Question On Reading The Town & Type Catalog

Hello all,

I have this stamp with a Camden, NJ precancel. Most of my precancel experience is with bureaus, but I am attempting to classify some non-bureau ones that I received in a lot.

Looking at the T&T catalog for Camden, NJ (pp. 1-2 for NJ), I see a list of types that were used for that town/city. The only one that seems close to my stamp is 203 (all dimensions match well, as does the font type). However, I have a comma after the town, but the examples do not. Is this what note 1 means? "Except where specified otherwise, the state may be spelled out or abbreviated, and punctuation is optional". Does the optional punctuation extend to the presence/absence of a comma as in my case, or is it limited to punctuation with regards to state abbreviations (e.g., NJ vs. N.J.)?

Thanks for any help. This is the first time using this catalog and trying to wrap my head around these precancels.

Miguel

Yes - Note1 means some 200 series devices have punctuation (commas like Camden 203), and some do not. The punctuation could be after the state or city.
This does not mean some Camden 203's might have no comma, but rather 203's from other cities might have none.

That was what I thought, but wanted to be sure. Bureaus are easier, but I have a large pile of these that I wanted to start working through. Thanks for the help.

Miguel

If you look on page 10 of the Style Chart in the front of the catalog you will see this note:

Note 1: Except where specified otherwise, the state may be spelled out or
abbreviated, and punctuation is optional.

Read the introduction to the catalog until you memorize it. It tells you exactly how to use it. I reread it a couple times a year. Type "style chart" in the search box at www.precancels.com and print out a copy. VERY handy to have.