Eku Of 1938 Dated Precancels

Sometime ago, I posted a precancel stamp from an unknown source that displayed a New York, NY stamp with an Aug. 1938 date. I have just found an Aug. 1938 from a known source (Sears Roebuck & Co.) with a Bureau Precancel of Boston, MA (on a 6 cent Garfield stamp).



As the 1938 regulations governing that all 6-cent and higher stamps be dated came about around June of that year, I suspect I have a rather early dated precancel. Just how early I'm not sure. Were these dated precancels in use during June and July of 1938? Is my August 1938 dated precancel of any particular note?

I assume they were used in massive quantities, especially for a firm such as Sears, but I've been unable to determine an EKU date for them, and whether or not many survive, as I understand they were considered rather uncollectible in their day, but now are coming back into favor with some collector's interests.

Any information will be most appreciated. Thanks.

I've got the catalogs for the areas you are talking about more when I get home from work!

The best books on his area were assembled by Rolyston Lyon & Jon Wilson.
Lyon started his endeavor in 1940, while Wilson would update his work in the 80's.

These came into use when standard precancels of the day were being reused in large numbers as the USPO sought to curtail that abuse by developing a system of overprints with month & year enclosing the initials of the precancel user.
This process with later changes ordered & authorized in March of 1938 but no known used before has been found before July 1, 1938.

Montgomery Wards [MW] will be the greatest user of this type of precancel usage followed Sears & Roebuck Co. [SRC], however there are thousands of these, most of the Acronyms/Initials have never been verified as to whom was the user.

Thank you for the comments. Since you have suggested that July 1938 was the earliest known use, the example I have shown dated August 1938 was used in the second month of the dateds.

I'll have to keep looking for a July 1938 example. Unfortunately I have a number of them with such distortion in the date and initials, they are virtually impossible to distinguish (the very reason why the post office did away with this requirement in relatively short order.)

These were used from 7/1938 through 1969 at least.

Over 30 years short!

The PSS Bureau precancel catalogue has this note in it - "... all prices shown are for undated copies. Dated examples of bureaus usually sell at 20% or less of the stated catalog price ...". I've never understood this. If the law said you had to date all precancels valued at 6c and over (later amended to a total mailing value of 8c and over), how is it that there are copies of precancels with high face values used in that timespan that don't have the date and user initials included?

Ryan

Good question, Ryan. I'd be interested in an answer, too.

My earlier comment about the use of dateds for a "short period" was based on the thought that the post office complained about the poor rubber-stamped images that made the date and initials very difficult (or impossible) to read. They later changed to a printed date and initial, I think. But the majority of dated precancels seem to be most common from 1938 through the early 1940's. That's not to say they didn't exist afterwards, just not to the quantity they had in those earlier years.

some July 1938 printed dated controls:

Nice Montgomery Ward dateds. I guess July 1938 is the earliest known use. Interesting that they are all from Albany, NY. Based on my previous post about MW dateds (with bars), it seems that MW in Albany, NY was known for using early and/or limited use precancels.

FYI. The LKU in my collection is from Kansas City: MW-DEC 75

Frankie

Here you go!

Frankie

Very nice. Curious that MW still used that old 30 cent issue from 1957 some 18 years later. Maybe an overstock of some precancels that the company wanted to use up (?).

I intentionally made this a hi-res scan to show the detail. Did I finally find a July 1938 (earliest known month of use) for a dated precancel?



Obviously the precancel is Cleveland, Ohio, but it is difficult to make out the company initials. Could it be MDI or MGI? Any info. on the company using this one?

I assume that there are some scarce dated precancels. Is there a list available listing the ones which are particularly scarce?

I think you'd have to purchase the Printed Dated Type Catalog (at this link) for that information:

http://www.precanceledstamps.com/pr...ed-catalogs/