Fancy Cancels on Scott 65's

Early stamp cancelling devices were often duplex devices with a CDS and a Killer. The CDS or Circular Date Stamp was intended to provide the point of origin of the stamp (the city or town) and the date the mail was processed. The Killer was the portion that was meant to deface the stamp to prevent its reuse.

The CDS needed to allow the changing of the date, and in lated designs even the time of day. The Killer however had little additional duty beyond its stamp canceling function.

Usually made of cork, the killer was easily carved into a wide variety of shapes and the skillful postmaster often did so.

Today all that remains of most of these postmarking devices are their marks on stamps that have long since been soaked from their envelopes.

This makes it difficult to identify where a particular design may have been made and when.

The when is easier to establish by virtue of the stamp in question. As is the case with this exhibit which will focus on a single stamp, Scott 65, it's easy to place the date as these stamps were introduced in 1861 and were the primary stamp used during the Civil War period. The stamp itself has little value, as even today they are common despite their age.

The cancels they bear however can add significantly to their value to the collector of US fancy Cancels.

Some of these have been identified over the years as to the specific town associated with the cancel, while others await a cover with the CDS to identify their origin. In the listings below, I identify the town where it's known.

The items in this collection are part of a larger collection of 19th Century Fancy Cancels that I will be bringing to market on eBay in the near future.

This lens is intended to serve as a preview of the items and eventually as a reference collection.

Interested parties are invited to visit my eBay store from where they can access all my eBay offerings.