The duplex cancellation device



A duplex cancel was a hand stamp used to cancel postage stamps and imprint a dated postmark applied simultaneously with the one device. The device had a steel die, generally circular, which printed the location of the cancel, together with the time and date of cancel. This die was held in place by a handle with an obliteration marker, often oval shaped, off to the right side that was applied over the postage stamp to prevent its reuse. The ink came from an ink pad.

In the United States, they were first used in the 1860s and use continued into the 1940s. Before this the envelope had to be hit twice, once with the Circular Date Stamp (or C.D.S.) and again with the cork obliterator. Some "corks" were finely crafted into some outright beautiful designs and are now faithfully collected by specialists on the matter. These are referred to as fancy cancels. It should be noted that some machine cancelling devices, like the French Daguin machine or the Italian Dani Machine, also applied both the "killer" and the date stamp simultaneously but that's another topic entirely.



more on this subject later. Feel free to add anything to this as these are just my research from this morning.

Here is a great pdf file of different cancellation devices including the duplex cancel.
http://www.hamiltonphilatelic.org/presentations/postmarks.pdf

here is a little more on the subject of cancellation devices from Linn's Stamp News:

http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/postmarks_19990510/refreshercourse.aspx

http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/20110815/refreshercourse.aspx

great info thank you..


you know the more you all post the smarter i gget and i kinda like that LOL

Great! I'm proud to be part of StampBears and I'm glad you like the info. I'm usually very curious about everything so I tend to research it all and come up with some great info that I have to share so I'm glad there is some interest.

"some interest" implies a small amount... i assure you that your posts have generated quite a lot of conversation and interests sir..

If you like neat posts like this you should read about the 24 cent Winfield Scott and the letters back and forth between the BEP and the postmaster general (I believe it was) I just posted it a few hours ago and only one comment so far...I found that odd because it's so interesting. It's about the fading purple color on them...

i been dead busy brother and to be honest i am not used to so much great activity LOL .. i will try to read it pending a crisis i am waiting on here ...

I didn't mean you just in general..lol

Anyways here is a GREAT book on this whole subject of cancellations and duplexes.

http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1eeyk/ACatalogueofNonstand/resources/3.htm

me too actually! A friend of mine just recently pointed that e-book out to me and I'm just thrilled about it! lol

Jay, some great info there. Thanks. A couple of times, I have seen some of those hand cancellation devices on auction sites. They bring in a pretty penny. It would be a neat part of history to own one.

I am set to bid on one next month actually. They are awesome!

Major pic storm on the device from every conceivable angle if you come into ownership of that thing would be all but expected I hope you realize.

Most definitely my good sir!