While browsing Stamp Guides and Reviews there was not a single article about precancels.  While writing this beginners guide, it became clear to me that more information was necessary to truly capture the scope of this "complex" yet wonderful branch of philately.  My goal here is to balance the basics of collecting and still not be too lengthy.  Precancel collecting has been popular for as long as precancel stamps have been made.

What are Precancels?

Precancels are stamps that are canceled before being sold and mailed on letters in bulk.  They are most often small regular issue definitives with black lines and a city or inscription between the lines and they are not usually tagged.  In general, precancels are considered to be used stamps since they are canceled.  The only difference between a normal used stamp and a precanceled stamp is the time when the stamp was canceled, which is (usually automatically) after being mailed. 

Precancels can also be found on postage due stamps, parcel post, parcel post dues, airmails, and special delivery stamps.  They are not just in the US, but also found in many other countries like Canada, Belgium, France and Monaco.

History

In the middle of the 19th century local postal clerks made the first precancels.  While bulk mailing was not in vogue, the clerk during his/her spare time would precancel stamps with a line or ???.  When someone wanted a stamp for a letter, the clerk would put the precancel stamp on the letter and thus not have to cancel it.  This also saved time if someone had many mail pieces.  Names started to appear on the precancels in the latter part of the 19th century.

Over a century ago, time was (and still is) money.  Bulk mailers today pay a fraction of cost of the first-class letter rate.  Precancel-use started this trend by speeding up the way letters were prepared for mailing. The savings was then passed on to the mailer who would affix the precancelled stamps and deliver the letters ready to be sorted to the post office.

The adjusted mailing cost has been dependent upon the size of the mailing and other factors.  Larger mailings = larger incentives.  Non-profit organizations are able to mail for even lower fees.

For postage dues, the local post office would precancel these stamps for when someone owed postage due for a single piece or many business reply envelopes.  The postage due stamps could be applied to the piece when the payment was made and no further cancellation needed.  During the industrial era, changes in society forced businesses to even further increase mail output.  The end result was the automation of printing precancels by a government agency called the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP).

Types of Precancels

There are two main types of precancels: Bureau type and local type.

Bureau Precancels

Stamps that were canceled during production are Bureau precancels since they were printed and canceled by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.  This was first tested in 1916 and has since been streamlined using modern printing techniques.  Until recently, the BEP in Washington has been the primary printer of all postage stamps.  We now use private contractors to print postage stamps. 

With government printing, Bureau precancels were now made on the grand scale.  The minimum order was 500,000 stamps.  Larger runs could be in the millions!  Furthermore, a given precancel could be repeatedly ordered and back to press multiple times.   Precancel collectors call them Bureaus or Buros for short.

These large quantities naturally led to uniformity.  The ink and lines are usually clear and straight and free from production issues.  They have a certain look that becomes easy to distinguish with practice.

Bureau collectors frequently develop a specific collection of bureau issues (about 9500 stamps).  The vast majority of these stamps are inexpensive.

Local Precancels

Stamps that are precancelled at the post office are Local precancels.  Often they are put on the stamp using a rubber stamp and inkpad.  Locals can also be printed by contracting with local printers for larger quantities a sheet at a time.

Local collectors tend to collect a specific state or region.  Some under take the task of a general collection from all over the country, but there are literally hundreds of thousands of local precancels!  Local stamping has given rise to unlimited variation since they all are canceled by hand and can be put on any stamp.  Earlier locals are usually found on regular issue stamps called regulars.

Finding locals can be a challenge.  Local stamping might cause crooked strikes, faint inking, over inking, inverted inscriptions, split inscription and other interesting human touches.  Locals can also be quite stunning and unique!

The inscription on a local is usually the city and state where they were canceled.  Even the same city can have a variety of different cancellations so collectors use a catalogue to keep track.

Precancel Condition

As with all stamps the values of precancels are often dependant upon condition.   It is wise to strive for stamps that are free from tears, thins and designs that are clear of the perforations. At times, this leaves little margin for error (literally).

