2015 dumb cancel

British postmarks of all kinds and eras.
Post Reply
Mike Jackson
Site Admin
Posts: 107
Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2007 6:00 pm

2015 dumb cancel

Post by Mike Jackson »

This arrived today. Instead of being pen-cancelled, the stamps appear to have been handstamped. Is this cancel old, new, or is it a pen cancel made with a five-nibbed pen?! Best wishes, Mike
Attachments
wavey_cancel_cover.jpg
wavey_cancel_detail.jpg
User avatar
mozzerb
Site Admin
Posts: 114
Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2008 6:00 pm

Re: 2015 dumb cancel

Post by mozzerb »

I've been wondering about those too -- as it happens, George King explained them at the break during a PSS meeting on Saturday. :)

The gist of it is that postmen/women have been told to cancel stamps left uncancelled, and to do it using a cheap self-inking cancel of this type with five wavy bars. Apparently they are available in a bin at the sorting office, and they just pick one out and discard it when it runs out of ink.

Ed Caesley managed to get hold of a couple and sent one to the British Postmark Society to illustrate. If anyone has a copy of their October journal, perhaps they could copy the page(s)?
Regards
Maurice Buxton
Post Reply