Types of Stamp Cancellations

• A Bullseye cancellation (also called Socked on the Nose or SOTN) is a stamp collecting term for a typically circular cancellation that was struck on or very near the center of a stamp's design. Well-struck bullseye cancels are popular with some stamp collectors because of their neat appearance.

• Cancelled-to-order stamps (also called CTOs) are stamps that have been cancelled by a postal authority, but were never used to transmit mail. They are created by postal authorities in order to sell them cheaply to stamp collectors. Many Eastern European countries and others sold great numbers of CTOs to collectors in the 1950s - 1990s strictly for revenue. CTOs still retain their original gum. Some authorities use the same canceller for all CTOs, and apply it very neatly in the corner of four stamps at one time. In some instances, the "cancellations" are actually printed as part of the stamp itself.

• Deferential cancellations are designed so as not to deface the image of the ruler or regent on the stamp.

• Fancy cancels were produced during the last half of the 19th century by postmasters in the United States and Canada. They carved or cut their own cancellers from cork or wood in various designs such as stars, circles and flags. Fancy cancels are extraordinarily popular and are highly sought after.

• First day of issue cancels (FDC cancellations) are special cancellations with the date the stamp was first issued for sale and the words "First Day of Issue" or the equivalent in the issuing country's language. Some include an illustration related to the subject of the stamp.

• Flag cancellations are a US machine cancel that uses the design of the United States flag. The stripes of the flag serve as the killer portion of the cancellation.

• Handstamped cancellations are applied by a hand stamping device rather than a machine.

• Highway post office cancels are applied in transit by portable mail handling equipment in trucks.

• Machine cancellations are added by high-speed processing machines.

• Mute cancel refers to a cancellation that includes no text and "does not speak."

• Pen cancels (or handwritten cancels) refer to the use of a writing pen to deface the stamp. They were more common in the 19th and early 20th centuries, but are still used by postal workers who notice a stamp that missed being machine cancelled.

• Pictorial cancellations include illustrations that are related to some event, person or anniversary.

• Precancels or precancelled stamps bear pre-printed cancellations. Unlike CTOs, precancelled stamps are intended for use in the mailstream and are typically used by mass mailers. Precancels typically cannot be used without a special permit so are not normally used by the general public.

• Railway post office (R.P.O.) cancels are applied on mail that's sorted on trains. They typically include information about the specific railroad and train as well as the date. The last Railway Post Office operated by the United States closed in 1977.
  

• Ship cancels are added to stamps that were mailed on or carried on a ship, often a steamer ship in the late 19th to early 20th centuries. They typically include information about the specific ship and sometimes the steamship line as well as the date. In French, the cancellation reads "Paquebot."

• Slogan cancellations include an advertising or patriotic slogan.