The Machine Cancel Society past vice-president, Tony Crumbley, has produced an award-winning exhibit on the history of the introduction of machine cancels in the state of North Carolina. This exhibit covers the years 1898 to 1925. A variety of machine brands were used during that time period, including American flag, Doremus, Time-Cummins, Columbia, Barr-Fyke, Hampden, International and Universal. The presence of this variety of machine cancellations provides an excellent overview of these machines. This web page contains images of the exhibit pages created by Tony Crumbley, 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 Crumbley's North Carolina Machine Cancel Exhibit.
To see all of the exhibit frame images, go to Frame 6 all exhibit frame images.
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The unique feature of the Time marking machine was a clock operate wheel that automatically printed the exact time to the minute. Unfortunately, it appears that the clock may have been the downfall of the machine. After a short period, the clockwork was allowed to remain inoperative.
It is difficult to determine the difference between Time markings and Cummins markings. It is believed that those types prior to 1912 are time markings and those that appear in 1912 and later are Cummins. It is thought the Cummins Company stopped making machines in 1913. These markings are reported used as late as 1940 and in North Carolina as late as 1921. Six North Carolina cities used Time- Cummins machines.
Type E postmark, Type 121 7 bar straight line cancel. The earliest known use in North Carolina. Last used in 1921.
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Type F postmark, Type 131 cancel. Used from 1912 until 1915.
Type Fa postmark, Type 131 cancel. Two lines of type for town name. Only recorded example of marking.
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Type F postmark, Type 131 cancel. Known used as late as 1917.
Type Fa postmark, Type 131 cancel. Only recorded example of this marking. Used as receiving marking.
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Type E postmark, Type 121 cancel. Used as a receiving marking in Newton.
Type F postmark, Type 131, 7 bar cancel with date included. Only recorded example of Dunn marking.
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Type DT postmark, Type 300, 6 bar wavy cancel. Used in Charlotte from 1919 until 1962.
Type DT postmark, Type 300, 6 bar wavy cancel.
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Type BT postmark, Type 300, 6 bar wavy line cancel.
Type BT postmark, Type 300, 6 bar wavy line cancel. Used in Raleigh from 1918 through September of 1919.
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Type DT postmark, Type 300, 6 bar wavy cancel. Used in Winston Salem from 1917 until 1919.
Type DT postmark, Type 300, 6 bar wavy line cancel. The latest known use of this machine in Winston Salem.
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Type BT 400 postmark, Pisgah National Forest slogan cancel. North Carolina’s first slogan cancel. One of only six cities to have slogan cancels. Recorded used March 1920 until October 1921.
Type DSB postmark, Type 300 6 bar cancel. Only two recorded examples of this military base cancel.
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Type BTB 200 October 6, 1917 7 wavy line cancel 23 MM Dial Three known covers survive
Type DSB 300 December 8, 1917 20 MM Dial
Type DSB 300 December 22, 1917 6 wavy line cancel
On July 23, 1917 work began on a military camp in Charlotte that would house 60,000 troops. The base latest until World War I ended and was finally closed March 15, 1919. During that time, two Universal cancels were used. Post office operated August 3, 1917 until March 15, 1919. This machine was electric.
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Type J rectilinear dial, Type 6 P cancel. Six bars in pairs. Used from October 1908 until August 1910.
Type J rectilinear dial, Type 6 P cancel. Note date slug was left off this canceling machine.
Updated February 17, 2020