Good

This is a sound PC stamp with 4 margins and no extra markings or damage.

Not Good

These stamps have issues.  Sometimes you take what you can get until an upgrade is available.

Rahway local has poor centering.  The design is into the perforations on 2 edges.

New York bureau is clipped probably with scissors when taken from envelope.

Chicago bureau has color bleed from the brown wrapper it was on changing the stamp color.

Clifton electroplate has nibbled (and missing) perfs at top and centering at bottom.

Collecting Format

Precancels are collected in all imaginable ways.   Below are a few of the most popular formats.

Singles

One stamp with a precancel overprint.

Blocks

A group of four connected precancels.

Plate Blocks

A block of at least 4 with margins and a plate number.

Coil Pairs

Pairs are collected as 2 stamps attached with the PC inscription running through the stamps.

Gap Pairs

Two coil stamps with breaks in the precancel lines.

Line Pairs

A precancel coil pair with joint line running between them.

Specialized and Longer Strips

Some connoisseurs collect combination line gap pairs and longer strips of 6, 10, and more.  This is a combination line gap strip of 6.

Help with Collecting

A million different stamps and overprints might overwhelm even the staunchest collector.  Fortunately there are collaborative works available to make sense of the madness.

Precancel Stamp Society

The very best precancel catalogues are by the Precancel Stamps Society.  The society established in 1912 has about 900 members worldwide!  They offer separate books for Bureaus and for Locals.  The 3-ring books contain a complete listing of all know stamp-types and precancel overprints.  This is a typical page (copied for educational purposes only).  Each page lists the stamps first by state, then by city, and then by Scott number.  Handy diagrams of the overprint types are added to every page. The prices are for sound stamps as singles (left) and pairs or blocks for the right column.

The catalogues are regularly updated and reprinted when new information is available and can be purchased at the PSS website.  The Society also publishes a large number of other books including precancel specialties like the black Hardings (Scott 610-12), Washington Bicentennials, dated precancels, and silent precancels!

Precancels appeal to me because of their endless variety.  I enjoy searching. The market is very stable so I use an older edition whenever I come across a homeless grouping of precancels.  I feel like a kid hoping that the next one will turn out to be a rarity or fill that spot I need.

Some of the listings are quite scarce with values worth hundreds, even thousands of dollars!  This is often based on nothing more than small differences in type or city. Precancels can also be faked so prepare yourself with knowledge. 

The Future?

Bureau city-type Precancels are gone, but can still be made at local post offices if you can find a friendly window clerk.  This change was due to increased mailing efficiency and modern global thinking.  They were replaced briefly by National precancels with lines only that could be used at any city.

The great Transportation Issues from the 1980s and on bridged the transition from the old style precancels to the new.

We now have Service Inscribed precancels that indicate the specific usage right on the stamp.  The inscriptions are included into the design not over it.  These are bureaus of a sort since the inscription is added during the printing process.  The American Scenes and American Design series are the modern counterpart to the black bars of yore.

A recent eBay search for precan* yielded nearly 1500 listings and eBay store items related to precancel stamps.  A search for the exact word precancel showed hundreds less.  This means that you could be missing the very best items.

Tip!   Use the asterisk * (called a wildcard) to improve your search.   This will find all items that start with these letters but end differently. 

For example, precan* will show all of these:

Precancel

Precancelllls

Precanceled

Precansell

Precancellation

Precanceling

Precanzilled

Etc.

Asterisks * are great for overcoming spelling issues and occasionally you find something that nobody else does!

Some sell collections and accumulations that are already sorted by City and Catalogue number.

Other sell individual precancel stamps if you are looking for certain ones and don't want duplication.

You can also find huge piles of (presumably) unsorted singles blocks on and off paper.  These are my favorite!

Happy Hunting!

I am not a member of the PSS, but they have a great website with everything that you need to know to get started.   Precancel Stamp Society can be found through a standard Internet search.

I hope this guide is helpful.

I wish to acknowledge the assistance of Herman Axelrod for his invaluable help with this guide.

Thanks for looking!

-TBR

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