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March 31st, 2002 - The Canadian Klussendorf Cancellations, 2nd Edition
Longley Auctions, by Greig Hutton
Available as a printout or as a CD ROM (Microsoft Word Files)
Greig Hutton has written a second edition of his Klussendorf cancellation monograph.
The first (1988) edition had 184 pages, with only two to three pages of text. The
remainder of the book was devoted to individual listings, in detail, of the known
Klussendorf machine cancels, a 41-page listing of their reported time marks, and
an index. The new edition is updated and expanded.
The 40-page introductory has been a table of contents, a foreword, and an excellent
illustrated description of both the canceling machines and the cancellations. The
order dates for each machine are listed. Greig describes the physical features of
the datestamp, how these features limit the number of possible time marks and how
they explained error dates. There is an excellent write up of how International
Peripheral Systems has replaced Klussendorf as a supplier of parts (particularly hubs)
for these machines. The defaced Quebec hub dies are discussed, and there is a scheme
shown for identifying the individual cancels. The postmarks from the three blank towns
(probably made using a spare machine) are described. To end the Introduction, there is
an eight-page section on K slogan cancels.
Next comes the large town cancel section of the book. The format is similar to that
of the first edition: each machine has a third of a page, showing a clean strike
from the machine and listing all the relevant data about it (such facts as the
serial number, the proof date, the earliest and latest known strikes, time marks,
and any comments such as movement of the machine and inverted killers). The entries
are listed alphabetically by province or territory.
The final 18-page section of the book is devoted to K slogan cancels. Each slogan is
listed alphabetically by town. The Coutts listing number is given, along with an
illustration, usage dates and time marks.
The separately published Time Mark Study would, if printed, take hundreds of pages
(over a thousand). It has been published as a cd-rom containing a separate Excel
read-only file for each K machine. I do not have Excel, but the files can be
read adequately using Word. Each entry is a year calendar, with a space for
each day to show the reports of cancels and their time marks. Sundays are shown
as shaded boxes. A page of textual guidance for readers of this publication would
make use of the detail here a little easier, but for those who were members of the
Klussendorf study group, there will be no problem - they will have seen printouts
of the tables in The Klussendorfer.
The preparation and publication of this material is a major effort, and very worthwhile.
There are very few typographical errors in the text. The illustrations are excellent.
Everyone who collects Canadian postmarks should own at least the book. Machine-cancel
collectors will need the Time Mark study. Greig's work shows that there is still allot
of collecting to do with Klussendorfs.
Gray Scrimgeour
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