What is Postally Used???

[kacyds]

Saw the following in my 2007 Classic Specialized Catalog and wondered what was Postally used.  There is a mint value, a used value and a postally used value.

Scratching my head trying to figure this one out.  FYI this is a listing for Danzig.

[kacyds]

This is the stamp in question. I know its not Mint but it is used. But is it postally used?

[alanl]

Postal cancel as compared to a revenue cancel?

[kacyds]

I thought of that, but not sure.

[dcstamps]

Oct 12, 2014 18:07:48 GMT -5 alanl said:

Postal cancel as compared to a revenue cancel?

Postally used is that it was used for actual mail. Typically stamps in Danzig (and many countries) were CTO (cancelled to order) or favor cancelled.  In fact in the 50s and 60s, many stamps were issued with a cancel on it to sell in the philatelic market --- crazy isn't it.

Regarding the Danzig stamp, it is difficult to tell.  I would consider it CTO, as it is well centered.

But .......

[kacyds]

Thanks Michael, that makes sense....

[Butterfly]

I looked on eBay at some covers, and the cancel seemed genuine in that it had the same or similar format, and also some of the cover cancels were heavy sotns.
It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall viewing the procedures and backup documentation of a Danzig postmark certification expert.

[rayb]

I agree that Postally Used generally means something that is not Cancelled to Order and not Cancelled by Favour. Some people would also exclude Philatelic covers, but in that case I prefer the term Commercially Used rather than Postally Used.

It is impossible to be absolutely dogmatic about this but generally speaking CtO and CbF covers are likely to be cancelled on the same date; and that date is almost invariably either the first day of issue or very early in the life of the stamp. Your stamp was first overprinted in 1922 and the date of cancellation, though hard to read, appears to be some time in 1924. If that is so, I would be amazed if it were CtO. In my experience surcharged stamps are not often CtOed at any time.

[khj]

I'm 95+% certain your stamp is genuine postally used (my non-expert opinion). Most of my uncertainty is over whether it really went through the postal system or was favor-cancelled, because it very difficult to distinguish once the stamp is soaked off cover.

[kacyds]

Here is a cover that I found on ebay with the same stamp and cancel....

[kacyds]

The date on the cover above is August 17, 1922. The date on the stamp I showed above is one day before, August 16, 1922.

[khj]

If you look at the back of your stamp, you should be able to see that the cancel has actually bled through the back of the stamp. For this particular issue, that is a good indication of the correct type of ink on common postal cancels of that time period. Fake pre-dated cancels made with genuine cancelling devices abound. One of the tricks is to examine the ink.

[khj]

At the risk of eating crow, kacyds if you have time can you take a pic of the back of stamp? Of course, knowing my luck, it will probably turn out to be white as snow.

[kacyds]

I sure can, but it wont be tonight. To lazy to get off the couch.....