Thursday, October 3, 2024
A Collector's Guide to 1898 Documentary Printed Precancels: The Street Railways
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
A Collector's Guide to 1898 Documentary Printed Precancels: the Adams Express Company Mimeographed Cancels
Sunday, September 29, 2024
A Collector's Guide to 1898 Documentary Printed Precancels: National Express Uses
Like AMEX, the NatEx precanceled battleships were used almost exclusively on bills of lading and their duplicates. Here are a couple of examples. There are multiple examples of precancels used on a competitor's or other company's bill of lading. Below is a NatEx type one on an Adams Express BOL.
Saturday, September 28, 2024
A Collector's Guide to 1898 Documentary Printed Precancels: National Express Company Collectible Varieties
National Express produced only a few known varieties. Only one major variety is known, the invert immediately below, though it was unlisted by Fullerton. Fullerton listed a missing period after the Ex on the 1900 hyphen-hole. I have not seen one, but have identified an unambiguously high period after the "Nat" on the type one.
Major Variety:
Thursday, September 26, 2024
A Collector's Guide to 1898 Documentary Printed Precancels: the National Express Company's Collectible Types
"The National Express Company is regarded as but an offshoot of the American, and an examination of the directorates of the two companies confirms the general impression. President James C. Fargo of the American is a director of the National, while President Livingston and Vice-president Ledyard of the National are both directors of the American."
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
A Collector's Guide to 1898 Documentary Printed Precancels: the AMEX Type Two Henry Tolman Variety Typology
Sunday, September 22, 2024
A Collector's Guide to 1898 Documentary Printed Precancels: American Express Printed Precancels with Precancel Handstamps
Saturday, September 21, 2024
A Collector's Guide to 1898 Documentary Printed Precancels: American Express Company Usage Examples
Most American Express precanceled stamps are found with manuscript or simple handstamp additions for the date. Town locations are relatively scarce, but can be found. American Express was clearly a prominent express company in the northeast and upper midwest based on the cancels and documents below.
Thursday, September 19, 2024
A Collector's Guide to 1898 Documentary Printed Precancels: American Express Company Collectible Varieties
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
A Collector's Guide to 1898 Documentary Printed Precancels: American Express Company Collectible Types
American Express precancels are some of the most commonly found printed cancels on the 1898 documentaries. For many revenue and nonrevenue collectors alike, the AMEX precancel is likely to be the one revenue printed cancel they have seen. There are two main types of AMEX cancels, a serifed "Am. Ex." with an "189_" date, and a smaller nonserifed "Am. Ex." with three dates, including 189_, 1900, or 1901, producing a total five main collectible stamps with three of those very common and with two a bit more scarce.
The AMEX precancels are known only on the one cent battleship stamp.
This is the same American Express Company that exists today that is primarily known as a charge and credit card company. In 1898, AMEX was actually engaged in the express business, which at the time consisted of retail package collection, forwarding and delivery, utilizing subcontracts with railroads to move the packages between cities and towns. As such, the express companies consumed millions of one cent documentary stamps, as the law required a one cent tax stamp for each package bill of lading and its duplicates.
Sunday, September 15, 2024
A Collector's Guide to 1898 Documentary Printed Precancels: St. Louis, Keokuk & Northwestern Railroad Usage Example(s)
Saint Louis, Keokuk & Northwestern Railroad precanceled one cent battleship stamps, while not common, are reasonably available to the collector. However, I have found that most of the examples I have ever seen have rather insignificant secondary cancels, usually manuscript or handstamp dates. Occasionally a stamp turns up with some additional information in a handstamp, though I have yet to find an on-document use of this precancel.
Non-Burlington Route handstamp cancel: