Here is why I needed to go to RetroReveal.
What is the date on this stamp? I was able to divine 1863 as the year, and that was about it. Faded out red manuscript canx - not my favorite to work on!

Now take that exact image and let RetroReveal do its stuff, and viola:

We appear to have a 24 Oct 1863 canx.
Easy like that :-)