Jersey/Guernsey/Glasgow cancels on HV

British postmarks of all kinds and eras.
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Brunswickstar
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Joined: Fri Jan 08, 2021 9:18 am

Jersey/Guernsey/Glasgow cancels on HV

Post by Brunswickstar »

Hi guys,
Something I feel I should know but don’t. I’m currently looking to buy a £1 green seahorse, and have noticed that there is a large number of Channel Islands and Glasgow cancels on this and other high vials such as the £5 orange, 1883 £1 and the KEVII £1 green.
Why the plethora? We’re they postally used or tax payment etc.
Thanks in advance
Mark
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admin
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Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2007 12:00 am

Re: Jersey/Guernsey/Glasgow cancels on HV

Post by admin »

Very few 10s-and-above high values were actually used postally before the 1920s/30s and high airmail rates. The typical 19th century use was on internal accounting documents for postage due, which I think continued as a system up to 1914 when postage due labels were introduced. That's why you get such a high proportion of high values with nice cds postmarks.

You also get high values used to pay various non-postal revenue fees. The Channel Islands ones in particular are a sort of postal-adjacent use -- they could be used to pay import duties on packets of tobacco etc sent from there to the UK, and there were special parcel labels with spaces for the stamps for this. Some of the Glasgow uses are apparently to pay whisky revenue duties (others are the postage due accounts etc).

To get an idea of the possibilities. a couple of displays in the displays section are well worth a look:

High Values QV to QEII -- Max Melrose

The £5 Orange -- John Horsey
Brunswickstar
Posts: 16
Joined: Fri Jan 08, 2021 9:18 am

Re: Jersey/Guernsey/Glasgow cancels on HV

Post by Brunswickstar »

Brilliant, thank you. And I wondered why the heavy dirty parcel post copies which are considerably obliterated, still command premium prices, unlike lower values. Obviously postally used and scarcer.
Thanks again
Mark
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admin
Site Admin
Posts: 139
Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2007 12:00 am

Re: Jersey/Guernsey/Glasgow cancels on HV

Post by admin »

No problem. Another major use I forgot to mention was on telegraph forms -- again usually cancelled with a nice cds. They were supposed to be destroyed, like the internal forms, but a lot of stamps torn from them did "leak" out to the trade. They're the source of a lot of the nice cds cancels on surface printed stamps too (especially from around 1872 -- one big supply was found dating from then).
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