Great Britain 'Squared Circle' Cancellation

Is there anyone here who collects or is knowledgable on this subject.

I have a block of 4 1884 Q. Victoria 2 1/2d lilac stamps with a type I squared circle cancel that reads CHARING CROSS W.C. and is dated Aug. 26 1886. Three of the stamps are heavily cancelled while the fourth is cancelled lightly off center. Is there any significant premium attached to such cancels?

Welcome to the forum milehigh

In answering your question, yes, there is a premium on stamps with a squared circle cancellation. Some premiums are lower than others of course if they originate from a large city etc. I am not familiar with the British ones but I kow that the Canadian ones are based on a Rarity Factor (RF). Different books on the topic have been published anbd most can be Googled if you are interested enough to purchase any.

A lot of the British colonies and Commonwealth countries also used these cancellations as well.

Hope this helps?

Chimo

Bujutsu

I can tell you that Charing Cross is in Westminster, London. It's the junction of Strand and Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square. The WC stands for 'West Central'.

Hi milehigh,
There is an article in one of the British Magazines re squared cancels.
Some are rare, I will try and find it on the weekend if no one else does before then.
Regards
Horamakhet

Here is a very good place to start for Postmarks of GB.

http://philatelicweb.com/pmks/

Yep, Stallzer has it.

That is the spot to go check for British Postmarks, and to maybe even contribute to the database.

You will notice a few Downey Heads on there from me!

Have a good one,

Skilo54

There are several types of the squared circle of Charing Cross. They are all reasonably common and valued at £2 in the latest edition of "Collect British Postmarks".

This one looks to be the Cradley Heath squared circle, 1901. According to Wikipedia, Cradley Heath is a small town and ward in the Rowley Regis area of the borough of Sandwell, West Midlands, England.

Can anyone tell me if this is a rare postmark please?

Has anyone seen it on a Queensland stamp before?

Listed. Scarcity unknown.
Yours beats the EKU (Earliest Known Use) by 2 years

VERY unusual on a Queensland stamp, possibly unique, does that transfer to valuable ? cannot comment.

It is a 4 bar squared circle, time at top
previous Cradley Heath was a normal CDS (1872)

Then 1924 hammer number 194 (Staffordshire) 1924-1967
Then 1967 hammer number 035D (Worcestershire)

Changed from Staffs to Worcs in 1967 (Conurbation?)

Thanks very much Rod - nice to think it might be unique on a Queensland stamp.

I notice the example you show is 1899 - how does that fit in with mine beating the EKU by 2 years?

FDS
Yes, indeedy !
Yours beat the EKU, but it only captured the record for about 10 minutes,
then Googling found the earlier postmarks.
10 minutes of fame

Marketing that stamp would be a real interesting experience,
Unique, but finding the right customer, difficult.
I'd keep it, if it were mine.

One may ponder how it happened, maybe a postage due was affixed close by, maybe an enthusiastic clerk, cancelling a missed stamp.

It may also be from a redirected cover.

Thanks Bobby,
had not considered that.