Is This The Ugliest Business College Practice Stamp Of All Time?

Yay! (The ???LINS)
Bravo! Postmaster
Looking good at this stage.

Definitely a ship. With four masts. Steam and sail were combined for many years like that.

Just in case some of you have been unable to sleep at night without knowing the name of this business college, I believe that I have figured it out.

Another extremely crude "stamp" appeared recently. It doesn't appear at first to look similar to the first one that I showed. But if you look close, it does have a similar, barely-readable cancel on it.



The cancel is a bit more readable once it's been processed by postmark-reveal.



The "lin's" was sort of readable on the first stamp, and something that sort of looks like "dev" is at the top left on this second stamp.

I spent several minutes squinting at this image and flipping it and all sorts of other things.

With fingers crossed, I googled "Devlin's Business College."





And, lo and behold, the "city" portion that can be seen on both stamps suddenly makes sense, and what looks like the "bay" on the first one also makes sense.

Thought that you'd like to know that this particular mystery has been solved!

Jim

p.s. What on earth is that thing in the center? A bird with three wings? A pigeon with a giant rudder?

I guess that explains the D.B.C. at the top of the stamp.

Guilty.
Great to see it solved.
Yes indeed a bird, in flight, reminds me instantly of the Picasso Dove
shown on many stamps.

So the census appears you have just 1 of each known.

Picasso Doves.

CLARENCE H. SLOCUM, general manager of the Michigan Cedar Company and one of the prominent business men of Bay City, Michigan, was born at Providence, Rhode Island, and is a son of Henry W. and Sarah B. (Bonnell) Slocum.
The father of Mr. Slocum died when he was an infant. His mother was born 73 years ago, in New York City, and came to Bay City when her son was four years old. She still survives, a beloved member of his family.
Mr. Slocum obtained a good common-school education and took a business course at what was then known as Devlin's Business College. It later was merged into the Bay City Business College.

http://genealogytrails.com/mich/bay...ay_bio3.html

In 1898 the International Business College, of Bay City, Devlin's Business College, of Bay City and J. G. Lamsen's private school, in West Bay City, were consolidated under the name of the Bay City Business College, and the attendance has been increased by years of hard and earnest work, until in 1903 the number of pupils was 292. Many were placed in good positions in different parts of the country.

Fred E. Shearer was educated in the Bay City public schools and began his business career in the employ of E. B. Foss & Company, tallying, a few months later accepting the same position on the river for different parties, and during his third and last season working for George Jackson. When cold weather interrupted lumber transportation, he took advantage of the opportunity to acquire a good knowledge of business in Devlin's Business College, in Bay City, and on October 24, 1902, he entered the Bay City Bank as collector
http://genealogytrails.com/mich/bay...ay_bio7.html

Upon your comment, I do seem to make out a bit of a tail on the lower marking suggesting an arrow spinner.