For many years I was fortunate to have access to the mail of a fairly large internet company in northern New York. I was really only looking for used modern commemoratives which I would soak off and sell to fellow stamp club members. By 2014 I had decided to stop asking for the mail since there were hardly any commemoratives on the mail anymore.
Of course, I would also keep my eye out for unusual cancels. I call these unusual since it's more difficult to find hand cancels on mail because most mail is cancelled at local processing centers with their machine cancels.
The 2005 example was mail that had become creased in the machine canceler and was caught by a postal worker and hand canceled. The 2010 example probably began its life in West Chazy as evidenced by the "12992" Zip in the computer vended postage. The cancel is from Plattsburgh 12901.
It looks like the Plattsburgh Sectional Center decided against running the mailing through the machine and used this unusual rimless hand cancel. A nice example of modern commercial postal history made by a stamp related organization.
Perhaps the most unusual item I found in my years of accumulating mail was this item from my hometown. I collected the mailing about once a month early in the month. Of course, the material sat around for a few days until I could find the time to sort it all. Imagine my surprise when I saw this hand cancel from the Westport post office which is just 2 blocks from my house.
The next day I went into the post office and asked about the cancel. The postmaster told me that he had ordered a new hand cancel at the beginning of the year and when it arrived he discovered it wasn't exactly what he had ordered. He used the cancel for a day or so and then decided to return it for a cancel with a rim. This may be the only example know.
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