What's the deal with Pen Cancels?! 

"Philatelic Gore" hahhaha I'm dying of laughter, great way to start the morning.

It should be banned. The post office is so poor in performance. It is same in here in the UK.

Another fascinating video, Graham! Your wit, in depth knowledge and ability to share your enthusiasm for philately is extraordinary! Love the scene of you getting pelted by tongs...as well as "PG"...Philatelic Gore. Your channel is a tremendous asset to the philatelic community.

YOU, sir, are helping me in BIG way during this pandemic. You are teaching me so much, AND making me laugh on lonely rainy days. I love this new hobby and YOU are helping with humor and good intell! Thank you so much.

Dear Graham; I've also had my share of ugly pen cancelled stamps on letters I receive. Your video is very welcome on the matter. It has left me wondering: if the postal worker needs to cancel a stamp, perhaps even when delivering a letter or parcel, why don't they use those handy rubber stamps, self-inking? They could even be issued with an appropriate postmark! Finally, keep up your good work on the channel! Cheers, Rudnei

Thanks for coming up with this very important issue! Postal workers MUST watch this on their training days! (specially in UK...)

Excellent episode. Whether machine or hand cancel, it's all the same to me since ANY method of defacing a stamp is......well defacing a stamp. I often receive enough mail every year with affixed stamps that have not been canceled at all that I can use for all my holiday cards sent at the end of the year. In fact, receiving uncancel stamps encourages me to send cards I probably wouldn't normally send........thank you Post Offices around the world for enticing me to stay in touch with people using lovely greeting cards send at no direct cost to me!

Another great video. Here in New Zealand now only international mail is bothered to be canceled, no domestic mail has any cancel unless verbally asked to cancel at the teller by hand. I guess they think the loss from re-use is cheaper than running the cancelling machines.

The issue with requesting hand cancels (at least in America) is that unless you pay the non-machinable surcharge, your mail will also receive the standard machine cancel. Even places that have a special postmark, like the post office inside the National Postal Museum, aren't exempted. Also, I tried to have my Christmas cards hand-cancelled, but even despite paying the extra 15¢, they got the same mechanical postmark of the sorting facility half the state away.

Fabulous video! I use stamps in my crafting, as I make junk journals. I was horrified the first time I had purchased stamps that came back to me pen cancelled! I just cringed! When I informed the Etsy seller, she always makes sure that she requests hand cancellation now.

Your videos on stamps are the best I've seen anywhere. Great job. I often repost them to our stamp collecting group on facebook. Keep up the good work. Admin. - STAMPS OF THE WORLD on facebook.

Great video as always. I have mixed feelings about pen cancellations - sometimes they are rather elegantly done and look better than the smudged mess that completely obliterates the stamps design that I also see, but of course, I would rather have a nice round cancellation on the corner. It does seem particularly malicious in some of the examples you showed.

I am so happy that your channel is growing! So close to 10k!!!!

Incidence of pen cancellation in the UK Post Office is now at ridiculous levels. Just about every piece of mail I receive with stamps attached have pen cancellations even stamps that have been machine or hand franked. I've given up sending mail to collectors with stamps attached it's just pointless.

I thought the envelope that you showed which looked like it had been almost completely destroyed was disgusting! It's a good job you got a formal apology for that! I thought the 'Philatelic Gore' thing was hilarious by the way!

Pen cancellations a phenomena. World over,sometimes killer cancellation. impressive discussion.

Glad you raised this issue on pen cancellations. I hate this when mail delivers are insensitive to the beauty on the stamps. Certainly they do not know if the recipient is a collector or not. But common sense should tell them to leave them as they are if the stamps are not cancelled.

Please, do a video a month maybe, but don't stop doing them. You are amazing and those videos intemporal.

I always ask for hand cancels on everything I mail. Even if I'm sending a bill payment! I've found it's easier if one frequents the same postal outlet regularly. I explain that I'm a stamp collector sending to other collectors. I am nice to the employees (what a concept!) Often they will hand me the postmark to service the covers myself while they help the next person in line. For special covers I've picked up resealable clear sleeves that I put the cover I'm after it has been postmarked to ensure it isn't scribbled on nor machine canceled a million times enroute. And for imposing on them throughout the year, ai always take a tin of cookies at Xmas. 🎅

Thank you Graham. Very interesting video and by the way, I wish you a wonderfull year!!! Michael

Judging from most of the postal workers I've come in contact with here in the US, I get the impression that they really aren't worried about what condition the stamps are in when they leave the post office.

Philatelic gore indeed! Disgusting! I'd assumed pen cancels was a thing of the past, something only done back when it was the only reasonable solution because no hand stamp was available. Then again, your presentation of the pov of the postal services does make sense! Great video!

