22-10-2025, 10:11 PM
Hi Richard ... thanks for sharing your cross-written postal card.
Not only is it interesting as an example of cross writing, the thimble date stamp is interesting too. It's from Auchnasheen ... a small highland village in Ross-shire in Scotland. Located between Dingwall and Skye it was a stop on the Highland Railway and, therefore, despite its small size had a post office between 1887-1906. The assigned PO number was 29.
From the highlands of Scotland to the US, 11 days is reasonable given that Auchnasheen is on the Highland Railway. It would have been a quick trip to a packet port and, in 1886, steamship transit times across the Atlantic would have been about 7-8 days.
Small diameter single-ring 'Thimble' dated hand-stamp
Inside ring AUCHNASHEEN
Centre B / AU 12 / 86 [August 12, 1886; B = afternoon sorting]
Whitney, 9/7
Obliterator
Scotland (4th Series) Horizontal Rectangle of Bars
PO Number 2[9]
The '9' is muddy as the obliterator appears to have been struck twice
Postal Stationery Postcard / Post Office Issues
CP15a 1883, 1d Brown, stamp design L4, foreign card format CF6 without arms, buff card.
Cheers, Hugh
Not only is it interesting as an example of cross writing, the thimble date stamp is interesting too. It's from Auchnasheen ... a small highland village in Ross-shire in Scotland. Located between Dingwall and Skye it was a stop on the Highland Railway and, therefore, despite its small size had a post office between 1887-1906. The assigned PO number was 29.
From the highlands of Scotland to the US, 11 days is reasonable given that Auchnasheen is on the Highland Railway. It would have been a quick trip to a packet port and, in 1886, steamship transit times across the Atlantic would have been about 7-8 days.
Small diameter single-ring 'Thimble' dated hand-stamp
Inside ring AUCHNASHEEN
Centre B / AU 12 / 86 [August 12, 1886; B = afternoon sorting]
Whitney, 9/7
Obliterator
Scotland (4th Series) Horizontal Rectangle of Bars
PO Number 2[9]
The '9' is muddy as the obliterator appears to have been struck twice
Postal Stationery Postcard / Post Office Issues
CP15a 1883, 1d Brown, stamp design L4, foreign card format CF6 without arms, buff card.
Cheers, Hugh
Hugh MacDonald, Wolfe Island
Member: BNAPS. PHSC, Auxiliary Markings Club, Postal Stationary Society, British Postmark Society,
AMG Collectors Club, China Stamp Society, France and Colonies Philatelic Society
ArGe Deutsche Feldpost: 1914-1918 e.V.