Our Society's past president, William Barlow, Jr. , has produced an award-winning exhibit (2008 Indypex GOLD, Napex GOLD, Postmark Society award, and many more) on the history of machine cancels used in Boston, Massachusetts. Most collectors of machine cancels will recognize that Boston was a major center for experimentation with new machines, and study of American flag machines used in this city alone offers an amazing variety. The exhibit goes well beyond the American company and is a useful education for both new and experienced machine cancel collectors. This web page contains text of the exhibit pages created by William Barlow, Jr., and are reproduced and distributed to the public with his permission.
This web page, published by the Machine Cancel Society, contains the text of Frame 6 of the Barlow Boston Machine Cancel History Exhibit.
To see all of the exhibit frame images, go to Frame 6 all exhibit frame images.
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In 1895 or early 1896 Martin Van Buren Ethridge and Henry Waite-respectively the principal inventor and the financial backer of the 'American' cancelling machines-formed a new company with separate offices in Boston. The Imperial Mail Marking Machine Company name may have been considered desirable in expanding the cancelling machine business in Canada. Initial tests of the machines were carried out simultaneously in Boston and Montreal in early 1896. The only products of the Imperial company in the United States were the ornate flag cancels, known as 'involutes.' A fairly wide array of cancels were developed for use in Canada from 1896 to 1900.
The Boston involutes were produced from just two flag dies: one with a spread field and another with an ovate field. The pairing of these two dies with four different dials produced for Imperial machines and Type B and D dials produced for American machines resulted in sixteen recognized varieties, in use from as little as a week to as much as two years. All sixteen varieties are shown here.
Cover from the first day of use of an involute flag, July 9, 1896. Paired with Americans Type D dial, producing a double—dated error. In use: July 9 to July 14, 1896, when the Imperial dial was installed
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From 1896 into early 1897 the same flag die was used with the Imperial year-less dial. Four different dials are distinguished by the presence or absence of a comma after the city name and the shape of the letters in BOSTON.
First dial, comma and similar-size loops in B . In use: July 15 to September 2, 1896
Second dial, comma and smaller top loop in B In use: September 2 to early October, 1896
Third dial, no comma and wide B. In use: October 7 to December 22, 1896
Fourth dial, no comma and narrower letters. In use: January 1 to February 14, 1897
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About February 15, 1897, the bottom of the staff was removed, creating a different 'type' of flag die.
Altered die with fourth Imperial dial. In use: February 15 to end of 1897
Companion to error on Machine A (previous frame), yielding double year dates. In use: November 2 to 8, 1897
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At the beginning of 1898 the year date, which had been an integral part of the flag die, was removed.
Imperial flag die with an American Type B dial for the year date. In use: January 1, 1898, to March 8, 1899
On March 9, 1899 the 'C' was changed to an 'L' by crude re-engraving. In use: to September 11, 1900
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The second Imperial flag die 1nstalled featured a combination of the involute flag and the ovate star arrangement, usually called 'ovate-involutes.' The first three of the four Imperial dials were used With this die.
'14' replaced with a 'C' using third Imperial dial.
In use: December 26 to 31, 1896
Same die with second Imperial dial. In use: October 13 to December 14, 1896
'14' in the diespace and paired with the first Imperial dial. In use: September 2 to October 8, 1896
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The final four varieties of the ovate-involute flag die have a smaller 'C' inserted in the diespace. The machine thereafter was used almost exclusively for third class mail and bulk postal cards.
Bulk postal card quoting feed prices; first Imperial dial. In use: May 24 to July 27, 1897
Third class usage. '97' removed from flag die; American Type B dial. In use: July 27, 1897, to September, 1899, except for brief periods With the two error dials
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Of the few first class usages which exist, the enclosure from the one shown here suggests that this cover was part Of a large commercial mailing, even though first class postage was paid.
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As with other flag dies, mixing the top and bottom halves of different types of dials produced errors.
Top half of American Type B dial with bottom half of Imperial dial. Error lacks the year date.
In use: August 19 to September 14, 1897. Latest recorded date of use
Top half of Imperial dial with bottom half of American Type B dial. No data omitted or duplicated, but regarded as an error. In use: November 11 to December 31, 1897
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For about six weeks prior to introducing their involute flags, the Imperial company ran tets with a seven- bar canceller. The existence of these cancels suggests that three as-yet-unidentified cancels are also Imperial products.
Imperial test cancel. In use: May 25 to July 8, 1896
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Three varieties of a seven-bar canceller are known from Boston in a very few copies with dates ranging from 1896 to 1898. Only two examples are known on first class mail, making precise dating difficult. The seven-bar cancellers are found with three different American dials: a Type D in 1896, and two different Type B dials in 1897 and 1898. While the use of American dials would seem strong evidence that the cancels are products of the American Postal Machines Company, that company never used a seven-bar design. The Imperial seven-bar test canceller leads some to believe that these are Imperial machines, which are known to have accepted American dials. For the time being, the parentage of these cancels is best regarded as undetermined.
The few known copies of the unattributed cancel from 1896 are all third class usages.
Even an approximate usage period is unestablished
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Only two of the varieties with an American Type B dial are known with first class usages. The third class usages, however, are not infrequently seen with a month and day in the dial and only the time of day being omitted.
1897 dates known from several months during the year. Probably intermittent all year.
1898 variety earliest date of use. Latest recorded use January 14, 1898
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As a rule the machines provided by the American Postal Machines Company to the Boston Main Oflice carried a die space for a number or letter. From 1905 to 1920, however, a number of machines without a die space were used in Boston. Most usages were brief--some only days--but a few were on hand for months or even years. Thirty-three such varieties have been identified, and, in View of the rarity of most of them, more may yet be discovered. These machines were probably being tested on live mail before going to smaller offices, and most can be traced to other locations after their brief appearances in Boston. The only other city with a similar record was Washington, D.C., where official testing was clearly involved.
The earliest Boston no-diespace flag recorded. The discovery copy (1973). One other identically-dated copy since found. Machine in Macomb, Illinois by October 5, 1905
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A brief use of a no-diespace flag in Boston was usually followed by life in a succession of smaller post offices. This flag die was in constant use for twenty-seven years. Its very distinctive pattern of stars makes identification of later uses much easier than usual.
October 16, 1908, latest documented use In Boston. In use: portions of September and October 1908
Transferred (top) to Chautauqua, New York (1909 to 1921). Then (middle) to Woodstock, Vermont (1921-1926). Finally (bottom( to Homer City, Pennsylvania (1926 to 1935)
Updated January 30, 2020