Stamps were cancelled by postmasters who manually handstamped each letter. These three cancellation stamps are part of a larger collection on display. This is the largest known collection of hand cancellers. The original Post Office Service did not have postage stamps. Post Masters showed the postage had been paid by marking "Paid" on the outside of the letter. Postage could be prepaid or sent without paying, in which case the recipient paid the postage if they wanted the letter. Sometimes, the recipient would read the letter and then return it, saying they did not want it. This practice left the post office unable to collect and eventually led to the postage stamp.

The cancellation stamps of the towns and cities that the famous Route 66 winds through cover this map. These cancellation stamps are an interesting assortment of designs used througout the country.

This comparison between an early letter and a current letter reveals several differences. Instead of a postage stamp, the Post Master's notation of "Paide 3" was standard in the 1800's. Before cancellation stamps were used, the Post Master would use manuscript markings to show which town the letter came from. Instead of envelopes, letters were folded over and the address was written on the back.

This precancellation stamp reads "Dayton Ohio" and is the only one of its kind because it has 50 impressions compared to the more common 100, 16, and four. Precancellation stamps such as this would cancel large sheets of postage stamps all at one time. Once the stamps were cancelled, they would then be sold to the customer to apply to letters.

Commerative cancellation stamps are created to honor a special event and are available for only a short time. Pictured are two such stamps, one celebrating Luxemburg and the other Monte Carlo. Several binders full of commerative stamps such as the 25th Anniversary of Apollo 11 are on display.