Were US Booklet Panes Ever Precanceled?

I found this listing when searching ebay and it made me wonder if this is a legitimate usage or just a "favor cancel". I don't recall ever seeing examples of booklet panes being precanceled:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NY-Precance..._1106wt_1081

Many were done in Alabama - there were a few precancelled booklets on the 3cent 1917 stamps that were completely legitimate. Almost everything else can be considered philatelic souveniers [but very collectable]:

Thanks. It answers a question I never knew before!

If you can't trust your employees, precanceling booklet panes only lets them steal six at a time...

Must have been a monumental nuisance to extract them from the booklets, set them up on some kind of small press, and run tiny quantities over and over. I don't get it.

I felt the same way...I didn't get it either at first. But then again, stranger things have happened in "precanceldom".

Precancels were not developed to prevent emplpoyee thefts, that was perfins.
As far as nuisance goes, lets say it is 1955 and you decide to drive all through rural Alabama [or pick a state] to make precancels. Every post office had them. You would precancel every issue the PO had in stock if they let you [many did], and then any stamps you brought with you [if they let you]. You could keep one of everything for your collection and sell the rest easily for a modest profit. It was an activity from an earlier time - and fun.