US Scott 310 - What Does This Postmark Read? Solved

Found this listing on ebay and was quite curious about the cancel. Although it looks something like a precancel, I don't think it is. Nevertheless, I can't seem to find a city or town that would match the letters shown. (Perhaps some letters are missing within the postmark?)

Any ideas?



http://www.ebay.com/itm/XQ-535-DR-J...em5af0f3bd3f

Maybe a port or paquebot marking with "Southampton" on the first line.

The second word could be another port, but not "Florence".

(Great Britain and Italy)

Edited again, just in time:
Hold everything! Florence isn't a port LOL LOL.

The Wikipedia entry for Northampton, Massachusetts, includes this sentence:



A clue perhaps?

Robert

Being that it's a US stamp, I was trying to find a US tie-in.

I was thinking Northampton, Massachusetts, as there is also a Florence, Massachusetts as a section of that same community, however, I can find no link to show that both of these names were ever used together in a box cancel type of postmark, which is what I believe we may be looking at based on the relatively high denominational value of the stamp and the two line city or town name.

The search goes on.

Trainwreck: Great minds think alike!

I think I've made the connection between the post office at Northampton, Massachusetts and Florence, Massachusetts, as this Postal Bulletin excerpt suggests that Florence became a "station" of Northampton, Massachusetts in 1906:



That's not too far of a stretch to expect that a stamp issued in 1902 could have been used on a parcel in 1906.

So I think that more than likely answers the question.

Thanks for your input.