Far from the least interesting or least important feature of a stamp is
the cancellation mark. Probably the greatest difference to the minds of
many is that of price. Many otherwise valuable stamps are rendered
comparatively worthless by being put "out of sight" behind a blot of ink
and as a rule most stamps are worth more new than used. But the case is
reversed when we consider some of the old German States, where a genuine
used stamp commands a higher price than a new one.
A cancellation mark should be regarded as a badge of honor on a stamp as
showing that it had legitimate use and was therefore worthy of collection
by a philatelist, while on a Seebeck it should show that it had really
reached the country for which it was ostensibly issued. But will it show
any of these things if the present system of canceling to oblige or
deceive continues? By canceling to oblige, I refer to countries whose
stamps are too costly for the ordinary collector and who cancel large
quantities of their stamps and place them on the market in a canceled
condition.
A stamp, which is worth more used than new, is canceled by a private party
with the intention of making a neat profit, it is called "canceled to
deceive." The two classes are plain out-and-out frauds, there being no way
to tell between the genuinely used one and the canceled. Countries which
desire to make money out of the stamp cranks without making issues too
often adopt the cancellation system. But several countries issue stamps
for speculation and then cancel them.
It is all very nice to have the stamps of Guatemala and other countries
priced at a few cents in a canceled condition. But the catalogues call
them used, which is certainly inapplicable to them. If a philatelist
desires only to collect used stamps, and to do so sends to Guatemala
(knowing the character of the emissions of that country priced in the
catalogues as used) and has the entire set placed on a letter and
addressed to himself. Is this same collector over-delighted when he
receives the letter and finds the stamps are canceled, the same as he
could have bought in New York for a dollar or two? I fancy I heard him
praying backward and forward.
Can't you see that the used stamps are a swindle pure and straight? So, if
we wish our stamps to be such, we must buy the unused ones, and nothing
would be gained by the action of these obliging governments. If collectors
desire the stamps at reduced prices, why not have them surcharged "obligers,"
or something of the sort, and not have them confused with the postally
used ones? About the only objection to this is that they would take rank
with reprints, but is not that where they belong? A Seebeck in an unused
condition has no philatelic value, but if we collect only the used ones we
find ourselves in as bad a "hole" as ever, for, in addition to their
Seebeckism, these countries have adopted the cancellation business. This
is exceptionally dangerous, as most of the Seebecks are worth more in a
used condition than unused.
A collector may denounce speculative issues but buy these cancellation
frauds, which, in truth, are also speculative in nature, as they are
issued entirely for the benefit of philatelists. Most of the countries
which issue canceled stamps are very unimportant, and thus endeavor to
increase their income and also oblige the collector, all at one stroke.
The Seebecks, as also many other countries’ cancellations, properly belong
to the "canceled to deceive," as they certainly do deceive. The stamps of
Guatemala, Samoa, North Borneo, and some of Hawaii, Costa Rica, Liberia,
Martinique, Colombian Republic, Montenegro and several others are among
these speculative countries, but it will be observed that they are not
many, as many countries have not heard of this new method of defrauding
collectors, but if collectors continue to buy them because they are cheap
they will soon be as great a nuisance as speculative issues.
Foremost among the "canceled to deceive" come revenues used postally. Many
foreign revenues are worth almost nothing as revenues, but are great
rarities when they have a postal cancellation. Here is where the
counterfeiter does his little part. Many acids are known which will remove
ink, so that it is comparatively easy to remove the pen cancellation, used
on fiscals. Then to have some obliging postmaster cancel it is also an
easy matter, and presto! a change has come to pass and a valueless stamp
is worth several dollars. An experienced philatelist can tell one of these
changelings from a genuine cancellation by some trace of the original ink
being left, but a small collector probably cannot tell them, and therefore
his only course is to buy them of responsible dealers.
The reprints of several countries have been canceled by a "counterfeit
killer," and thus made to appear valuable. This is especially true of
those of Heligoland.
Enormous numbers of remainders of certain countries have been sold, and
thus the unused stamps are rendered common, while the used ones are
scarce. It is in these countries’ stamps that a fraudulently disposed
person has a grand chance, for all he has to do is to make a "killer," and
be-hold! this same "killer" in his hands becomes a magician's wand, for
with it he can make valuable stamps out of cheap ones.
But, after all, we have no right to object to these cancellation frauds if
we collect speculative stamps, for they are all of a class.
GORDON C. CORBALEY
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