President - West Essex Philatelic Society www.wepsonline.org 06 Oct 2009 06:10:27am
re: Cancellation Type: Boston Negative type BOS-32; "negative 11"
According to the Cancellations and Killers of the Banknote Era 1870-1894 Catalog. This cancel is a Boston Negative type BOS-32 with a -1 rating which means that it is very common. Apparently it was common in Boston at that time to use various negative letters and numeral cancels. I think it is pretty neat myself.
President - West Essex Philatelic Society www.wepsonline.org 07 Oct 2009 06:20:15am
re: Cancellation Type: Boston Negative type BOS-32; "negative 11"
I found one on ebay but they want $144 for it. That's crazy. I may have paid $20 for it at my club auction. Just keep your eyes open. It's a great book. It has all the fancy cancels of the era.
re: Cancellation Type: Boston Negative type BOS-32; "negative 11"
to put philatlic literature in perspective, one CAN occasionally find a reference book at a nice price, but mostly they retain their original published price, and sometimes increase in value. Only when there are newer editions do prices for earlier editions start to lose their value.
David
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"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"
re: Cancellation Type: Boston Negative type BOS-32; "negative 11"
Here is some information on these cancels:
First, the most complete reference on these is "Boston Postmarks to 1890", by Maurice C. Blake & Wilbur W. Davis (1949 and 1974). It can be purchased used for around $40.00
These large negative cancels were used from 1878 until 1884. There are four different background designs, and each design used both letters and numbers, which makes for 8 types in all. Not all the letters of the alphabet were used, and not all the numbers either. For instance the letter "G" was not used lest it be confused with "C". The number "9" was not used lest it be confused with "6" if applied upside down, which occasionally happened. A study by the U.S. Cancellation Club (an APS affiliate) has identified 129 different cancels in this series, taking note of all the letters and numbers used, and the four different backgrounds in which they appear.
The number 11 in a solid square that began this discussion is not one of the more unusual types. Its know dates of use are 1/12/81 to 11/17/82. Most probably it was used before January of 1881, but its use before then has not been verified.
I am somewhat of an expert on these cancels and have a major exhibit which includes a few that are not listed in Blake & Davis. I'm happy to correspond with others who have an interest in these covers. I'm brand new on the StampoRama site, and not sure if you can send me a message directly, so here's my email: bobgrosch@frontiernet.net
re: Cancellation Type: Boston Negative type BOS-32; "negative 11"
thanks so much Bob; this is exactly the sort of addition to the conversation that we need. Great to have you on board, and lovely when a question finds an expert.
David
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"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"
re: Cancellation Type: Boston Negative type BOS-32; "negative 11"
Jere, I'm always eager to share my passion for these cancels and would be happy to post the exhibit, except that it is 80 pages. Don't have time any time soon to scan & post 80 pages, which perhaps the moderator might think is a bit excessive?
I do have an article in the Mass. Postal Research Society newsletter from a couple years ago if I can find it. I'll try. Thanks for the encouragement.
re: Cancellation Type: Boston Negative type BOS-32; "negative 11"
Well, to my surprise I was able to lay my hands on the article, and I tried to attach a scan, but I get this message from Stamorama: "Error Numer 2, "The uploaded file exceeds the MAX_FILE_SIZE directive that was specified in the HTML form, which is 350,000 bites. "
A simple page of text is about 10X the limit of 350,000 bites. Perhaps there is another way to do this? If someone has a solution, maybe you can contact me through the back door: (contact information deleted by Moderator, please use Members Area to ascertain email address. Thanks, bobby1948)
re: Cancellation Type: Boston Negative type BOS-32; "negative 11"
James Cole's "Cancellations and Killers of the Banknote Era 1870-1894" is available on ebay for around 95.00. A used copy can be had on Amazon for around half the price. Another source, when available, is Phil Bansner. Write Phil at phil@philbansner.com
However, the accepted reference work for the cancels that are being discussed here is Blake & Davis.
re: Cancellation Type: Boston Negative type BOS-32; "negative 11"
I should have added that Cole does not cover the Boston Negative Cancels in any detail, if at all. I hurriedly paged through the book and could not find a single example.
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