Congratulations... You have an amazing collection

Some of my really beautiful, interesting and collectible stamps have been defaced by unsympathetically by careless postal workers....

Great video Graham I have a video request: how about a behind the scenes video where you show us how you make these awesome videos, and your office etc? :)

Great video!!! A little scary though... 😱

I was just thinking the other day how the game DnD (which was once considered nerdy and only played by outcasts) has become mainstream now, largely thanks to podcasts and video content creators. I believe stamp collecting can also become more mainstream with podcasts and video content creators like you. So, thank you for all you do! (Also, out of curiosity, what video editing software do you use? I wouldn't mind trying my hand at making stamp videos one day)

Enjoyed your video! I’m new to your channel and I am glad I found you. One thing I do is take a copy of the post office rules about stamp collectors with me. When I travel I love to put a stamp of the place I visit on a postcard of a similar picture. I have gotten so many tore up by mailing them to myself so I would stop at a post office and get them hand canceled. When they are busy I ask if I can cancel them myself, and they usually say yes. A few times the post office worker did not want to let me take the canceled postcard with me (?) and I show them the copy of the rules for stamp collectors and have not had a problem since then. My post office at home always just hands me the cancelation stamp when I come in with a group of letters. Through the years My mail men have loved my mail with all the cool stamps and most have brought letters that would have to bend to my door at an apt complex. (Going out of their way) Of course they always get cookies in the mailbox from me at appropriate times of the year.

Here's another issue- sending envelopes to far away post offices to have them cancelled and sent back, only to have one or more of them ignored and not sent back. As for pen cancels, I actually bought an item on Ebay several years ago because it had a pen cancel. Even though it wasn't old, it was interesting to me. I definitely have gotten envelopes in the mail that were not cancelled at all, and I think I might have at least once that received a pen cancel. It doesn't happen very often, in my particular experience. Thanks for the video.

Thanks for the new video Graham. At least I only have 2 mails stamps has pen cancelled both from U.K. But still so upsetting.

I just ran into your channel yesterday. You are super creative and have a great sense of humor! I'm happy to embark on this newfound hobby of mine!

Thank you I enjoy your videos and look forward to all of them..

I am new in collecting stamps and watching your video makes me more interested in collecting stamps. God bless you!

Great video of how stamps are ruined by staffers who don't care.

You have really grown in subs! Great work this video! This was super helpful!

Thanks for making another great video !!

Heya, Graham! Happy #Stampex2020 ! This might be my most favorite video on your channel, especially 10.46 that's the finest and most hilarious part of the video XD. Again, have a good time during Stampex!

Good video , very informative as always. Keep it up.. Thanks Michael.

I often send covers and stamps overseas together with a self adhesive prepaid label on the envelope so that postage is sufficient. The staff at the post office prefer to cancel the label and leave the stamps untouched, even after I have explained that if they do not cancel the stamps they could be used again. I usually get annoyed looks. In other cases they tell me that the stamps get cancelled at the sorting facility which is not always the case.

:-) Postal Horror! Again an interesting and funny film!

Funny, entertaining, and a joy to watch. I share the comments left by APS!

Here in Italy 99% of stamps are with pen scribbled. It's a drama

I actually like pen cancellations! I find it interesting to see how the stamps where canceled... And I always get exited to get pen canceled stamps!

Eschewing with pens, it’s also low mentality employees they are underpaid for their hard work and the conditions are horrible here in the USA, I have been collecting for over sixty one years now, the hobby of Philately is a joyful teacher of the history of humanity! The pen in this case is not speeding up the postal workers job that’s bully excuses on managers dribble!

Thumbs up! Very cool video l!

The pen cancellation has been a pain in the @$$ for we philatelists. I believe we must write "Please do not pen cancel" or "please hand cancel only". Just above and below where the stamps are pasted on the envelope.

I've only been collecting stamps for a few years. I just received my first black marker cancelation last month. It was fromthe state of Delaware USA. I only hope to never see this again. I love your videos and would love to here from you. Thanks Jim From the state of Wisconsin USA

Thanks for mentioning my example of pen cancelled stamps. 5:00 I wish I provided a better photo. ;)

I enjoy your videos. I like old us stamps that Have pen cancels that Have been scribbled on In a circular motion artfully. I made a term for it. I called them squiggly Cancels .

I haven't had very many pen cancellations, but I'm more frustrated with no cancellation at all and I've received many of those. I live in Canada. Excellent video!

