Manchukuo, Scott #135: Cancellation Or Something Else?

This stamp appears to have full original gum and the vertical colored lines on the left aren't familiar to me.

This is part of a roller cancel, similar to those used in Japan.

See illustrations:
http://manchukuostamps.com/Postmarks.htm
Yours may be from someplace other than from Hsinking and it may not be the same exact style as shown.

Thanks hy-brasil. Design and color look right on. A great link. (Amazing what knowledge some people have acquired, and how willing to share rather than sell it.) Any idea why a stamp such as this would still have original gum?

Guess #1 is that a collector was afraid of the cancel ink running and soaked the backing paper off without dunking the whole stamp. The gum should then look somewhat disturbed in most cases.

Guess #2 it was cancelled and given to a customer as part of a receipt for fees paid, likely as part of a larger block since a roller cancel was used. Unsure if Manchukuo did this, but the US post office did this with postage dues, often using roller cancels, too. Obviously, the gum should be intact (except for a possible hinge mark).

Guess #3 is that it was CTO.

From the condition of the gum, I'd go with guess #2. I think the Japanese did this at home, so perhaps the practice carried over into Manchukuo. Guess #3 always possible too, I suppose, though in general I hate the idea of CTOs.

Examples of Manchukuo roller cancels from Hsinking Central Post Office. These cancels are found in purple and black. Roller cancels have been in use in Japan from at least the 1920's good, datable copies are very hard to find. The top number is the year date, below this the day date is on the right and the month date is on the left. The first cancel pictured is dated 15th December 1939 (Year 6 of Manchukuo) and the second 5th February 1940 (Year 7 of Manchukuo). Roller cancels were often used on parcels, newspapers, wrappers and printed matter. From http://www.manchukuostamps.com/Postmarks.htm