Canada Post A Cancel Would Have Been Nice !

Dianne always sends a nice card and stamps when we "do business"...its a shame I could not get a nice postmark on this Titanic pair !!

It seems that much Canada to US mail has been processed without postmarks in recent years. I have a couple of examples as well.

Although it may be the "lazy way" of doing things (and I have no way of knowing if there is any truth to this) but perhaps the idea is that since most US recipients of mail originating in Canada would not be inclined to re-use Canadian postage, postal clerks can by-pass the need to postmark pieces of mail addressed to US destinations.

The only way your sure to get a cancel is to go into the post office and ask them.
Canada Post is bad for that philb, I have over 100 permanent (P) stamps that went through the system with out getting cancelled. If Canada Post keeps this up the only way they will make money is to start selling glue sticks

wt1 Its also happening with a lot of domestic mail. Last week I received a a packet from a dealer and there was over 15 dollars of uncanceled stamps on it. If I buy anything on ebay these days the letters seem to all come un cancelled I would say 60% are uncancelled.
I have also notice a lot of P stamps on paper uncancelled being offered on ebay for around 75% face.
If you drop a letter in the mail box slim chance of it getting cancelled.

Jack I have a reciprocal agreement with my friend in Ottawa..he sends me his U.S. gluesticks and I send him my Canadian..it all helps when trading with fellow collectors and gives the post office people the impression they are doing something for their pay !

Afraid that this is not uncommon. I have noticed that mail to or from Canada, the US and Britain seem to escape having the stamps cancelled. Frustrating because that creates a stamp in 'limbo' - it isn't cancelled used and it isn't mint

I agree, a cancel would certainly be nice.

Chimo

Bujutsu

Perhaps Dianne's envelope was beyond the machineable size and was rejected and the guy who cancels unmachineable mail wasn't on duty at that time.

I wondered if the envelope has the phosphorescent bar codes at the bottom front and rear that would record the last Canaian Post office centre to handle it (on rear) and the address sent to (on front)?

I have thought that perhaps Canada Post (and other post offices worldwide, have determined by checking, just how much (more or less) revenue they are losing by not cancelling stamps really.

If the revenue lost is being covered by the sales of stamps and other revenue streams then at this time it is not worth it to them to worry about cancelling some of the stamps that get through without being cancelled.

If there is a problem they can just look at the phosphorescent bar codes to see what might have happened.

I sent six envelopes with birthday/fathers day cards in them from here (Calgary,AB) to Kelowna, BC. All of them had various old, unused stamps from the 70's and 80's on them, as I am trying to use up the large amount of sheets I have that have no value other than as postage. Of the six envelopes, only one got a cancel, and even then the cancel only hit one of the three stamps on it. Maybe I should start mailing letters with one old 1 cent or 2 cent stamp on them, just to see if anyone is actually checking for correct postage.

Diannes envelope 5 1/4 x 7 inches might be a bit oversized but she doen't skimp on postage....it has 2 first class stamps on it..certainly enough to pay the freight..i think someone should have hit it with a postmark !!

I am missing something here, surely the stamps are worth more not cancelled?
Muriel-YSC.

Usually and not on cover (envelope), yes, they would be worth more.

But from a postal history viewpoint the cancel is an official recognition almost that stamps have served their purpose. The cancel also gives an added boost to the story by providing a time and place of usage, officially.

The more the different cancels on a cover, the more involved the story and the more desirable the cover.

Without a cancel the story of the cover, its history, and the history of the stamps' usage, is missing a key element and thus not complete and not as desirable.

puzzler,
I get what you mean, but surely 21st century history would be of more interest to say, the 24th century collector than to us?
Maybe Muriel is being a bit mercenary, but everyone would like to think that their collection has some fiscal worth.
Or is that not a consideration for you?
Mortimer - YSC

I have not immersed myself to the full yet in modern postal history but it does interest me. Cancels of all sorts have taken hold of me and have no intention of letting go yet it seems.



No, not at all mercenary. I agree that most people would like their collection to be of some monetary worth.

I was more concerned with the story told and the cover itself rather than that at the time. Just the cover being of a pictorial nature by itself makes it more collectible to some and a nice cancel would not mar but enhance the value in its visual appeal and it's modern postal history appeal.



The fiscal worth of my collection is, I feel, rather dependent upon the skills that the receiver of the collection (such as it is) has in sales and/or in appreciation of the collecting niches I have endeavored to explore, to the extent I have explored them so far.

I collect more to entertain myself rather than to invest at this time. Perhaps that sounds mercenary itself! The more little bits of knowledge and ability to share this knowledge I have, the happier I am. A cancel from 1840 is just as interesting to me, generally speaking, as one from 2040 (and I'd like to see one of those!).