Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
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Since there has not yet been a response to your question, let me take a stab at it.
This kind of "clock" marking is familiar to those of us who collect U.S. special delivery postal history. It is a means to record the date and time of an event. In the case of the document to which your revenue stamps were originally affixed, I assume it's when a transaction, such as a sale, occurred. The filled-in triangle points to the hour, the long line in the middle points to the minute. Your marking is missing the lower portion which would have shown the month and day of the month (that part of the marking presumably remained on the document to which the stamps were affixed).
In the case of special delivery, post offices were required to record on the envelope when it was received. A number of post offices used devices that stamped the envelope with a clock marking like the one you have. It was not used to cancel stamps and, per postal regulations, was to appear on the back of the special delivery envelope. I understand that this device was manufactured by the Instagraph Corporation and was first employed in the San Francisco post office (perhaps as early as 1885 according to Henry Gobie in his history of U.S. special delivery). Several other post offices used such a device including, most notably, Boston. Further, this device was used by non-postal entities including government offices, hotels, and other businesses (such as stock companies).
Here is an example of a marking on a cover handled by Boston in 1901. Although as noted, regulation specified the marking was to go on the back of the special delivery envelope, Boston invariably put the marking on the front.
Hope this is of some use.
Jim
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Jim
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I must admit that I know next to nothing about US revenue stamps. Based on your question, I assume the use of this clock face device on documentary or other revenue stamps was not at all common. A look at revenue stamps being offered on eBay seems to confirm that this stock company may well be a real outlier in using this device. Your block with this recording marking is really quite stunning, IMHO.
Jim
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08:18:21pm
The only thing I can find is what is on the cancel itself "Commercial Stock Co. 28 Water St." hope somebody can provide information on this cancel?
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re: Clock Face Cancel I.D. Help
Since there has not yet been a response to your question, let me take a stab at it.
This kind of "clock" marking is familiar to those of us who collect U.S. special delivery postal history. It is a means to record the date and time of an event. In the case of the document to which your revenue stamps were originally affixed, I assume it's when a transaction, such as a sale, occurred. The filled-in triangle points to the hour, the long line in the middle points to the minute. Your marking is missing the lower portion which would have shown the month and day of the month (that part of the marking presumably remained on the document to which the stamps were affixed).
In the case of special delivery, post offices were required to record on the envelope when it was received. A number of post offices used devices that stamped the envelope with a clock marking like the one you have. It was not used to cancel stamps and, per postal regulations, was to appear on the back of the special delivery envelope. I understand that this device was manufactured by the Instagraph Corporation and was first employed in the San Francisco post office (perhaps as early as 1885 according to Henry Gobie in his history of U.S. special delivery). Several other post offices used such a device including, most notably, Boston. Further, this device was used by non-postal entities including government offices, hotels, and other businesses (such as stock companies).
Here is an example of a marking on a cover handled by Boston in 1901. Although as noted, regulation specified the marking was to go on the back of the special delivery envelope, Boston invariably put the marking on the front.
Hope this is of some use.
Jim
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re: Clock Face Cancel I.D. Help
I must admit that I know next to nothing about US revenue stamps. Based on your question, I assume the use of this clock face device on documentary or other revenue stamps was not at all common. A look at revenue stamps being offered on eBay seems to confirm that this stock company may well be a real outlier in using this device. Your block with this recording marking is really quite stunning, IMHO.
Jim
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