Show Your 1851-61 Era Cancellations And Postal Markings

Hi Philazilla --

Just checked Towle -- no cigar (very few double circle designs -- and not a single one of them with negative lettering).

To my eye it looks like there is another letter after the "PPE" -- as it looks like there is a trace of a serif at the right edge of the stamp -- and the spacing looks correct based on the spacing between the P P and E -- but hard to be certain as it could just be inking?

I have now exhausted my resources on this one.

Regards // ioagoa

There is definetely another letter/word after the "PPE" - could be a state name. I've had some success in narrowing down towns when I can orient the curved town name based on the date within the circle - the town name or town name + state will be centered along the top of the marking. It looks like part of a month. That partial letter on the right edge looks like the left or right part of a letter - not the top or bottom. This means either

1) the marking is "rightside-up" and there are a lot of letters after the "PPE"
2) the marking is "upside-down" and there are a lot of letters before the "PPE"

I do not see how the "PPE" could be in the middle of the string of letters that make up the town (or route) marking. Further, assuming the letter is part of a month, it would likely be the 1st letter of a month since months are almost always positioned above the equator of a circular stamp. I bet the letter at the bottom right of the stamp is (M)AR, (M)AY, (A)UG, or (N)OV.

None of the options Zebraman found have "PPE" toward the beginning of a long town name, so I do no think any of those can be the right marking.

I wonder if it could carrier marking, or some private business handstamp? Maybe Canadian?

Here is another interesting cancel on an 1857 stamp (Type III #26 with part imprint) - this looks to me like an anachronistic cancel - a duplex from a later era.

Hi Philazilla --

On your imprint #26 -- 100% agree with you that the cancel -- as you noted -- is from a "later era". It looks like a typical ellipse killer part of a duplex from the "banknote era" -- which would be after the 1857-1861 issues were demonetized.

Since it is not on cover -- there is no way of knowing if the stamp was actually accepted as postage -- and thus a "demonetized usage" -- OR -- if the stamp was not accepted, cancelled, and the sender made to pay the postage by adding stamps currently valid at the time.

Still -- you don't see these every day -- nice piece of "off cover" postal history -- and thanks for showing it.

Regards // ioagoa

PS -- you can probably plate that stamp using the plating chart in the USPCS Chronicle article on plating the imprints of Scott #26 / #26A written by Bob Hegland.

I was treating "PPE" at the end of the word instead of the middle of a word because the spacing towards the next letter (off the edge of the stamp) was wider, so I considered that as the start of another word. Specifically, on my monitor, 24 mm between each P/P/E and 32mm between the E and that next letter.


Unrelated, adding this to the thread, an interesting "CANCELLED" cancellation in red.

Thanks for the insights ioagoa and ZebraMan.

I've not seen a "cancelled" cancellation before - very cool!

On the "PPE" stamp, I agree that the "PPE" comes at the end of a word, but I think there is another word in the name - something like TRAPPE FALLS or TRAPPE CITY. (I made those names up.)

Re: the Blue fancy circular postmark on the 3c stamp -
I went to worldcovers.org (the online version of the American Postal Markings Catalog - previously the ASCC).
Put in "PPE" and "All states." There are 138 listings with those letters, though none of the illustrated markings match (there are a lot of listings without tracings or scans).
When I put in "Blue" for the color, the list came down to 14, but none were listed for after 1857.

Since we started with the ASSC, the listings after 1855 (when stamps were required for posting), are less complete. Over time, we hope that this changes as people add content to the database.

Chip

After a 2 page search thru my previously uploaded images, I got lucky and found my "Canceled" cancel.
From a post on 1/26/2015. Probably about manuscript cancels. I find it pretty difficult to locate the post from the information found in a previously uploaded image.

Nice to see this thread moving right along.

Regarding the blue negative lettering cds - very nice item.
I did take the time when you posted this, to go through Dave Jarrett's sale catalog. I thought he had every postal marking ever -- but not this one, at least I didn't see it.

As already pointed out - this is a "style", not a common one, but there are things like: Haddonfield, NJ, Otto NY, Opelousas LA, then I have definitely seen a Packet boat marking of similar style - none are this one though.

Hi ZebraMan --

Your 3c imperf with the red straight-line "Cancelled" killer is very striking. I have been collecting this issue for many years and have never seen one like it that I can recall. Thanks for showing it.

Also, just for recreation, I plated your stamp -- and it is position 44R1E -- which makes it a Scott #10.

FYI -- position 44R is one of the positions on plates 1E / 1i where figuring the state of the plate is easy. More specifically, position 44R1E is a B relief and with no double transfer -- versus position 44R1i which is a C relief (clearly showing the gash on the shoulder) and is also a listed by Chase as a double transfer position. Your stamp is definitely a B relief with no trace of a DT -- thus has to be from the Early state of the plate.

If you purchased this as a #11 -- you will be happy!

Regards // ioagoa

Here are some Masonic cancels on Type III #26 stamps:

Masonic of Mittineague, Mass.
Skinner Eno FR-M4c 1


Masonic of Springfield, Mass.
Skinner Eno FR-M1b 9


Skinner Eno FR-M3b Unlisted


Skinner Eno FR-M3b Unlisted


The violet cancel is really unusual.

Philazilla -- Nice assemblage of Masonic's -- Thanks for showing them.

ZebraMan -- Another comment on your red straightline "Cancelled" -- I searched some the major auctions using the keyword "straightline" (i.e., Siegel, Rumsey, Kewriga) -- and the only other example I could find was in Siegel's Gorham Sale -- (Sale 1255 -- Lot 173). Again -- an elusive strike on a 3c imperf from the scarcest of the 13 plates (i.e., plate 1E).

Heres a worn out City Delivery.

Here is a (partial) City Delivery, in red (on Valentines Day no less).



@ ioagoa, Thank you so much for plating my red "Cancelled" straightline cancel, and pointing me to the Gorham reference with the same cancel. I don't have any purchase history written down for the stamp so either I bought it cheap as a #11, or more likely it came as part of a collection. Great to know it is confirmed as a #10. Thanks!

I guess this must be a very early usage of the blue Wells Fargo Express cancel