I Need Help In Identifying Leavitt Machine Cancels

I can't find much on the internet. I do know they started in the 1870's and they had several types. The most common ones seem to be the ones with the little "football" killer cancels. I don't believe they were used in too many cities. There were also handstamp cancels with those little football killers and I do not know how to tell the difference. Is there any internet reference that shows the types, cities and years of usage? I don't want to buy an expensive out of print book or have to check it out from a library.
Any information would help me out a lot. I bought a large collection of 19th century postal cards,(1000's) and I have been dividing it into lots. I started by pulling out the Minnesota stuff for myself, then I went to finding the DPO's from other states that I have been selling on ebay for the last six months or so. Lately I have been separating the remainder into cancel types and I am a lost on the Leavitt types.

I would like to know too. I can spot the Boston ones with the horizontal bars, but some are more difficult to tell between a Leavitt and a duplex handstamp.

pj,
The definitive work on Leavitts is 'Thomas Leavitt, His History and Postal Markings, 1875-1892' by Bob Payne, published in 1999 and containing over 300 pages of excellent reference material. That said, if you don't want to buy the book (probably about $45 or so), you can post examples here and I'll try to help. I have a reasonable comprehensive collection of Leavitts, so should be able to help. I did a one frame exhibit of experimental Leavitts last year at the Minnesota Stamp Expo.

Most are found on postal cards, and most are fairly common, with the exception of a few towns and types. Covers are much harder to find with Leavitts, and are generally scarce to rare.

Any MN/SD/ND RPOs in that postal card lot? Or other interesting machine cancels?

Added: I should add that most Leavitts, due to the feeding mechanism, are 'square' to the postal card and in a relatively consistent location. The killer portion of the cancel is never taller than the dial, and almost always the same height, which helps to differentiate from like duplex handstamps.

Mike,
The most interesting machine cancels so far have been a few Hampdens, but I really just started on the machine cancels. There are some real early RPO's. Very little Dakota's. I already pulled the territorial stuff out. It is loaded with Minnesota stuff. That's why I bought it. I actually bought this lot a few years ago and it was one of those projects that seemed so big I set it aside until I had some time. I never found the time so I have been whittling away at it in the last year. I also got two large boxes from him of over 3500 postal cards from the 1950's that is mainly DPO's and very heavy in last day cancellations. I didn't realize that until after I bought it. If you want to work on a trade or look at some of it, send me an email instead of working on the details here.
Pat

Will,
If I get any good info I will forward it to you.
Pat

Your local philatelic library has quite a bit of information about these.

Antonio,
I somehow knew you would recommend the philatelic library. While it is a great resource, I am looking for something that I don't have to check out and return three weeks later. I prefer online information as I can access that from anywhere with my phone. My second choice is to have it in my own philatelic library at home.
You guys have done an amazing job with the library, but I have to admit in these days of ease in getting information, a library is my third choice when doing research.
Pat

If you have that much material where checking a book out of a library isn't an option, I'd buy the book on the Leavitt Machine Cancels referenced in an earlier post. After all, the $40 or $45 is cheaper than most stamp catalogs and you will have a ready reference at hand as needed.

It would appear the information you are seeking is not online -- or at least not contained in a single reference source as definitive as the published work "Thomas Leavitt, His History and Postal Markings, 1875-1892" by Bob Payne, published in 1999.

In fact, Subway Stamp Shop has the above referenced book available for only $40 at the link below:

http://www.subwaystamp.com/LEAVITT-...tinfo/RPS15/

Yeah I couldn't help myself there. There has been a move to get stuff online more by a number of philatelic organizations, but I am not sure if that is best for the hobby. I think it would benefit people in a number of ways to get together and talk more about stamps. Of course you do that anyway.

I also recommend the Payne book. You are flying blind with Leavitt's without it.

Well, so far I have learned that the vast majority of these cards with the football killers are NOT Leavitts. I only found 4 out of this big pile so far and they are all weak strikes. I scanned them, but when I optimize them they are too weak to see. I am finding some really fun cork cancels and a bunch of other machine cancels.