A Review by David McNamee
Freeman, Hugh H. and Geoff T. White, The Numeral Cancellations of Victoria, Melbourne: The Royal Philatelic Society of Victoria, 2001, 295mm x 210mm (A4 size), 420 pp. including a Cross-reference Index and 12 pages of maps. As a study of cancellations, it is profusely illustrated, including 8 pages of color plates. Price A$150 plus postage from Australia.
This work extends the previous volume devoted to this subject, Barred Numerals of Victoria, by J.R.W. Purves published in 1963 and now long out of print. In the 38 years since the Purves book, a number of discoveries and a considerable amount of research have accumulated. In The Numeral Cancellations of Victoria, the two leading experts in the field incorporate all of this knowledge and their own expertise to present a definitive work that will stand as a model for cancellation studies.
With a few pages of introductory material on the history and sources of information, the authors delve right into the earliest numeral cancellations of Victoria, the "Butterfly" and "Barred Oval" strikes. The layout includes a black and white photograph of the actual strike on a postage stamp of all known cancellations and a listing of the Number, Post Office Name(s), Dates of Operation, Location, Rarity for each sub-type with that numeral, and explanatory notes when useful. The student of cancellations or of Victorian postal history will find such listings invaluable, and the profusion of photographic images helps in identification of the various sub-types. The rarity ratings in these two sections are the same as used by Purves.
The collector of Victorian Barred Numerals has quite a challenging task. Many of the earliest "Butterfly" and "Barred Oval" cancellations are uncommon to very rare, owing to the boom-and-bust cycle of gold discovery and mining during the 1850s among other causes. The other dimension is the large number of post offices eventually opened in the period to 1900. At the high point in 1892, there were 1766 post offices, many of which had multiple sub-types. The numbers allotted finally hit 2100 in 1906!
In addition to initial and subsequent allocations of numbers to post offices, the postal authorities made a number of reallocations of numbers from closed offices to newly opened ones, but not consistently. The authors tell us that 380 numbers from closed post offices were never used again. So the hunt is complex and full of exciting twists and turns, and the authors' enthusiasm shines through the narrative for each chapter.
A chapter devoted to types and sub-types is illustrated with photographs of examples of each sub-type. The explanations include the inclusive range of numerals and the distinguishing characteristics of each. By my count, there are 65 total types and sub-types! In addition to explaining the various sub-types, the chapter also includes known colored cancellations and known manuscript cancellations for those offices using the post office name and those using manuscript numbers. The chapter ends with a discussion and illustration of rare errors in numeral cancellations.
The main tabulation of barred numerals and duplex barred numerals expands the information given in the earlier chapters by adding examples on full cover and the occasional picture post card of a town's Post Office building. Duplex devices are shown in full duplex either on multiples of stamps or on piece or cover for ease of identification. Comprehensive comes to mind when looking at the wealth of information provided.
The central color plates reproduce the cancelled stamps and covers in accurate colors and full sized. The book is laid out in numerical order; therefore, the Cross-reference Index in the back lists the post offices in name order and gives the corresponding number(s) -- a definite aid in trying to decipher partial strikes on cover. The book ends with a section devoted to reproductions of maps based on the 1889 Railway Postal & Telegraph Map of Victoria. Again, such additional assistance increases the value of this book to the postal historian trying to trace the logical path of a particular cover. The maps also satisfy the curious, who very well might want to know where Wee-Wee-Rup or Moonlight Flat might be located.
The Western Philatelic Library has an extensive collection of works on Australia and Australian States as well as a complete run of Philately from Australia and numerous other journals covering this area.
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