Graham, very good video. In the 1980's until 1990, I lived in Los Angeles. There, I had a lot of pen cancels. Today, I don't see a lot, for the simple reason that, as you said in the video, everything is sent through mail through the internet.. But I like the pen cancels. Waiting for your other videos. David

Once again a great video ! Pen cancels and stamps reuse take place bacause of the lack of serious in stamp cancelling. Moreover ppl are tired to pay more for postage. In France, pen cancels are oftenly seen as well as uncancelled stamps (almost daily). So it is very easy to reuse stamps and doing this, i don't pay postage anymore and i make great savings. I know it's illegal but the cost for a 1st class mail is now €1,16 against €0,46 in 2000, it's enough ! Moreover there are 0 risks !

I got some sealing wax from jetpens and I'm learning about the cancelling process bc they have a little disclaimer that tells you to hand cancel wax sealed envelopes if possible due to the cancelling machines chewing up the wax seals! I didn't know that postage collectors had such an intriguing community (before today, I was mostly interested in calligraphy instruments, but maybe this video will get me into postage!)

Collector here, I don’t appreciate contemporary pen “manuscript” cancellations. I do make custom covers and ask they are hand canceled to carry out at the post office. The only decline I got was in central London, so I went to the next nearer post office and they were happy to “frank” my letters. I do really want to know what USPS employee opinions are. I bet they are unaware and just trying to get through their delivery routes on time while helping to reduce fraudulent reuse. May a sample opinion can be found in Seinfeld episodes. Please review the Newman transcripts and report back Graham! :)

I collect my stamps used, in my view they have to do the job they are created for and then they are mine, on or off cover. It is a challenge to find stamps, especially commemorative stamps nicely used with the correct rate in the correct period used on cover. The appeal is important too, and pen cancels destroy a large part of the fun. Pen cancels are mostly obscuring the image. Well so do cancels, especially the so called killer cancels. The cancels however normally add to the cover, showing names of places the item has been, the date when the item was at that place and in a lot of cases it helps you to reconstruct the route your item took in the mail. What about killer cancels? They are lacking that information. However a lot of these killer cancels are hand carved canceling devices, showing figures, like the NYFM cancels , animals, The letters US in different forms or something else, which makes them nice to the eye. And then we have the killers who are ugly, almost as ugly as a pen cancel. Don’t get me wrong, all are collectable however not all are desirable. I get it that the stamps need to be devalued, although in Canada they seem to disagree as most of the mail I receive from Canada has uncanceled postage on the envelope. What I don’t get is why an envelope with nicely cancelled stamps needs that pen cancel, and that happens quite often. Erik

Stampex2020 As a sender of letters and postcards, I like using stamps for their intended purpose. I dislike pen cancels. Royal Mail supposedly has issued posties with the wavy line stamping things but I haven't seen that many of them used...

Very important issue pointed Graham.. I've actually received a lot of these pen cancelled stamps.. coincidence is, all of them were eBay purchases..but it is truly frustrating, I've got atleast three such envelopes which were so badly marked that the face values can't even be read.

Never knew that stamps can be hand canceled in US. I am going to try it.

Have to point out the Canadian definitive right in the centre of the , unique commemorative stamps stock footage. Lol

This makes collecting even more of a challenge for the modern collector but one that can be rewarding. A stamp used within the correct period and correctly postmarked on cover will be tomorrow's collectable cover. ;)

The cancel is ohh so important. I am currently looking for covers or stamps postmarked at Churston-Ferrars It is a small parish post office in GB. Try finding material from this office!

Great video & content! Love the wit! But seriously hate having pen cancellations as it does ruin the stamps! Never really use to happen years ago! As you say we are helping the postal service with the commerative stamps we also buy mint so they should have some respect for the hobby!

Pen cancellation I can cope with, but marker or felt-tipped pens which often completely destroy the cover and stamps, nah. Another trend I see is the increased use of machine-printed labels for postage, frequently postal workers and post office clerks will produce the label in a flash before you have the chance to ask for stamps, or tell you they don't have sufficient to make up the correct postage.

Excellent handling of this contentious subject. I was very one sided in my views but I see the point you made for the postal authorities side of this. BUT it doesn't make it any less frustrating.

Royal Mail introduced a hand-stamping tool in 2015 to postmen who are considered to be the last line in catching uncancelled stamps. But, alas, alack, to no avail. As recently as November 2017, a vitriolic letter from a reader appeared in the Stamp Magazine expressing the contempt of Post Office workers for regulations. And so, it would seem, the ballpoint pen remains the tool of choice amongst postal workers. As a postscript, Article RL117 of Article 8 in the Letter Post Manual issued by the Universal Postal Union in 2013 reads as follows: 4 Unless designated operators have prescribed cancellation by means of a special stamp impression, postage stamps left uncancelled through error or omission in the service of origin shall be cancelled by the office which detects the irregularity, using one of the following means: 4.1 with a thick line in ink or indelible pencil; 4.2 using the edge of the date-stamp in such a way that the name of the post office is not identifiable. So, it looks like the ubiquitous ballpoint has won the day.

