Precancel Questions For The Uninitiated

Sorting through some extra US stamps I came across these precancels, which sparked some questions in my little brain. I don't collect these and know very little about the system. So please enlighten me.
First of all I seem to notice that all precancels are on definitive stamps and not so much commemoratives. Is that my imagination? Is it at the discretion of the postmaster?
Also, my examples here, the two transportation coils have precancel lines, but no city name. Are these 'blank' precancels?
The tricycle has a Nonprofit Org. overprint...or is that part of the precancel?



So much to learn, so little time!

Nonprofit Org. precancel was for use by any authorized nonprofit organization anywhere. This coil was legal for use by anyone without the precancel. The 5.2 sleigh with only the two lines is known as a silent precancel for use by any authorized user anywhere. The last one is a "normal" precancel for a specific city only.

Thankyou quigngt. Until now I thought they just came with a city name. Just found a Bulk Rate precancel as well.



Always learning.
But again, which ones are chosen for precancel is it only definitives?

The term "service-inscribed stamps" also enters into the picture, but I'm a little fuzzy on the details.

I have seen commemoratives precancelled, but I think those above are bureau (???) precancels, and the ones I've seen are local (???) precancels.


On a side note, your piano stamp seems to have an minor perf shift (unless anybody else has heard of the "bulk rat".)

The answer is rather "muddy". The USPOD (predecessor to USPS) tried to carry the rule that only definitive stamps can be precanceled. However, there have been many instances where commemorative stamps have been precanceled, some for permit holders use and still others purely for philatelic purposes. This practice was discouraged by the USPOD as shown in these 1940 and 1945 excerpts from The Postal Bulletin, but yet they continued to often occur:



As far as I know there is little to no premium value for precancels on commemorative stamps. As you may know, most precancel collectors are less concerned with the stamps themselves but attempt to collect the various precancel types which is much more of a challenge.

The Post Office rules for creating precancels have changed many times over the years - and during some periods, commemoratives were allowed. As far as valuation - modern precancel collecting has started to tilt back to denomination collecting so the underlying stamp can be significant in determining premium value.
Just look at prices for odd, modern stamps with precancels on ebay. Searching for precancels [as well as any collectible] on ebay can be very informative about pricing and market trends.

The 5.2 cent Sleigh coil stamp was, at the time of issue, NOT a usable stamp for everyone. As a matter of fact it was issued spcifically
for collectors but since it was a service-inscribed stamp it could ( at first ) not be used. The precancelled stamp was even worse off; when they appeared from 1981 on for a while the USPS tried to keep stampdealers ( and others ) from selling them!
Of course, all this has changed, and these precancelled and service inscribed stamps can be used on first class mail provided one has a special permit from the post office.
The three precancels shown by james were all Bureau overprints.

Peter

Doug, the collectors group of the so-called Plate Number Coils, PNC3, makes a difference between precanceled stamps and service-inscribed stamps.
The precancels were, without exception overprinted stamps. If these had the "service inscription" on them, it was part of the overprint. Service inscribed stamps had the reason for issuance printed on the stamp at the same time as the design; as a matter of fact the service inscription was part of the design.

Peter

Jamesw, after looking at your three precanceled stamps, it seems that I see an unreported plate variety on the 6 cent Tricycle stamp. At least I can not recall ever seeing this before. Part of the wheel seems to be missing?
And to answer part of your original question, at the time the Transportation Coils were issued the US Postal Service was playing 'Put the tail on the donkey' with these stamps. They kept fooling around with them - changing the rules every time. The first ones out, the 17 cent Electric Auto had the service indication overprinted as on the 6 and the 12.5 cents. Some were issued with the service inscription as part of the design, but were still overprinted with the two precancel bars. Still later the service inscription was part of the design, but in a different color!
The Transportation Series is the longest coil series issued by the USPS, if one counts the precancels as different stamps there are over 80 varieties! With all the different plate numbers, precancel gaps, tagging varieties etc. one can build a huge specialized collection with these stamps.

Peter

Here are a couple of examples of precanceled commemorative stamps from the 1930s that would seem to have violated the "no commemorative stamps" directive that I previously posted from that era:

Yes, you're right about wheel on the tricycle, Peter. The bottom of the wheel and parts of the two centre spokes are missing.

Here's a precancel from 1904 on a commemorative that I have:

new12collector,
If you ever partied in the tunnels across the river from St.Paul, Minnesota as a teenager you would know all about "bulk rats"