Kans & Nebr Overprints W/ City Precancels

Quote:
Precanceled Kansas-Nebraska Overprints

UNDER DATE of April 30, 1929, there appeared in
the Postal Bulletin an order of Third Assistant
Postmaster General R. S. Regar, in which the post-
masters in Kansas and Nebraska were told NOT to
precancel these overprinted stamps. The same order
advised these postmasters that sufficient stocks of other
regular issues, in the required denominations should
be kept on hand for precancel requirements.
Precancels of the Kansas-Nebraska issue are really
hard to locate. Some of the larger towns precanceled
only one value. Some of the regularly-used precancels
came from towns having a nursery, hatchery, a radio
store, circularizing firms, etc.

During Christmas rush, towns which had no users of
precancel permits were authorized to precancel
through the busy season as a time saver. The smaller
offices used the 25-subject handstamp instead of the
100-subject electro and many times as few as 25 of
a kind were precanceled, since they were only used at Christmas time. This was true of any issue, but
in the case of the overprints, they are doubly scarce
because of the small issue of Kansas-Nebraskas, and
since they were in use for less than one year.
Due to the fact these Kansas-Nebraska overprinted
stamps were valid anywhere in the United States, they
were sent to many towns outside of Kansas and
Nebraska. They are known with precancels from Des
Moines 'and Hampton, Iowa; Independence, Mo.; Gales-
burg, Mich., Chicago, Philadelphia, San Antonio, and
Pittsburgh. Many cities that had mail order houses,
nurseries, seed houses, etc., promptly precanceled the
stamps as they are permitted to do.
There are about 175 varieties of the Kansas-Nebraska
overprints with precancels.
(Note: Many were pre
canceled as favors.)
Inverted Precancels: There are reported to be 25
Clay Center, Kans., precancels (25-subject handstamp).
References: "Precanceling of Kansas-Nebraska Over
prints" Asolph Gunesch, Stamps Magazine (H. L.
Lindquist) ; Victor B. Smith's Collection of Nebraska
Overprints with precancels.