Prexie Advertising Covers

Please post your advertising covers with Prexies here!

I'm showing some ignorance here, but if I don't ask I'll remain ignorant. What is the attraction to "Prexies?" (My collecting focus is airmail and aviation topical, FWIW.) Is there a value premium associated with covers using Prexies, as if so, why is that?

I know there is interest in these, I'm just curious about any particular reasons for it.

• Postal history is a big part of collecting Prexies.
• There used to be and still are lots of Prexie covers, etc. around to study.
• Covers used to be way cheaper than collecting pre-Banknote covers, and still are cheaper, relatively.
• There is foreign mail, registered, special service rates, cancels, etc. to branch out into.
• Rates are no mystery, but just try to find proper usage in some cases. Plus the combinations of frankings possible is a pretty big number. I like the combo on the Bangor cover above, just because.
• There are rare usages that bring big bucks and there are the vast majority that belong in a dime box or shoe box lot, with a lot of stuff in between. Just like covers in general.

There's lots of ways to collect other than one mint stamp of each going by the major numbers in a Scott catalog -- is that your way of collecting? You'd be missing a lot that way, I think.

Yes, I would. More than you might realize. My main interest is US airmail and aviation topical stamps. There are 150 US airmail stamps. Maybe another 30-40 aviation topical that I collect. I've collected singles, plate blocks (and panes or line pairs), and most variants of all of these by now. I am not collecting "one mint stamp of each" any more. So I've branched out into covers. First day covers and first flight covers mostly, but I also have a couple of exhibit interests, one of which has me dabbling in various postal history covers.

You really didn't identify anything in particular about the prexies. Would it be fair to say that it is the fact that they constitute a somewhat varied but still limited set of stamps that one can focus upon, say like Washington-Franklins, or as in my case, US airmails?

Thanks for the reply.

Basil

Basil,

The "Prexie" Period has to be the most complex Rate Use Period in 20th Century U.S. Postal History. Today, there are solo usage Prexie covers fetching record prices of up to $2,000+ for a single cover.

Unfortunately Basil, you are a typical stamp collector that can't see a stamp beyond what you can paste on an album page and you never will. You'll never enjoy a stamp for their intended purpose. Did you know they had a purpose?

Stamps are a monetary conveyance and rate of exchange. They are a means to convey mail, domestically and internationally, from point A to point B for a given amount. I study and collect Washington-Franklin Issue and postal history; the Prexie postal history period is far more complex. If you ever read any books on the subject you might to start to understand.

So, go back to your collecting a single stamp at a time. Like many others, you blindly enjoy sticking stamps on album pages; pages designed for people who do don't want to think about the stamps they collect. You simply collect to fill a blank space. Your imagination will never permit you to enjoy any stamp issue, including Airmails or Washington-Franklins.

Basil, you will never fully enjoy collecting when you think the "measure" of a stamp issue is based on the total number of stamps issued. And don't worry about "WHY" people enjoy collecting the Prexie issue. Postal History and Prexies are far to complex for you to understand.

People specialize in the first U.S. issue and its postal history with only two stamps! I bet you think the First Issue is totally boring and useless.

Hal

Some would bring a lot more then that if they are ever found.

They're endless fun and there is a book about them.

Enjoy this mixed usage… (note the Airmail & Prexie usage.)

How about this mixed usage…

Some Ad covers...

And a few more…










I have many more, I hope you enjoy these.

Hal

Hal,

These remarks were uncalled for:







For all you could not know, I was asking in order to see if there might be some attraction to the Prexies that would interest me. And aside from your unwarranted ad hominem remarks, you provided some insight that I would have otherwise been very appreciative of.

I could go on an on about how unwarranted your remarks are pointing to numerous posts and threads where I've demonstrated that I am more than just about pasting stamps in an album.

Shame on you. Your post is a discredit to the entire forum.

Basil

Well, it isn't an advertising cover, but it does have Prexies (just to show that I'm not just a pretty face pasting mint stamps in an album )

blcjr,

I couldn't begin to explain the draw to Prexies, I just find them interesting. Unfortunately I have not collected any covers, might be the next interest. To date I have collected mostly precancels and perfins, besides used or cancelled prexies.

And to tell you the truth, most of my stamps are in stock books and labled. Easier to see the groups rather than just a single stamp. Just my .02!

Thanks to those who've posted covers in this thread. I'd like to see more!

No, Basil…

you deserved my response and more. Your remarks to hy-basil were unwanted and demonstrated your true ignorance of stamps and their subject matter. Unfortunately, you didn't appreciate having a mirror held up to you exposing what you are. Next time, don't put down someone who kind enough to take some time to explain the subject -- say "Thank You".

Folks please, lets move on. Text messages are sometimes not a good medium to convey nuances; misunderstandings can arise.
Don