Marcophily
Encyclopedia
Postmark
thumb|USS TexasA postmark is a postal marking made on a letter, package, postcard or the like indicating the date and time that the item was delivered into the care of the postal service...
s, cancellations and postal markings applied by hand or machine on mail
Mail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
that passes through a postal system and applied by the postal operator through whose domain they pass. Commatology was a term used prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
but is rarely used today.
Marcopholists are more interested in the details, style and design of the markings than the reason why and where a letter was sent. Large cities that have many post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
s offer great study opportunities due to the vast range of handstamps or machine cancellations
Machine postmark
A machine postmark or machine cancellation is a postmark or cancellation on mail that is applied by a mechanical device rather than with the use of a handstamp. Nearly all machine-cancellation devices apply both postmark and cancellation simultaneously...
in use over any time period. It offers vast study areas to select a topic from for study or collection.
While strictly speaking it is not a postal history
Postal history
Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of postage stamps and covers and associated material illustrating historical episodes of postal systems...
topic it can be collected and studied as such.