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About the Hobby of Philately (Stamp Collecting)
Types of Collections: Special and
Fancy Cancels
Special Cancels are hand stamped cancels
produced at local post offices and are used to commemorate events,
places and dates that relate to the stamp image. Illustrated
below are 3 Special Cancels of the 1994 Buffalo soldiers Issue.
Fort Concho Cancel
Fort Huachuca
Fort Leavenworth
During the nineteenth century, (1847-1899) cancellations
were hand-stamped at local post offices. Another type of cancellation
collection consists of the various hand stamp designs used by the
local postmasters of the time. These cancels are known as Fancy
Cancels. Illustrated on the left is a Fancy Cancel
consisting of a shield design. Many Fancy Cancels of this era
are rare and can be quite expensive.
