Table of Contents (click to open/close)

Table of Contents

All Document Indexes	Columbia, Blown Sky-High
Introduction	Valley Forge
A Triple Philatelic Cover	The Ubiquitous HD2
From the Beginning, Reporting Machine Cancel Jewels	Christmas 1974 Precancel Self Adhesive on Cover, by A J Savakis
Flags in Canceling Devices (1920-1929), The West's Last Great Train Robbery	DVD in Dial Explained
Non Postal Use of Machine, RECEIVED IN DAILY MAIL GROUP

A Triple Philatelic Cover

Flag Cancel Cover

This interesting flag cancel cover, provided by Bob Payne, is postmarked Berne, Indiana, November 13, 1935. The first hint of it being a philatelic creation is the use of a plate block of 8. Look carefully at the plate number. It is not in the corner! The 1997-98 Durland Standard Plate Number Catalog published by the Bureau Issues Associates (BIA) describes this as an Experimental-Eye Plate.

The first two of these plates, made their appearance early in February 1935; the others went to press between March 1935 and January 1938. By June 1940 all had been cancelled. This issue has special importance since it is Eye Printing No. 1, the forerunner of all Electric-Eye issues. Because of the unusual position for a rotary-press plate number (3-up or 3-down from the corner of the sheet), collectors were at a loss to know what size pieces to take. Today, position collectors want to show the corner sheet margins. In order to do this, a block of 6 is the minimum requirement. This size has chopped-off appearance and is not popular, but a vertical block of 10 is well balanced and desirable in all respects.

The block of 8 used on the cover meets the airmail-special delivery rate (6¢+10¢) for a domestic cover. Why was the strip used?

It could be the collector realized that a strip of 10 was more balanced than a strip of 8, purchased a strip of 10 for his or her collection, and used the earlier strip on mail.

Another BIA publication, Plate Number Checklist Plates 20000-41303 Revised 1990 has some other interesting information. With regards to plate number 21420, the Bureau of Engraving certified the plate on August 8, 1935, and sent it off to press on August 22, 1935, until cancelled on August 4, 1936. BIA reports 491,730 impressions of the 400 subject plate.

Could this be an attempt to document the first day of this plate at Bernie, Indiana?

The backstamps on this cover are very interesting, and by themselves make it a desirable philatelic cover.

CANCEL ITEM	DATE	TIME/TRAIN	IDENTIFICATION
1	NOV 13	TR503	MACK[inaw ?] & RI[chmond?] S.D. / RPO
2	NOV 13	28	PITTS & CHI / RPO
3	NOV 14	TR 0005	NY & PT PLEAST [Pt Pleasant, Ohio?] / RPO
4	NOV 14	1 AM	AIR MAIL FIELD / CLEVELAND, OHIO
5	NOV 14	6 AM	?? NEWARK / RMS
6	NOV 14	1 PM	MONMOUTH BEACH / N.J.

With the help of Jim Mehrer's Abbreviations and Misspellings in United States Railway Post Office Postmarks, the handcancel abbreviations were deciphered.

What a terrific flag cancel cover, airmail that did not reach an airport until one state to the east at Cleveland, Ohio. It's a cover that could be displayed in a RPO collection, a flag cancel collection, or a plate block collection.

Thank you, Bob, for sharing it with us!

Other Links

MCS 1999 Forum Articles Summary and Links

MCS 1999 Forum Subject Index

Machine Cancel Society Publications Page

Main Machine Cancel Society Page

Boilerplate

Page Layout Design Made Possible by: water css.

Webpage design by The Swanson Group

Top

12/16/24, 3:13 PM