ROLLER CANCELLATIONS - DOES ANYBODY COLLECT THEM?

[Ross Ewington]

This postmark was applied "per favour" by a roller canceller at Devonport in 1979. It's a very useful example
as it shows one full rotation of the canceller's wheel.
[attachment=0]devonport roller cancel.jpg[/attachment]

Do any TPS BB members collect this type of Tasmanian cancellation?
Is there any information on them available in print .... a classification of types for example?

I think roller cancellations are in a bit of a "blind spot" in regard to the study of Tasmanian postmarks and this new
forum will hopefully initiate some interest and research.

Please join in, even if you only have one example to share!

[Colin Salt]

Hi Ross,

You have prompted me to look at one of the many 'projects' I am saving up for my old age. (If I ever get them all done I will probably be celebrating my 150th birthday!) In recent years I have been accumulating roller cancels across all States and I will post what I have of Tasmanian interest over the next week or so.

A couple of comments first of all, I find that commercial examples are often short, being used to cancel the stamp only and the nature of the surface on which they are used is not conducive to A1 strikes. Secondly the date is often difficult to read, possibly due to lack of pressure on the part of the operator.

I will start with a page showing the Devonport example recorded in your post. This is on an album page which I beleive was at one time the property of Peter Edwards and the write-up is his. He heads the page Type 9 and as I work through the other material I have the significance of the type may become apparent.

[Colin Salt]

Herewith BURNIE, two types.

[Colin Salt]

I show type 9 (Edwards numbering) for Glenorchy, Moonah and Rosny Park.

[Ross Ewington]

thanks Colin for your excellent contribution to date.

Do you have any information about the criteria that Paul Edwards used to classify each roller cancel?
John Hardinge has included roller cancels in his unpublished update of "Avery & Hardinge" but
has not used Edward's types but instead tied them to the various types of cds postmarks e.g. TAS = Type 4,
TAS-AUST = Type 5, TAS + postcode = Type 6, etc. For simplicity, I support this approach to assigning "types"
to these cancellations but it would be interesting to check out Paul's method of classification.

John may like to add his thoughts to this topic at some stage.

Just cleaning off my desk today and found these nice examples from Launceston and Hobart.

launceston roller 1.jpg (35.68 KiB) Viewed 26998 times

hobart roller 1.jpg (31.57 KiB) Viewed 26998 times

[Colin Salt]

Hi Ross,

So far I have done the easy ones. Launceston and Hobart (particularly) need some work before I can upload them.

Meanwhile I have established the type system used by Peter Edwards and illustrations follow except for a type 8 which does not appear in any of the pages
in my possession. Probably some of his material was sold elsewhere.

Curiously I have not seen a singe PAID roller from a Tasmanian post office - they crop up quite frequently from mainland States.

Hobart and Launceston info to follow shortly.

An illustration of Glenorchy type 9 dated 20 DEC 90 appeared in The Courier No 13, 1991.

The first six types follow and the remainder are on a separate post.

[Colin Salt]

Herewith the remainder.

[Colin Salt]

Hi Ross,

Having posted the images I will, over the next few days post the notes made by Peter Edwards about each type. The early and late dates noted are his, updated by my own specimens. If images are required please ask although I should warn that many are partial and over stamps making the detail hard to interpret from scans.

Type 1.

Pattern 25.5mm wide, 90mm long. Contains three adjacent rectangles containing data, 33mm long. Balance of pattern 7 parallell lines.

First rectangle contains : HOBART
Second rectangle contains: TIME AND DATE
Third rectangle contains: TAS. PLUS NUMBER (1 TO 7)

Sub-type Number Early year Late year No. seen. Tentative rarity (complete strikes)
(a) 1 1945 (only year) 1 RRRR
(b) 2 1945 1947 3 RRRR
(c) 3 1936 1941 3 RRRR
(d) 4 1936 1949 5 RRR
(e) 5 1933 1938 4 RRRR
(f) 6 1957 1969 2 RRRR
(g) 7 1942 1955 10 RR

Strikes of any kind are rare and full strikes showing the complete pattern are quite scarce.

[Colin Salt]

Re previous post.

To my horror, the tabulation, carefully set, out has become condensed when posted. I think it still makes sense with careful reading, but if not ask and I will try again.

[John Hardinge]

THese are interesting in their own way. Hard to get complete strikes and, to be honest, they were very little used-can't really understanf why they were issued.

Using these types Type 4 Tas, Type 5 Tas Aust, TYpe 6 Tas-Postcode I have seen the following:

Bellerive Type 6
Burnie Type 5, Type 6
Devonport Type 6
Glenorchy TYpe 6
Hobart Bathurst St Type 6
Moonah Type 6
Rosny Park TYpe 6
Sandy Bay TYpe 6

Various Launceston Type TYpe 5, 5(s) and 6

Various Hobart TYpes Type 4, Type 5 and TYpe 6

Hobart and Launceston need more research. If anyone has any more info on other offices outside of those listed above that would be interested to hear of it.

[Colin Salt]

[Herewith the Peter Edwards comments regarding type 2.

Pattern - As for type 1.
First Rectangle contains HOBART.
Second rectangle contains Time and date
Third rectangle contains TAS.

Early year 1951
Late year 1954
Number seen 7

Tentative rarity for complete strikes RRRR

[Colin Salt]

Type 3. The Edwards comments are as follows:

I have not seen a full cancellation but have deduced the length from part cancels.

As for Hobart type 1 & contains three adjacent rectangles containing data and totalling 34mm or 36mm in two of the sub types seen. Balance of pattern consists of 7 parallel lines.