Another great video, (un)fortunately I have not seen stamps canceled with pen, although I wouln't mind having few of them in collection, since it is part of philatelic history.

Here in the UK it happens all the time, I have complained several times but the Royal Mail say it's done for speed and any thing that is not a flat envelope. Just plain lazy in my opinion, they are ruining a hobby that they started really.

this is a great video. i'm sorry this happen. i live in sri lanka and i've never seen a pen cancelled stamp.

I hate pen cancels, but at least on my newer stamps that I cant soak, Sometimes they come off with Pure Orange when I remove them. I have a new used set of Canadian fishing tie stamps that had that happen.

"Philatelic gore" 😂 Great episode!

To be honest...I've never encountered any thing like this with my experience,The worst I'll gets the "Killer" stamp never pen. But amazing informative video as perusal Graham :D

Actually I got a nice postcard from Canada but the pen cancel was a nice thin wave that somehow didn't really hurt the stamps. Seems the postal worker had an artistic flair with their cancel.

There should be no pen cancellation

I love your video, i from mauritius

My preferred stamps though, are: mint and canceled, depending on the stamps and obviously the country.

RM is pen-cancelling every damn piece of mail I'm sending nowadays :(

Pen cancellations are notorious... but I realized that it usually happens in the US. As a philatelist in Hong Kong, we never had such issues.

Oh oh i spot a cover from my country of Vietnam. So cool !!! Personally i dont hate pen cancellations as long as the cover isnt a collectable ones. I am just happy with any covers really.

In Australia we have a completely opposite issue: mail usually show up without any sort of cancellation, neither by machine nor hand. Not even pen! That's why I always send mail by going to a post office Also I prefer marker over pen. One thick line looks slightly better than a thin squiggly ballpoint line

As an ex postal worker I worked for Royal Mail for 21 years. The reason why we pen cancel stamps is the machine that cancels the stamps sometimes misses the stamps. We do this so the stamps can't be used again. Not because we don't like the stamps etc.

I am from Taiwan and I am Lucky and Happy Postoffice staffs are kind and very helpful I request them to stamping should be neat when I sent anything out and do not use PENS to SCRIBBLE OVER… Taiwan Postal is very strict and the Govt will take charge over if any people complaint online…these days the Postal office staffs will have a terrible day & life to work ..

Yes, I do agree when I was in India many post office workers have bad mood & character always uses pens to scratch over the stamps instead of using the official stamping from the Post office - that’s a terrible attitude I do not accept it

I LOVE BIG VIOLENT SHARPIE CANCELLATIONS! Or ball point pens where it looks like they tried to murder the stamp! It's hilarious! If I want a mint stamp I'll just buy one and not use it.

Suggestion, review Strait Settlement and the Malayan state stamps.

Looking at my postcrossing album I notice a postcard from Belgium with 4 stamps none of them have cancellation! I could in theory go to Belgium and remail it to myself!

i've once gotten a letter from indonesia. the stamps doesn't even canceled lol

Avoiding postal gore is the exact reason I am looking into obtaining a permit postmark.

I got a beautiful row of old stamps on an ebay parcel once with a huge thick black sharpie line down the middle

Oh bro that csncellation of the hot wheels car that was vicious

Excellent video. I prefer cancellation stamps not ink especially red ink of death.

As someone who works within the UK postage industry. Pen cancellation is likely to be common for the next few months due to a shortage of 2020 date stamps 😆

I have gotten stamps on letters I needed for my album and scratched out stamps are a no go. I try to get them cancelled at the office. I got a 1971 11c Canal Zone stamp on a domestic USA letter last week!

Hey there ! I follow your videos and they are really informative. I always wondered if UK Post has a facility where I can subscribe to the commemorative stamps ? Like in some countries, you prepay a certain amount (as a standing order) and the philatelic bureau will post the commemorative issues as and when they release (or quarterly or yearly).

Here's and ideal... Instead of a care free pen scratch on the stamp, maybe the postal carrier can cancel it by pen (when necessary) with their route number or city that their post office is located. Works to cancel the stamp for the postal carrier, and adds a better value to a philatelic.

If you want to be sure they get a traditional "stamp cancel" then when sending them, you need to take them to a Post Office and specifically ask the clerk to apply one. Otherwise, you might get a computer-printed cancel, one with pen marks, or even none.

Yay a new video! Thank you so much 😊

Awesome :-)

I have gotten them marked with Sharpie

I am a new collector and I find all of your videos very helpful. But I can't find season 4 on youtube ? Can you let me know about season 4 . Thank you, Jim

😱😰😱😱😱😰😰😰😱😱 This video was scary!! I think i can't sleep after i watch this!