There’s just something about a well-struck fancy cancel that slightly quickens the pulse of many collectors — myself included — although my personal preference is for those off cover. A fancy cancel is a decorative (not necessarily pictorial) marking on a stamp or cover. Many have topical appeal; others are just plain attractive. The reasons for their creation are as varied as the cancels themselves.
Most collectors are well aware of the attractiveness and significant value of early U.S. fancy cancels. On classic stamps, the right cancel — well struck — can add hundreds or even thousands of dollars to the value of an otherwise common stamp. For example, the Figure 1 stamp, a 3¢ 1861 (Scott 65), is damaged and has a partially missing corner. Under normal circumstances it would have little or no value. However, the Brattleboro, Vermont, “Uncle Sam thumbing nose” fancy cancel allowed that stamp to sell for a whopping $7,500 (plus premium) at a 2014 Robert A. Siegel sale. Similarly, the Waterbury, Connecticut, “Man With Hat” cancel shown in Figure 2 garnered $27,000. But it isn’t just about the value. A well-struck pictorial cancel can add significantly to the attractiveness of a stamp, such as the negative star cancel shown in Figure 3. These cancels were largely created by creative postmasters of small offices for their own amusement.
Figure 1. Despite significant damage, this common 3¢ stamp sold for $7,500 because of the fancy cancel. Photo courtesy Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries.
Figure 2. The fancy cancel on this stamp drove the auction hammer price to $27,000. Photo courtesy Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries.
Figure 3. A well-struck negative star cancel on this stamp greatly enhances its appearance.
The second “Golden Age” of fancy cancels came during Depression-era United States, when postmasters’ salaries were based — in part — on the activity of the local post office. Hundreds of fancy cancels, such as those shown in Figures 4 and 5, were created during that time to enhance activity (and hence income) before the U.S. Post Office Department put an end to it. Many of these are now rapidly gaining in value as demand increases, nearly a century later, for a small supply.
Figure 4. One of the more popular fancy cancels of the 20th century comes from Appleton, Wisconsin. The visual pun of the cancel is clear.
Figure 5. A drummer boy figure is perfectly struck on this stamp, canceled Jan. 1, 1935, in New Hope, Virginia.
Most of the really nice fancy cancels of the 19th and early 20th centuries are well beyond the financial reach of most collectors. But what about modern fancy cancels? Sure, we no longer have the exquisite hand-carved masterpieces of the 1860s, or the intricate and sometimes amusing designs of the 1920s and early 1930s. But we do have some doozies that diligent searching and a small outlay of cash can turn up. In these cases, the markings — usually byproducts of metal die-hub machine cancels — are truly one-in-a-million strikes. One can sort through tens of thousands of stamps before finding one where the cancellation is sufficiently well struck to be easily visible on a stamp where the design is not busy enough or dark enough to obscure the marking.
The bottom line is that the challenge factor in finding truly collectible examples of modern fancy cancels on offcover stamps is huge. Most of the markings themselves are plentiful, but they are rarely struck in a way that renders them attractive and collectible on a single off-cover stamp. Let’s examine a few representative examples this month.
Figure 6. Machine cancels touting airmail left clear aircraft on these stamps.
Some of the earliest of the so-called “modern” fancy cancels were machine cancels of the 1930s and 1940s that promoted the use of airmail service to save time and speed your mail to its destination. The stamps shown in Figure 6, struck on 2¢ and 6¢ stamps, are unusual in that the aircraft from each (a biplane and a later prop model) are clear and dark and are nearly perfectly struck on small, definitive-sized stamps. It also helps that the 6¢ stamp is a light orange color. While these cancellations were in use for many years, it is rare to find them so well struck.
Figure 7. Two parts of one type of decorative machine cancel created two different collectible stamps.
Some of the earliest of the so-called “modern” fancy cancels were machine cancels of the 1930s and 1940s that promoted the use of airmail service to save time and speed your mail to its destination. The stamps shown in Figure 6, struck on 2¢ and 6¢ stamps, are unusual in that the aircraft from each (a biplane and a later prop model) are clear and dark and are nearly perfectly struck on small, definitive-sized stamps. It also helps that the 6¢ stamp is a light orange color. While these cancellations were in use for many years, it is rare to find them so well struck.
