How Stamp Collectors Collect US Precancelled Stamps


The first thing to keep in mind is that with precancels, the precancel marking is much more important than the stamp itself.  As always, precancel stamp collectors diligently try to find stamps that are free of faults and well-centered, but if nothing better is available then damaged or imperfectly-centered stamps will do until a better quality replacement is available.

Many precancel stamp collectors arrange their stamps in alphabetical order, going by the city and state of the precancel.  If a precancel collection is large it can be split into two sections, one for Bureau precancels and the other for local precancels, again arranged in alphabetical order.

Precancel stamp collectors get a lot of bang for their buck.  Most precancels are pretty inexpensive, but there are some rare and pricey exceptions among the local precancel stamps.  The Precancel Stamps Society produces two comprehensive precancel catalogs, one for the Bureau precancels and the other for locals.