Cancellations

Reposing under the glass top of a stamp dealer's coun-ter was a "cover" bearing an ordinary three-cent stampissued by the United States in 1869. Almost every col-lector will at once know the stamp we are talking about—it is ultramarine in color and bears a picture of an old-time locomotive.

Such a stamp in itself is not valuable. One may bepurchased in used condition for as little as fifty cents —perhaps even less.

This particular stamp was unusual because it had beencanceled by a picture of a running chicken. Such fancycancellations were made by postal clerks who had timeon their hands to fashion on the ends of bottle corksvarious designs with which to cancel the mail passingthrough their hands. Collectors greatly prize these fancycancellations, and the cover in the dealer's counter waspriced at $10.00—a high price without doubt and thecover remained under the counter for many months be-