Could This Be A Japan Cancel On The 3c 1869 Pictorial?

Ordinary what???
Can not even make out any letters/numerals.
Sorry.

Looks like it was cancelled in the rain!


-IBFS

Stamps from that time. at least those which I have seen, are usually just cancelled, and don't have a postmark... but, this looks like a some kind of postmark.

Also, the ordinary postmarks from that time usually have been something larger, and haven't been able to fit into the stamp design.

Hi filipo, I dip those type of stamps into ronson lighter fluid and remove it and put it up to a light while wet, backside to the light, usually the darkest spot of the cancel can be read. Hope it helps. Gary

P.S. Ronson fluid is toxic. Use it in a well ventilated room.

Hi Gar, thank you for the advice. I have tried all possible solutions, and didn't find anything out. I am just not sure is this some kind of a fancy cancel, or possibly some kind unusual postmark (for example: the steamship or so). I thought that shape of this cancel possibly will be familiar to someone here, although is almost impossible to make out any letters/numerals, as Kevin has stated. This looks to be too much regular kind of circle to be a usual fancy cancel of that time.

I tried to bring out the postmark in Gimp (free software similar to photoshop), but didn't have much luck. Like you said, most copies of this stamp that I've seen have cancels that cover more of the stamp. This is a circle cancel with hash marks across the middle. It might even say something.

Try inverting the colors in GIMP. Invert is under the color tab about halfway down.

I don't think it helped on this stamp, but I appreciate the tip. That will come in handy.

Raymodj, thank you for your help and understanding my point. There is even better option than gimp, an on-line page (www.retroreveal.org) which do all that job for you, with a dozen of great different results, but, it also didn't help me with this stamp.

In fact, that what we got with gimp and RR looks most like Arabian script...

edit: could it be Japanese?? It is not unusual on the 3c 1869 pictorial issue.

Here is a sample of Japan cancel on this kind of stamp... "1869 10c Pictorial Sc #116 Hiago Japan Cancel w Cert"..

It sure looks like a good guess based on the size and smudge, only noticable difference is whatever goes across the center of the first stamp.

I have made a much better scan...

And also the "revealed" version:

let me be direct (sorry)
It's not Japanese. There is no line across the Japanese cancellation.
Regardless of what it is, it is so poorly defined that it is irrelevant to any description and adds no value to the stamp.
C.

Thanks... at least, I have learned something.

So, this is also not a Japan cancelation, because it has a line accross: