November 1998
Our last speaker was Wade Saadi, who presented fancy cancels of the 3¢ 186l issue in glorious profusion. It was practically an illustrated version of Amos Eno’s U.S. Cancellations 1845-1869 section on the 1861s. There was page after page of stamps with radial cancels, pinwheels, polygons, fancy geometrics, stars, crosses, patriotics, masonics, year dates, numerals, letters, words, heads objects and the ever popular Waterbury killers. Each was selected to be among the finest known in eye appeal and completeness of the marking centered on the stamps.
Mr. Saadi also presented his philosophy of collecting and exhibiting as well as trenchant comments upon the market for fancy cancels. He also contrasted pages of old-type fancy cancel exhibiting with his new proposed pages as well as the stock sheets of work-in-progress. It was a thrill to see the best bird-in-nest, running fox, and dozens of others rare cancels, some as yet unlisted.
