Got Any 19th Century Fancy Cancels On US Stamps Or Covers?

Here is a NY fancy cancel on a cover to Pittsfield, Mass.



Can you see the grill on this stamp?



Pittsfield is where I met bobgggg and philb!

Here is a NYC fancy cancel on Civil War era cover to
Midshipman H. C. Nye at the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland.
Anyone know what the B. G. R. 12 means?

Maybe it means Barracks-G, rack 12? I don't know, but it sounds good! ha

Gussyboy1

I have a very similar fancy cancel to one of Tom's, but not on envelope alas. Still, it is one of the older stamps I have, so I like it.

I also like the way the cancel seems a little off-balance.

I also have, thanks to my grandfather, these non-postal(?) stamps that have been ink-pen canceled (I think).

Anyone know what these are?

And can decipher what's written on them?

I guess that the numbers are dates (June '65 and July 8 '64).

Scott #R3c 1c Proprietary revenue stamp and Scott #R6c 2c Bank Check revenue stamp.

These were issued to raise taxes to pay for the Civil War.

Proprietary tax stamps were used to show that the tax had been paid
on proprietary items such as patented medicines and perfumes.

Bank check stamps showed that the tax had been paid on a bank check.

Nice fancy cancel, stamphop!

Thanks for the info t360 (and the compliment).

Not sure if this one is called a fancy cancel or just obliteration...

That one looks like a heavily overinked negative "D" cancel. Many cities and towns used negative letter cancels similar to this one. They are considered fancy cancels. Recently I bought a cover with a negative "B" cancel from Boston.

Neat. I never noticed that there that 'D' uninked - to busy looking at the mess of ink. just Would 'D' be for Denver maybe?

quote:

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Anyone know what the B. G. R. 12 means?

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Looks like B.6 - R.12

Maybe it designates the training unit this midshipman was in at the Naval Academy.

In the University mail was delivered to Building number, room number, so maybe
a similiar system Building #6, Room 12.

And Tom , T360, and others through the thread, nice stamps.

Tom, I know very well how long, and how patient a collector must be to gather that
group of stamps.

Stamphop, if you get involved with Back of the Book, it can keep you busy for
the rest of your life. A lot of history and beautiful engraving there!

Good evening

Jim

I pulled these...
Are they what you would consider "fancy"
or are they the "standard" cancel for the era?

(1) is called a duplex cancel because it has two parts - a "town cancel" combined with a "killer" cancel.
This is a NYC duplex. Duplex cancels are not usually considered "fancy".
(2) Philadelphia duplex
(3) Slate Lick, Pa. Town cancel with fancy target cancel
(4) indistinct town cancel (Ohio town) with fancy quarter wedge
(5) Chicago duplex - "M. S." is interesting
(6) Leesburg, PA town cancel with fancy target

Since target cancels are fairly common and were used by a lot of different towns,
they really need to be boldly struck to command a premium.

You're the best!

Now I know what a duplex is. Learned something!

That Chicago is funny to me too.
Do you know what the M.S. means?
At first I thought Mississippi or Missouri, but
It seems they wouldn't have a period after each
letter that way. One at the most, behind the
pair, would mean "state" to me.

There is what appears to be a comma after "Chicago".
That, combined with the way the word is clocked over
between 9 and 1, leaves me with the impression that
IL or ILL would have followed, over between 2 and 4.

Thoughts?

Edit:
Forgot to mention how the name gets me too.
"Miss Fload Goodheart"