Postage Stamps used in the German Marshall Islands
Type II Cancels
by Dirk H.R. Spennemann

When the name change from 'Marschall Inseln' to 'Marshall Inseln' occurred in 1900, a new cancel had become necessary. The post directorate of Hamburg ('Oberpostdirektion Hamburg') responsible for the postal agency in the Marshall Islands believed that the old day and month slugs would be serviceable. Thus only the new cancel was sent and the old numbers were to be reused. This cancel, measuring 27mm in diameter, cancel arrived in May 1900 and found use from 21 May 1900 onwards. The old type I cancel remained in parallel use until 23 May 1900. Presumably the day and moths slugs were interchanged. The obsolete type I cancel was sent back to Hamburg on 6 June 1900. [1]

Yet, while the new cancel was being readied for shipment to Jaluit, the Jaluit Postal agency requested on 2 March 1900 that a new set of date and months slugs be issued as the old ones had been worn out due to the unforeseen heavy use in late 1899 and early 1900. These new slugs were despatched from Hamburg on 26 May 1900 and were first used on 1 September 1900. They can be readily distinguished by the narrow numbers (see image below).[2]

The cancel ink was changed in 1902 from a black or grey-black of dry/crisp appearance to a deep black and oily-sooty appearance. This, in combination with the narrow numbers, allows to identify and date a range of backdated cancelson the Eagle Issue stamps of both the first and the second issue. [3] A table of genuine cancellation dates is compiled here

A selection of examples of type II cancels has been compiled for Eagle series and Yacht series stamps.



The old and wider numbers (top) for the date and months slugs compared with the new and narrower numbers (bottom)

Note the absence of the bar separating day and month

Doubtful cancel



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Bibliographic citation for this document

Spennemann, Dirk H.R. (2002). Postage Stamps used in the German Marshall Islands. Cancels--Type II Cancels
URL: http:/marshall.csu.edu.au/Marshalls/html/Stamps/CancelPix/Type_II_Cancels.html

CONTACT:
Dirk H.R. Spennemann, Institute of Land, Water and Society, Charles Sturt University, P.O.Box 789, Albury NSW 2640, Australia.
e-mail: dspennemann@csu.edu.au

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