Scribble On Postal Stationery

Why do so many dealers and vendors feel the need to scribble all kinds of noted on the face of Postal Stationery?
Catalogue numbers (sometime multiple cat #)
Catalogue values
Varieties like Type IIa or dates like 1926
and Lots of other annoying notes

You never see them hidden inside
Just defacing the fronts and backs

You don't see these dealers scribbling on the face of stamps!
Why stationery?

Often time those notes are deceptions... like your mention of a cat# and a type... when people "see" it they believe it.
Most are legitimate. It's an annoying thing more from the past then the present. There was a time when "pencil marks" because they could be erased were considered inconsiderate.

ClassicPhilatelist

Along those lines the practice of writing on the backs of stamps also seems to me a form of graffiti. This one wishful thinking...

I don't mind the light, soft pencil lead markings that can easily be removed with a quality, vinyl eraser. The thoughtless, heavy-handed embossings are a different matter.

And ballpoint pen? That's complete ignorance. It changes everything.

gettinold,
Those types of scribbling are intended to fool the uninformed. (aka this is "Mis-information").
I see this ALL the time. Some are legitimate misidentifications, but I've yet to find one that has a number written on it that is the "lower" value, it's always the higher value. When you buy lots of collections (including dealer stock), and you run through 100's of these, it becomes more obvious...

bookbndrbob,
Yes, there are some that are easily removed (and when I get them I remove them) both from collected items, and stock that I will sell. I like my offerings to be a s clean as possible... no erroneous bits stuck on, no markings. The ones I hate are the hand stamps. These often bleed through a stamp over time as well, and they are just insidious. I hate selling them when I have them (but when they come in a collection, what choice do you have). I always do back photos of stamps when I sell them, and those are always noted.
I also wish I could go back in time and "un-invent" the hinge. Save everyone a lot of grief.

Let's be honest...people are just plain lazy! While you may be able to remove some pencil marks, indentations left by hand pressure still remain.

If the reverse of the stamp has OG any attempt to remove pencil marks will only damage the stamp further.

What's really annoying is sometimes they are in ink!!!

I once saw a 158A with five lines of pencil notes covering the back explaining the stamp. The info was accurate but that is a seriously rare stamp to be writing all over.