The Provident Savings Life Assurance Society (PSLAS) produced the most significant array of printed precancels of any company, including railroads. Because they were in a very different business than the railroads and express companies, they were subject to different taxes, and made regular use of different stamp values. PSLAS primarily sold life insurance, which was taxed at eight cents per $100 insured. In addition, forty percent was to be paid on the first weekly premium for any life insurance policy. A result of these taxes was that insurance companies made frequent use of the 40 and 80 cent documentary stamps in addition to the dollar documentaries to cover the taxes on larger life policies.
PSLAS printed precancels have been identified on six different stamps, including the 40 cent and 80 cent documentaries, and the Scott R173, R174, R175 and R182 dollar values. The cancels consist of a solid outer circle, 20mm in diameter, a thinner inner circle, and PROVIDENT SAVINGS LIFE inscribed in an arc inside the inner circle. The cancels come in either black or red depending on the stamp denomination except for the forty cent stamp, which is known with both black and red cancels. Shades of orange red may also be found on the 40 cent stamps.
Of the stamps I have seen that have dates, all appear to have been canceled sometime in 1900. By 1900, R173 and R174 were issued with hyphen-hole perforations, and the PSLAS printed cancels are only known with HH perfs on those stamps. Though the 40 and 80 cent stamps were also issued with HH perforations, I have not found the PSLAS cancel on those stamps.
PSLAS also produced other cancels that were not printed but were likely precancels; a 40 cent stamp is known with a PSLAS perfin and the R175 and R176 dollar value stamps are known with handstamps in black that are similar in appearance to the printed cancels. Examples of these cancels are shown below.
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