Precancels are in simplest terms canceled before used.
What Johnstamps states is for what is known as "Cancel-to-order" stamps. Those stamps were canceled in advanced of sale to the collectors market, especial made available in Eastern Europe, the "Sand states", (not my term)and many other developing countries.
Precancels, however, were not designed for collectors, (not saying some may have been inspired by collectors), but by necessity. The were first used in the US for enterprising companies that wish to use the mails to sell their products.
The mailing were very large and to simplify the process stamps
were precancel, thus by passing the the need to cancel the mailings, it expedited the mail. Many Postmasters also ordered their postage due stamps precanceled, again to speed up the mailing processes.
The earliest known precancel is from 1847 Wheeling, VA, (now WV)
on both Scott #1&2, the precancel used here was a 7 bar circle using red ink over one corner of the stamps.
The earliest precancels are local in nature, that the local Postmaster authorized. Most are consider "silent" meaning there is no indication of the post office of origin. Many of this early precancels were done in pen, model paint brush, even crayons. They can be line or lines, bar or bars,
blocks, circles to name a few.
The city overprinted precancels start in the US in 1890 Boston & Salem, MA, Bay City & Lake Odessa, MI, also Brockport & Brooklyn, NY. These are all authorized by the PMG but still locally produced by local precancel device.
Starting in 1913,US PMG in order to standardize the precancel process began use contacted devices, that the PMG would take an order from a local PM sending them the contracted device to produce locally . Other devices
we used by the Bureau of Engraving And Printing. The Bureau's were issued when PM needed 250,000 or more.
More To Follow!
Mike
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Posted 04/04/2009 01:58 am
