On Bar Cancels of North Borneo
It could be postally used, it could also be just a mere CTO. This is the duality of bar cancels on North Borneo stamps. Bar cancels refer to obliterators similar to those dumb types used in place of a datestamp. Usually with they are used prior to the introduction of a 'proper' datestamp that includes the town name. As CTOs are common in North Borneo stamps due to its marketability to collectors, this dilutes the number of what is truly 'postally used'. It further complicates the situation when taken into consideration that forgeries of bar cancels do exist. Without a proper guide, bar cancels are tricky although they are sometimes unique to each other. They have varying widths, number of bars, bar thickness, lengths, and sometimes even pointed tips. Ultimately, it brings forth the question: when do I consider bar cancels to be postally used? This is a question difficult to answer when only a fraction of the bar cancel appear on the stamp. Hence, it is best to assume