Belgian Precancels

I know that most collectors of U.S. precancels seem to collect them by precancel type, without regards to the type of stamp it's on. Are Belgian precancels typically collected the same way?

No - most collectors of Belgium precancels collect them 'general' or one of each type on each denomination.
There are many thousand different and no collection is close to complete [at least in the USA].

The Belgian precancel catalogue is split into two listing sections, one for roller precancels and one for typographed precancels. Every combination of precancel and stamp is listed. The roller cancel section lists over 6000 stamps, the typographed section lists over 800 stamps (as of the 1997 catalogue, the latest one I've been able to find). Also, for all the roller precancels and the typographed precancels up to 1937 there are separate prices for the various cancellation orientations available.

Ryan

Wow! I had no idea. And I thought I had a nice selection with about 100 different ones. Thanks for the insight.

it is easy to find the common precancels, but the higher values are pretty hard to get. At least that is my experience.
It is a fascinating collecting area though.

Without specialized literature or catalogs, hows does one know what the higher priced ones are? I can only assume that if I have 10 or fifteen duplicates of a particular one, then that one is probably a common one?

I meant the higher nominal values. When you check the Belgian catalogue, these stamps have low catalogue values, only slightly higher than the low values in a set. The problem is that you hardly ever see them.

Take for instance this stamp:



The catalogue value is minimal, but I have never seen one of these precancels and there are 72 different ones of them!

And my next question was going to be "Do you have a some examples of the harder to find precancels?" I guess that answers it. I checked all of mine and have nothing remotely similar to that one. Most of mine are the typical rectangular ones from BRUSSELS.

Some might find this previous thread on the subject to be of interest:

https://goscf.com/t/7702

They are out there, but they are certainly not commom. I have two, so just the other 70 to go!




One thing to look out for is precancels on non-definitives.
You can find them on Postage Dues (nothing like as common in Belgium as they are in USA)

And here is an example on a commemorative charity issue:

Note that it has a surcharged revaluation for precancel use. SG lists and numbers all the definitives which were surcharged for precancel use - but does not list this.
For general readers who are not sure what I am talking about - these are they:

Not to be confused with these ones which were surcharged for postal purposes, and then subsequently precancelled:

These precanceled Anseele-commemoratives are new to me. I must have overlooked these in the catalogue, and do not think I have any of them.