A Collector's Guide to 1898 Documentary Printed Precancels: The Street Railways

The Union Street and Detroit and Wyadotte Street Railway cancels are somewhat mysterious.

What are they?  The two cent documentary battleship was primarily used for paying the two cent check tax, and examples can be found on railroad checks and drafts for settling charges between the railroads.  However, these Street Railway items are not so easily explained.  These two stamps, both without gum, appear to be the only examples ever found of street railway printed precancels, whether on or off document.  And street railways had no need to settle charges between themselves for car service or freight forwarding. as they provided local, primarily urban, passenger transport.  

While there are other rare, and currently one-off railroad precancels that are part of the 1898 documentary precancel oeuvre, including the Chicago, Fort Madison & Des Moines RR one cent stamp and the Tyler Southeastern Railway one cent stamp, both of these railroads were a part of larger railroad systems that made heavy use of precanceling.  In the case of the Detroit & Wyandotte, and the Union Street, there is no known association between the street railways and other companies that used precancels.  

The fundamental question is whether these cancels are legitimate.  These stamps found their way to my collection from Joyce's 1898 documentary precancel stockbook.  And they undoubtedly found their way into Fullerton's 1952 list through Mr. Joyce.  So Joyce preferred to think of them as legit.  But I think more is needed to believe that these cancels are more than a contrivance.   If you know of anything that could speak to the legitimacy of these stamps, please contact me at 1898revenues@gmail.com.

 

A Collector's Guide to 1898 Documentary Printed Precancels: the Adams Express Company Mimeographed Cancels

Despite the fact that the big express companies likely used as many or more one cent battleship stamps as a function of their business as any company in the United States, railroads included, and they were the primary method of retail shipping in the country, only two companies, American Express and National Express, are known to have precanceled the one cent battleship.  

The express companies functioned as retail shipping agents for the railroads.  For while railroads provided retail service to passengers, they did not receive and forward retail packages.  That service was subbed out to the express companies, including the large and dominant companies like American Express, Wells Fargo, US Express, and Adams Express.  

Adams Express is known for many handstamp types on the one cent and other battleship values, but not for printed cancels.  The two cent stamp is another matter.  Yet for Adams Express these are rare and rather obscure.  Fullerton lists three dates for Adams Express mimeographed cancels: August 12 1899, October 25 1899, and November 19 1900.  Examples of the latter two are shown below.  I have never seen the August 12 cancels, which come in two types:  one using four lines of type and a second type that uses three.  Likely used on checks, I have yet to see a used example of one of these two cent stamps on document.

If anyone has examples of the August 12, 1899 cancels, please send scans to 1898revenues@gmail.com.