Identification Of Michigan Perfins

In going through some Michigan precancels, I came across these perfins. Can anyone help positively identify them.



Based on previous posts and my own collection, I have possibly identified some of them, as follows:

1. Detroit. Could "PD" represent Parke-Davis, the pharmaceutical company?

2. Detroit. This perfin is quite interesting as it reads "Ferry". Could it be related to a ferry boat service from that city?

3. Lansing. My assumption is that encircled "M" from the State Capital must relate to stamps used by the State of Michigan.

4. Saginaw. "SO" is almost certainly Southern Railroad. Not sure what the three diagonal holes in the "O" stand for. Maybe the Saginaw office?

5. Kalamazoo. No idea what the "U Co." may stand for. Any ideas?

Any comments will be appreciated. Thanks.

I think I may have found the answer to #5 scanned above. Just looking at the history of Kalamazoo, Michigan and found that historically one of the major corporations in town was Upjohn Co. (later merged with Pfizer). As pharmeceutical companies often used perfins, I wonder if "U Co." could have been the abbreviation used for Upjohn.

Nice detective work wt1. I really enjoyed seeing those perfs. I had no idea they got that detailed.

the "SO" is Standard Oil" with the 2 punches in the "O" signifying the branch.

Thanks for clarifying. Do I have the other correct? What about the "Ferry" one? Is there is a specific Ferry Company that used that stamp?

There is a Ferry seed company, maybe it is that.

It seems the (D.M.) Ferry Seed Company may be the right answer! Thanks.

It also seems that Mr. Ferry was quite a busy man in his day. According to his biography, in addition to his seed company (which was purported to be one of the largest in the country in its day), Dexter M. Ferry was also president of the First National Bank of Detroit, the Union Trust Company, Standard Accident Insurance Company, Michigan Fire & Marine Insurance Company, the American Harrow Company, and the National Pin Company, and one of the organizers of the Wayne County Savings Bank. He also owned substantial real estate, much of it used by his seed company. He helped manage Detroit's Harper Hospital for nearly forty years, and was one of the founders of Grace Hospital. He was a trustee of Olivet College and of the First Congregational Church of Detroit, and of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Active in public service and Republican politics, he served a term on the Detroit Board of Estimates in 1877-78, and on the Detroit Board of Park Commissioners in 1884. In 1892 and 1904 he was a delegate from Michigan to the Republican National Convention. He was Chair of the Republican State Central Committee in 1896-98, and a candidate for nomination for governor in 1900.

It gets me tired just thinking about all of those titles for just one man.

Finally getting around to looking at SCF after being tied up for a couple of weeks.

From the perfinned precancels catalogue:

#1 PD is Parke Davis & Company, perfin pattern P55, value $.15

#2 FERRY is Ferry-Morse Seed Company, perfin pattern F71, value $.15

#3 Circle(M) is State of Michigan, perfin pattern M9, value $.15 - there is a closely related perfin pattern M8.7 which has two distinct serifs on the base of the M, as opposed to pattern M9 which makes it look almost like a single line under the M

#4 SO is Standard Oil Company, perfin pattern S195-48, value $.50 - sometimes missing one of the control holes in the centre of the O

#5 U/Co is Upjohn Company, perfin pattern U14, value $.15

Ryan

Thanks. It wasn't bad detective work on my part ... I got most of them right (without a catalog)!

Found these the other day by accident. I was thinking the "M" was maybe for Montgomery Ward or something. Now I see I was wrong!