Figure 8. Pictorial fancy machine cancels on these stamps show an eagle (left) and a Kansas banner (right).
Figure 8 shows two more pictorials of the late 1940s and early 1950s — one marking the centennial of U.S. postage stamps (1947) and the other marking the centennial of Kansas City (1950). The net result on these two stamps is a nearly perfectly centered eagle, and a flag with Kansas City’s skyline — and even a steamboat — visible in the central circle (as adapted from the stamp design detail shown in Figure 9).
Figure 9. The enlarged detail on this stamp (showing a steamboat and partial skyline) are visible in the Figure 8 cancel (above right).
Figure 10. A perfectly struck pictorial machine cancel on a light-colored stamp.
One of my all-time favorites, however, is shown in Figure 10. The stamp itself, the 1954 Kansas Territory centennial issue (Scott 1061), is a light enough color that it lends itself very well to showing off whatever was used to cancel it. In this case it is a detailed “Shop and Mail Early” (for Christmas), showing a jolly Santa and a laden (but happy) postman. Between the clarity of the strike and the centering, it almost couldn’t get any better!
The 1960s ushered in a new generation of pictorial machine cancels, including the two shown on the stamps in Figure 11. In this case, the bell of the mental health cancel falls in the shield area of the Malaria stamp, making it easier to see (and more attractive) and the cogwheel of the “Ability Counts” cancel lines up well with the Garibaldi vignette.
Figure 11. Pictorial elements from 1960s-era cancels created these items.
The real treasure trove, I’m convinced, lies in the pictorial metal die-hub cancellations created from the 1970s to 1990s. During this time period the USPS created more and better pictorials, including some for relatively small organizations and events. But let’s start off big.
Figure 12. Even common postmarks, such as these United Way machine cancels, can create attractive items.
Various United Way cancellations were fairly ubiquitous for many years, but even these rather utilitarian cancels can be attractive when well struck. Examples of both parts of one type of cancel and an older logo are shown on the stamps in Figure 12.
Figure 13. An array of just some of the many pictorial elements that can be found nicely struck on stamps.
Figure 14. A short-lived machine cancel from Gothenburg, Nebraska, left a perfectly struck Pony Express rider on this stamp.
The sheer variety of these cancels, as well as the potential topical appeal, is apparent in the group of stamps shown in Figure 13, with stars, a flag, an Edison light bulb, a dove and even a space shuttle. The cancel shown in Figure 14 is one that was used for only a short time in Gothenburg, Nebraska. This stamp perfectly captures the Pony Express rider.
Arguably, some of the most fun can be had with the pictorial elements of the various National Stamp Collecting Month (NSCM) cancellations, two of which are shown in Figure 15 on non-denominated (4¢) make-up rate stamps — a perfectly depicted carousel horse on one and a dinosaur on the other.
Figure 15. National Stamp Collecting Month cancels featured pictorial elements that are frequently found attractively placed on stamps.
Figure 16. The caboose from a 1980s NSCM cancellation is perfectly placed at the rear of this 1829 train.
But what about when the pictorial element of a machine cancel interacts with the stamp design? Figure 16 shows what is quite possibly my favorite: the 1980s NSCM pictorial cancellation featuring a caboose. Not only is the caboose extremely well struck, it is perfectly placed to hook it up to the 1829 ‘Stourbridge Lion’ engine depicted on the stamp. This is an entirely different level of cancellation fun, one that can be quite humorous at times — but that’s the subject of another column.
Unfortunately, as stamp designs of the past several decades have become darker and busier, it became harder to find nicely struck and easily visible fancy cancels. Further complicating matters, as metal die-hub cancellations were phased out in the past decade or so in favor of sprayed-on inkjet markings, well-struck pictorial cancellations have all but vanished. However, there are still millions of these little nuggets waiting to be discovered in accumulations, bundleware, dealer stocks and your stamp club’s dime-box, if you have the patience and desire.