefully soak the stamps off and have copies of the much in-demand used Columbians to sell to collectors,I thought this was a great story and how these $1.00 Columbians ended up in collections.

BUT NOT MINE



It would be nice to see the cancellations Tom .


regards Harry

Thanks, Tom! Even though I collect used stamps, I know very very little about cancels, so this should prove both interesting and enlightening!

k

Boston Machine cancels from a 1935 APS handbook.

A full collection on cover would be quite impressive......even with minimum value stamps it would be difficult......many of these are fairly scarce in decent condition. I think almost all of these and probably others can be found from most larger US cities. A good reason to hunt through cover lists and dealer dollar boxes at shows.

Fantastic! Thanks, Tom!

Interesting bit of trivia, Nugget.

Tom, Great reference guide.

KirkS

That'll come in handy!

Thanks.

Collin