US Scott #11A - Probable Taunton Massachusetts Cds With Punctuation

I recently acquired this #11A with an odd, probable Taunton Massachusetts CDS with punctuation in at least three places. Anyone able to confirm the town, or maybe show an example of the CDS with lettering that this one is missing?

Its actually Canton. I have a cover or two that I may be able to dig out tonight.

sinclair2010, thanks for identifying the town. My searches have found no other examples so far. I'd appreciate you showing an example from your collection.

I'll try to make time. It could be illustrated in Simpson but I am not sure.

I didn't find it in Simpson.

I had skimmed through Simpson earlier, didn't find anything like it. There is a listing for Canton, Mass. It has a comma after the town but nothing after the date. Also, it's a double line circle...nice cancel but doesn't match the one above.

Here is one. I am pretty sure I have another and it may be a better strike but it would not be easy to find. This is a double rate cover from 1857. CC, yours must be from 1856? Agree?

Wow! Thanks, sinclair2010! That's a nice full strike. No need to show another example. I appreciate you finding yours and scanning it.

That makes four punctuation marks, and a really neat CDS.

So when do you think yours was used? Do you agree that it is probably an 1856 usage?

My stamp is orange red, which would make it an 1855 usage.

I think I see a top dot. Gonna check for a position.

I'm surprised this isn't listed in Simpsons. Are there many CDS' of this era that have so much punctuation? I haven't seen it.

You could be right about the 1855 usage. That would be the earliest possible date. Stamp stocks lingered in the small post offices, stretching out the periods of usages of the various different colors. I also thought (from the scan) the color might of had a little yellowish rose red in it. Not really worth debating but figuring out when various canceling devices were used is something I like to do.

I think there are some others from Massachusetts but Canton is the only one that I can think of at the moment. They aren't common. It is listed in Simpson, sort of anyway, with that double rim example that is quite similar. I would call the one we are talking about a variation.

Here's a scan of the one stampcrow said was in Simpson with a double rim and a comma after the town, but no punctuation in the date:

sinclair2010, my stamp matches very well with the orange reds in my color set. But as you suggested, it does come close to some yellowish rose reds. Here it is next to a plate 2L (3R2L) impression at left that Wilson Hulme classified as yellowish rose red for me, and what I consider to be a typical YRR at right (62R5L):

Now that I'm looking at these three side-by-side, I could be persuaded to believe that the 3R2L might be a pale orange red, but I would not likely be persuaded to believe that the Canton stamp is a yellowish rose red.

I think it is more difficult to colorize off-cover stamps than most people will admit. Wilson Hulme was a student of color and his opinions are respected by those who knew him but he got the 3R2L wrong. It is an 1853 dull red and since it is being confused for both a yellowish rose red and perhaps an orange red, I would say that it may qualify as a yellowish dull red.

Had the stamp been on cover, everybody would have immediately known what it was because of the blue Philly cancel.