Cancellation Number..?

Hi guys..Here is a standard 1973 cover...The only thing I was wondering about is the extra number "18" on the cancel..Is that normal..?



Robert

Robert, could it have been the precursor of the Post Code?

Peter

What is the date on the cancel before the "X" for October ? seems to be a 18 too, if so it's probably a duplicate of the date, will make sence since the 18 is not centered with the Ontario

Side note :

In 1973 the Postal Code was probably implanted in Hamilton ( see the cancel )

Before the Postal Code was adopted, they was dividing the large city by Zone, at first 2 digits and in 1960 3 digits, but I don't see reference they was using it for Hamilton, only, Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto Winnipeg, Vancouver and beside, they don't put the zone code on the cancel


your cancel with the roman number for the month was typical in 1973 , look at the pic.

Now that I look at it closer area66...It look more like "1B" rather that "18" which adds more questions to the cancel.





Robert

Robert, what nake me think it's part of the dater is the fact the ink look more fade than the Ontario, but the N oh Hamilton is fade too.... Look at the 1 in front of the B or 8 or even 3, it's too much ionclined to the left, should the top be more at right to make it pointing the center ? Even the B, 3 ot 8 is not pointing the center like the Hamilton and Ontario letters.



is not for sure interesting cover , The postal code was implanted from 1972 to 74

Short answer: It is a machine number, 1B

Long answer: In larger offices with multiple machines it is desirable to quickly identify which machine needs attention, whether ink, date change, feed adjustment, etc. Thus the use of numbers or letters in the dial or killer. (Some U.S. offices even filed notches in the dial or killer to differentiate the machines, but that is another tangent.)

In this case, using a U.S. machine as an example, your cover is from the early era of paired facer cancellers. There should also be a "1A" dial from the other machine paired with it. Here is an example cropped from a misfed letter showing dials 1A and 1B from Indianapolis. (A bit lite, so contrast is skewed to show better.)



While searching I came across an example from machine 2A with a St Lawrence Seaway slogan cancel

Thank you John...Good explanation...Curious cause had not seen it before on my covers..Thanks again.

Robert