Bureau Precancel Albums

There are two page sets for these I know of- the Noble pages and also the ones Bill Steiner produces.

I bought a set of the Noble pages last year but so far ave not done much with them. One problem for me seems to be that the pages look crowded. Each page is configured the same with too many stamps on each, IMO.

The Steiner pages are less so but- they are organized by stamp issue, not by town and city. I am wondering if anyone collecting Bureaus has a preference? Organizing by city seems the most logical to me but I'd think by issue might be more attractive. Any input?

There is also the K&P Bureau Album. It is what is "recommended" in "Collecting United States Bureau Precancels" (by Curtis E. Giddings).

"As a word of advice, the easiest way to build your collection is to obtain a normal album such as the K&P Bureau Album. This album provides spaces for all of the Bureau issues and requires the least amount of labor to build an attractive collection."

A quick search for K&P Bureau Album images finds that its pages look crowded (YMMV).

Personally, I have yet to decide if I am going to use Steiner (which I have in-hand) or buy the K&P.

I am using Steiner pages, but I really don't know what I am doing

Can anyone offer a pre cancel collecting 101 ?
How does one define "bureau" precancel?
Does Steiner have spaces for all precancels?
What are the numbers on my pages?

Thanks for any sage advice.

About 10 years ago I bought a spring back folder of about 10-15 pages of these.
All differing types.
What numbers might these be?

The numbers in the form xxx-yy (on the second image) are the Scott catalog number followed by the Precancel Stamp Society (PSS) precancel style number.

The handwritten numbers on the third image are Scott catalog numbers.

Hope this helps.

Regards, Robert

Thank you very much Robert.

Is there a free source to identify PSS styles, at all?




How can this be? the 4c bottom of page for example, is showing 3 differing numbers.
or am I missing something?

Assuming the original creator of that album page correctly identified the stamps, then
4-cent Martha Washington (2 of them) = Scott 636,
4-cent Taft = Scott 685.

For the 5-cent Roosevelts in the bottom row, different perforation measurements result in three different catalog numbers.

I don't have a catalog handy at the moment so I can't verify the catalog numbers.

Regards, Robert

By the way, I know of no free source of PSS styles.

Again, thanks Robert.

Yes solved, all the Martha with differing numbers identified printing varieties as well, the rotary printed etc.

I'll try and source a precancel catalogue on ebay for the "types"

More Precancel Convention Labels, for those whom may be interested...

Start of 1981 Transportation coils, collection.

Steiner Page 3-99

FWIW, I decided to use the free T&T album pages available on the PSS website and print bureau pages (standard format) using the PSS software/bureau's database.

here's a link to some information and a free PDF PSS style chart ... clink on the link about half way down the page and it'll open a PDF ...

http://www.precancels.com/styles/

here is a homemade page for Chicago Bureaus ... made it using the PSS Bureau catalog and MS Word

Thank you very much, clifhiker.

Nice job on the album page, clifhiker. I'm just curious as to why two precancel styles are mixed together for this issue. Is it because they are only two precancel styles for the perf 10 issue and coils? Most album pages I've seen usually group the styles together.