# Deutsch # english # italiano # francais # nederlands #

Introducing the Bar Number Cancels in 1877

During the second half of 1876 in Florence experiments started tofix known problems. During the 1865 experiments a barred post mark with 25 thin lines was tried, now experiments with 6, 8 and 11 "thick" lines were made. Since October 1876 - first known date is 10.10.1876 - a stamp machine was tried, which was constructed at the "Officine Dani di Firence". With this machine the numbered stamp and the date stamp were imprinted at the same time. In addition to the clearly visible handle there was also a pedal. Ornaghi shows this machine and remarked that this machine was used from 1876 to 1911 and was operated either by pedal or by an electric motor.

FIRENZE FERROVIA 15.10.1876

Experimental cancel used in October 1876. Signed by Raybaudi and Vaccari.

The experiments in Florence were done with a 6-lines number cancel, which showed three lines above and three lines below the number 174. During December 1876 in Rome and in January 1877 in Milan a Dani Machine was used, which showed the final 11-lines design. In February 1877 in Florence a variant with 8 lines (3/2/3) was used, which most likely was modified from the 6 lines stamp. The announcement of the new kind of stamps and the introduction of the machines were in Bulletino postale n.4, April 1877:

Though often reminded in the monthly bulletins, the specifications contained in articles 149,150 and 151 of the instruction about the service of the offices are still being neglected and the cancelling of mail is carried out improperly.

Postage stamps are either not cancelled or they are cancelled so superficially that they can easily be used a second time without using any chemical reagent to remove the impression of the cancelling.

The impressions of the date cancellations are mostly unreadable, so that it is almost impossible to judge whether the forwarding and the receiving of mail are regular.

Serious damages could come to the Treasury from the first of these failures, and the second brings about frequent and rightful claims from the public, claims whose echo reached also the Chambers of Parliament.

But it is the firm will of the General Post Office to bring those inconveniences to an end and in order to do so, after careful examination of the means suited to the aim, they have decided:

1. to make new stamps for the cancelling of postage stamps, by adopting a new type composed of horizontal lines with a progressive number in the centre to identify the post office;

2. to proceed within the shortest time possible, according to the funds available, to the renewing of the cancellations and of the moveable pieces indicating date and time, duly modified, starting from the offices needing it most;

3. to provide Head Offices and the most important offices at the stations with a cancelling machine, which, beyond that of being very fast, has the advantage of impressing the postmark and the cancellation very neatly.

But, since these measures would not be sufficient to accomplish the desired goal, if the offices do not use ink of very good quality, resistant to chemical reagents, as well as pads and handstamps made of soft materials, so that the handstamps can preserve their good condition and their impression is clear; the General Post Office, after a long study and several experiments, having finally obtained an ink with the required features, and supported by the authoritative opinion of the Government Security Printers, that have recognized the good quality of the ink itself, has determined to adopt it together with the pads, where it has to bemixed, and the handstamps.

A further proof of the possibilities of the Dani Machine, apart from its extremely fast introduction, is the fact that its numbered cancellations were used far beyond the official end of numbered cancellations. From 1st April 1889 on registered or insured letters numbered cancellations should no longer have been used and from 1st January 1890 they generally should no longer have been used.

MILANO FERROVIA 30.01.1877

This early cancel on a local letter shows the 11 bar design in January 1877, more than two month earlier than the official anouncement of the bar number cancels in April 1877. Florence still uses the 6-bar experimental cancels.