Cancel Collectors

I'd like to know what cancel collectors want in stamps. I'm setting aside CDS cancels on stamps and on piece with stamps (all Canadian at present) and I'd like to know how picky people are about legibility, completeness of cancel as opposed to simply legibility and whether the associated stamp has to be in good condition.I don't want to offer lower quality stuff than people want. I know there have been discussions about lists of post offices but if anyone has leads to good sources I'd love to hear about them.

Hi Stray Feathers

I prefer used neatly cancelled stamps to MNH stamps. Must be good or better quality, preferably fine/very fine used. Good colour, no thins or major damage, centering a bit off is no problem, a couple of slightly short perfs also no problem. Cancel must be cleanly struck and readable. Part cancel ok so long as identifiable. Major obliterations a definite no. Fancy cancels I really like providing the stamp detail can be seen through them. Complete obliterations are out. Here is a recent acquisition, posted previously, but which shows the sort of thing that appeals to me.

Terry

Most cancel collectors I know want the cancels on full covers. The words 'on piece' make them look billious.

Collectors of covers are more than just collecting the postmarks. Covers tell stories from the beginning to the end. These collectors are postal historians. If you JUST want to collect postmarks, collect the ones described as SON (sock on the nose) stamps or on pieces with clear and well-defined strike of the markings, either the entire cancel or 85~100% of the cancel. If the cancel is so rare, you don't have much choice, keep it, if you can identify the postmark, till you find better ones.

Well, it depends. I do consider myself a postmark collector, as I've cataloged the around 1500 commemorative postmarks used on my hometown, Barcelona, from 1888 to date. I look for official covers of the event commemorated by the pm, as it gives me some valuable data.

I try to find out six data for each pm:

1.- Motive of pm
2.- Dates when the pm was used
3.- Designer of pm
4.- Event commemorated by pm
5.- Location of pm
6.- Organization body/ies who sponsored the pm

Hi Stray Feathers,

Any possibility of putting a few sample scans of your items up on here? Some early stuff maybe?

Terry

Terry - thanks to you and others for helpful information. I haven't reached 50 posts yet so don't want to rock the boat over offering things for sale, but may post some examples for opinions. There is a little old stuff, but I too like nice cancels on my classic stamps. I'm more checking for little post offices that may fill a gap for someone. Some auction houses offer lots of cancels and I've seen reference to "rarity factors" so I'm trying to learn more.

Some collectors like a partial postmark appearing only on part of the stamp, leaving the design mostly free of any blocking marks.

Others, more concious of the history and routes travelled by the stamp or cover, like to have mostly readable and clear postmarks. The more clearly readable the better usually.

Socked on the Nose (SON or SOTN) CDS's (Circular Date Stamp) cancels are usually the most sought after.

In Canada, the POCON 6-digit rectangular-shaped, previously square-shaped (and now appearing as circular-shaped also) cancels are collected on cover and on piece (by me anyway) and sometimes just on the larger sized stamps also.

POCON topic and growing list: https://goscf.com/t/29893

I strongly prefer used stamps that have a cancel with a clear location that does not overly interfere with the design of the stamp itself.

Another thought is that sometimes collectors like to form a calendar collection with dates from each day the Post Office was open for business, or cancels from their home town or towns in a certain state or country or many different combinations of ideas.

Hi Puzzler,

I thought of doing something similar a while back. The idea was to travel round the UK with a bunch of envelopes stamped with the modern decimal Queen Elizabeth issues 1971 to the present, no complete sets on any one envelope, and get them cancelled at all the City, Town and Village Post Offices I passed through. My thoughts were that as modern mint GB stamps have become less popular due to excessive numbers of issues, self adhesives, pen cancels and counter printed labels, the only modern GB stamps to have any scarcity and appeal would be fine used stamps with clean cancels. Whole album loads of mint hinged GB stamps can be picked up for a fraction of their previous value and a variety of envelopes could be bought along the way. Once I had worked out the time and cost involved in travel, I abandoned the idea. What I will do is take some stamped envelopes with me each time I visit someplace new.

Terry

Hi Stray Feathers,

Welcome to the site. I will keep an eye open for your posts.

Terry

I had thought of a similar idea but finances are a deciding factor.

Now I am thinking that just to have some pre-addressed envelopes (plus postage?) ready to use at a moment's notice would be the smart thing. Carpe diem and all that.

I really like cancels on stamps/on piece. A good cancel connects the stamp to history without needing an entire cover.

I do like covers as well, but for the storage requirements. You can display many nice cancelled stamps on a page that will hold maybe two covers. Also, covers really need an album that will show both sides, and these are expensive and get bulky after you collect enough. Just keeping covers in a box does not really show them off.

Would love to see some scans. If time allows, I will add some as well.
Squared Circles, Split-Rings, RPO (Railway Post Office), CDS, MOON...etc.


Here is one I like just because of the artistic element.