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:
Saturday, September 14, 2024
A Collector's Guide to 1898 Documentary Printed Precancels: the St. Louis, Keokuk & Northwestern Railroad Collectible Types
Thursday, September 12, 2024
A Collector's Guide to 1898 Documentary Printed Precancels: the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad Uses
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
A Collector's Guide to 1898 Documentary Printed Precancels: the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad Collectible Types and Varieties
Sunday, September 8, 2024
A Collector's Guide to 1898 Documentary Printed Precancels: Uses by the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad
Saturday, September 7, 2024
A Collector's Guide to 1898 Documentary Printed Precancels: the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad
Thursday, September 5, 2024
A Collector's Guide to 1898 Documentary Printed Precancels: the Chicago, Fort Madison & Des Moines Railroad
Like the Chicago, Burlington & Northern, the Chicago, Fort Madison & Des Moines Railroad's precancels are rare, or more specifically in the case of the CFtM&DM, possibly unique. There is only one example known to collectors; the scan of the stamp with the damaged corners below is the known copy. The 1900 Poor's manual reported that the CB&Q bought out this short line railroad completely in December 1899, which would be consistent with the existence of this precancel on hyphen-hole stamps, but there might have also been roulette versions of this cancel. None seem to have been preserved for collectors.
Tuesday, September 3, 2024
A Collector's Guide to 1898 Documentary Printed Precancels: The Chicago, Burlington & Northern Railroad
Sunday, September 1, 2024
A Collector's Guide to 1898 Documentary Printed Precancels: the Chicago, Burlilngton & Kansas City Railway
The Chicago, Burlington & Kansas, compared to the CB&Q and B&MRRR in Nebraska, was a relatively short railroad in the stable of Burlington Route Railroads, running entirely within Iowa and Missouri. The railroad's precancels are quite scarce, and according to Joyce in the notes in his stockbook, "rare". Joyce also apparently had a blue ink version of the cancel on the roulette stamp, which I have never seen.