Favorite Precancels

Thanks warrehouse. I have seen the dated control on many of my precancels. Can I assume they affect the value significantly?

As a general rule, dating reduces the value of bureau printed precancels. A scarce bureau can be reduced 50-75% by having a date applied. Bureau collectors like nice clean cancels.
Most bureau's have minimal 'value' - so the dating has no material affect, and for sure the variety of dates adds a whole new perspective to the chase - hence collectability.

A new favorite. If nothing else The San Francisco California seems to have been nicely struck. Wonder why they didn't abbreviate the place name.

I enjoy that SF precancel style, too -- something very satisfying about the tall, narrow letters and the way it fills the stamp (on a well-struck copy like yours).

I hesitate to post a favorite right now ... it would have been my Magnolia, AR, probably ... alas.

But in general I enjoy anything well-centred on a 2c (bright pink) or 3c (bright purple) Prexie. It's a girl thing.

Edit: or on a yellow-orange 6c airmail (C1).

Although this example isn't mine, it has always been one of my favorite "fancy" precancels:

wt1: Your very pretty Kitty Hawk PC gives insight into what we're losing with the fussy rules for Mailer's Postmarks. Cheers,

That Kitty Hawk is gorgeous, and most likely far too pricey for my economic station. At least through this forum every day I can see scans of my dream possessions.

A couple of those Kitty Hawk precancels were recently sold on eBay for between $20 and $30. Expensive for precancels but not completely out of reach for someone with specific interest in them:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odk...awk&_sacat=0

Just to clarify, the Kitty Hawk markings are not authentic precancels or even post office products. They are a privately made. You should be able to find them for under 10$ if you are patient. From the Cummings catalog of fake precancels:
"Souvenirs"
Several names have been associated with these items. One was Frank Wertheim of Jackson Heights, NY. Most often reference has been to Roessler, the noted dealer in Aerophilately, whose reputation took quite a beating the last years. He seems to have run ads offering these.
Blocks exist. Fairly common, but can be high priced because of demand from airmail collectors. The Beacon airmail is very scarce compared to the other two stamps.
Known on:
Aeronautics: 2, 2 invert, 5, 5 invert
Beacon: invert

Well, I learned something new! I didn't know the Kitty Hawk "precancel" was a "fake"! Seems like awfully high prices for it on the secondary market under those circumstances, but I guess collectors will pay up if they want it bad enough.

269 pre is the first precanels I aquired.