First rectangle contains: LAUNCESTON with numeral under the "E"
Second rectangle contains: Time & date.
Third rectangle contains: TAS-AUST

Sub-type......number..........early date..........late date........number seen.
(a)...............1.................1945..................1948................6
(b)...............2.................1947..................1950................5
(c)...............3.................not seen
(d)...............4................1940's by stamps..........................2 (part)

Data rectangles total 34mm
Date and time rectangle 12mm
Small dash between TAS & AUST - about 1mm.

Tentative rarity Complete Strikes RRRR

[Colin Salt]

Type 4 as per Peter Edwards.

Pattern 25.5mm wide, 90mm long. Contains three adjacent rectangles containing Data, 38 mm long. Balance of pattern 7 parallel lines.

First rectangle contains: .........Hobart
Second rectangle contains: ......Time & date
Third rectangle contains: ........TAS-AUST

Early year 1966. Late year 1984. No. seen 8

Note. No rarity grading stated for this type.

[Colin Salt]

For type 5 see the earlier posting for Burnie.

Type 6a.

Pattern. 90mm x 26.5 mm wide.

i....Three adjacent rectangles .......... 36mm long ... (HOBART 1.
.................................................................(Time & date
.................................................................(TAS-AUST
II. Strip of 7 parallel lines ................17mm long
iii. Two adjacent rectangles............. 22mm long .... (HOBART - 1
.......................................................... .... (TAS-AUST
iv. Strip of 7 parallel lines ...............15mm long.

Letters of HOBART are 3mm high.

Used 1959(?) - 1961

Tentative rarity. Complete strikes RRRR.

Type 6b.Pattern 90mm x 26.5mm wide

i....Three adjacent rectangles...36mm long....(HOBART 2
.......................................................(Time & date
.......................................................(TAS-AUST
ii...A strip of 7 parallel lines.....15mm long
iii..Two adjacent rectangles.....22mm long....(HOBART 2
.......................................................(TAS-AUST
iv...A strip of 7 parallel lines.....17mm long...

Letters of HOBART are 2.5mm high.

Used 1971/1981.

Tentative rarity. Complete strikes RRR

[Colin Salt]

Type 7.

Pattern. 90mm x 26.5mm wide.

i. Three adjacent rectangles 35mm long....(G.P.O.
.................................................. HOBART
................................................... (Time & date
....................................................(TAS-AUST
ii. Strip of 7 parallel lines.....17mm long.
iii.Two adjacent rectangles...21mm long... (G.P.O.
....................................................HOBART.
....................................................(TAS-AUST
iv. Strip of 7 parallel lines....17mm long.

Only date 25.6.1974.

Tentative rarity complete strikes RRR

[Colin Salt]

Type 9(a).

Pattern 90mm x 27mm wide.

i....Three adjacent rectangles.......37mm long....(HOBART
................................................................3
...........................................................(Time & date
...........................................................(TAS-AUST
...............................................................7000
II..Strip of 7 parallel lines............15mm long
iii.Two adjacent rectangles..........23mm long....(HOBART
................................................................3
...........................................................(TAS-AUST
...............................................................7000
iv..Strip of 7 parallel lines...........15mm long

Used 1973/76. (No indication of rarity)

Type 9(b)

Pattern. 90mm x 27mm wide.

i...Three adjacent rectangles......35mm long....(HOBART
............................................................G.P.O.
.........................................................(Time & date
.........................................................(TAS-AUST
.............................................................7000
ii. Strip of 7 parallel lines..........15mm long
iii.Two ajdacent rectangles........23mm long....(HOBART
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,G.P.O.
.........................................................(TAS-7000
IV.Strip of 7 parallel lines..........15mm long

Used 19891/84. (No rarity rating given.)

[Colin Salt]

Type 10.

The only strike in my possession, also ex-Edwards is the one illustrated earlier. It is only a partial and because of this no conclusions have been made regarding the pattern although from what can be seen it follows the usual layout.

In the absence of new material coming my way this concludes my contribution of this topic.

[Ross Ewington]

thanks Colin .....your recording of Paul Edward's type descriptions here will be of great assistance
in sorting out this under developed field. Now for the really hard bit - we need to assemble some more images.

Hopefully, some other TPS BB members have some that they can post here. ........... Ross

[Colin Salt]

I have just found a G.P.O. Hobart pre-postcode type. Illustrated below. Best guess at the date is 14 AP 70.

[Ross Ewington]

Here is an example of the SANDY BAY Type 6 which John listed in the previous post - the date is not discernible ...probably from late 1970s.

sandy bay roller.jpg (34.14 KiB) Viewed 26629 times

[admin]

Here is a Hobart example which turned up on a newspaper wrapper to USA. I haven't attempted to catagorise it at this stage. Date is 27 Ap 45. I have found these cancels very elusive and I have not seen this type before.

Tasroller-cancel1945-wrapper.jpg (185.04 KiB) Viewed 26542 times

[Ross Ewington]

I'm not quite sure which Type for HOBART this is as it is incomplete ..included here "for the record".
Possibly the same roller cancel that Pete has illustrated above.
('click' on the image once to view the whole item)

Hobart roller 2.jpg (74.42 KiB) Viewed 26541 times

[Ross Ewington]

A couple more roller cancellers in use at KINGSTON during 1987.

qq2053.jpg (261.75 KiB) Viewed 26217 times

Does anyone have any more of these interesting cancellers to report?

[Ross Ewington]

It's been a while since there was a post in this topic ..... surely someone must have something to share?

Although the Type 6 roller canceller used at Glenorchy has already been illustrated above, I just came across this superior
strike earlier today which I thought was worthwhile 'recording'.

qq3643.jpg (139.16 KiB) Viewed 25539 times

[aussiestampz]

Found this one from Hobart Mail Centre.
Date probably 27 MY 92.