A RURAL FREE
DELIVERY (RFD) FLAG HANDCANCEL
FROM
BROWNTON, MINNESOTA
By Ronald
Olin, Fargo, North Dakota
Harold Richow
in his “Encyclopedia of RFD Cancels” (1983 Edition) relates that RFD
Flag Handcancels are rare.
Flags are Type 6 and Richow has 13 varieties (A to E) – Figure 1.
RFD Flags have
been reported from only one North Dakota and three Minnesota towns:
Eckman, ND,
type 6 DE, Route 1, 1911;
Brownton, MN,
type 6 DB, Route 3, 1911;
Harris, MN,
type 6 DE, Route 1, 1909;
Ruthton, MN,
tyoe 6 DB, Route 1, 1912.
I recently
found another Brownton, MN, RFD Flag cancel (figures 2 and 3) which
extends the usage to 1914.
This cancel is in magenta ink although Richow says that the color of ink
is not important. The
clarity and completeness of cancel strike is fairly good.
There is slight smudging of ink.
The U.S. flag has 13 stars and 5 stripes and ties the stamp to
the postcard properly.
Brownton, a
small town in McLeod County, has had an open post office since 1878.
Like many rural towns, it joined the RFD system at the turn of
the century, enabling farmers to have their mail picked up and delivered
from a box without having to go into town.
Brownton is west of Glencoe and had a population of 688 in 1980.
Richow lists
clean postcard, clear cancel, interest in special usages like flags and
collector demand as the main factors determining value.
In 1983, RFD Flag Hand cancels were valued at over $100; probably
twice that in 1997.
Figure 2
Backside of Christmas postcard showing Brownton MN RFD, Flag hand cancel; dated January 2, 1914; RFD Number 3
Figure 3
Close-up of RFD Flag cancel from Brownton MN