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Ongoing Projects Of TheThe U S Cancellation Club |
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Ongoing Projects Of TheThe U S Cancellation Club |
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The USCC engages in research projects dealing with US Cancellations.
Currently in the works are:
Boston “Large Negative” Cancels, 1878-1883
Probably the most distinctive cancels used during the Banknote Era are what collectors call the Boston large negatives which were employed in the Boston, MA post office from May 1878 through December 1883. The USCC is making an extensive study of these cancels. This project identifies and documents the many different designs employed and their dates of use. It also examines the use of this style of cancel by post offices other than Boston. Further, some particularly noteworthy covers bearing these cancels are presented and discussed. Four progress reports have been published and new data continues to be reported. This is an area where there is much yet to be discovered and understood.
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Boston "Large Negative" Cancel |
“Wheel of Fortune” Cancels
Under the impetus and overall leadership of Arthur Beane, the USCC is conducting a census of wheel-of-fortune cancels which were used primarily in the 1880s but had a much longer run. More than 1,000 post offices employed, at least briefly, cancelers that struck this very intricate and attractive design. Data being collected for each post office includes date(s) seen, ink color(s), whether the cancel was or was not duplexed, and descriptions of the accompanying postmark. This study began in 2005 and it is expected that a report will be published in 2010 or 2011. In addition to census data, the report will illustrate various covers and provide brief information on the handstamp supplier and on the canceler itself. This will be the first extensive report on this very popular and often seen cancellation.
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Wheel |
Wesson “Time on Bottom” Cancels
Walter D Wesson patented and produced handstamps with a distinctive design in the postmark that showed the time in a straight line at the bottom. At least 28 post offices (including Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago) and two railway post offices used Wesson handstamps. The first extensive report of these cancels appeared in the U.S. Cancellation Club News in a 10-part series from 1982-84. An updated version was compiled by Russ Hamner and published in 1990 as Volume 5 of the La Posta monograph series. Since then, Ralph Edson and Gilbert Levere have accumulated many pieces of new information with the help of numerous collectors, both within and outside the USCC. They developed a new reporting format that provides a very large number of illustrations of actual cancels. This report will be published in 2010 and provide an extensive update of the 1990 monograph.
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Wesson Time-On-Bottom (TOB) |
Cancellations Found on 19th Century US Stamps
by Kenneth A Whitfield
The USCC published in 2002 this major reference on early US cancellations. It includes more than 6,000 tracings of obliterators plus nearly 1,000 tracings of town postmarks and miscellaneous postal markings. The tracings were made in the 1940s and 1950s by the author (primarily) but not published at that time. This “book,” which is housed in a 3-hole binder, represents a valuable and very popular addition to the two standard references in the field – United States Cancellations 1845-1869 by Hubert Skinner and Amos Eno and Cancellations and Killers of the Banknote Era 1870-1894 by James Cole. The Whitfield book is made available to USCC members at periodic intervals. Underway now is a project to update it, largely by providing new information about the listed cancels, such as post office of origin (where not already provided), ink colors, dates of use, stamps upon which found, etc. It is expected that this project, which will involve a reissue of the entire book, will be completed in 2012.
If you have any information whatsoever that could be of assistance to any of the Research Projects noted above, please contact:
Roger Curran - Editor - USCC NEWS
20 University Ave
Lewisburg, PA 17837 USA
Please Note: You do not have to be a member of the USCC to submit information for publication in the USCC NEWS.
You will, however, be given publication credits for your articles and information.
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