Below is a list of Military Postal History Reference Literature that we currently have available. With these references, collectors and dealers can identify and evaluate thousands of different postmarks.
Most of these books are regular stock items, but some are available
in limited quantities. As an example, the total printing of my
Illinois Post Offices book was 418 copies. More than two-thirds
of those have been sold since it was published in February, 1996,
and I do not plan to reprint it. Such limited-edition titles are
often difficult to obtain once the original printing is sold out.
PUBLISHERS: If you have any reference literature that you would
like to make available through this page, please email 
mehrer@postal-history.com , call or write
to discuss terms.
DEALERS: If you would like to stock any of the literature that
we publish (those showing Jim Mehrer as the author), we give generous
wholesale discounts at low quantities.
Email mehrer@postal-history.com,
call or write for details.
ALL BOOKS ARE PRICED POSTPAID to U.S. addresses.
ILLINOIS RESIDENTS: Add 8.5% state sales tax to your order.
INTERNATIONAL ORDERS: Before ordering, please email us for the shipping charge.
We do not accept CHARGE CARDS, and HERE'S WHY: Card companies would take about 5 percent off the top of whatever we sold. We don't feel like giving it to them, and we would rather not raise all of our prices just for the sake of handling charge cards. (Before you write and tell us that we can negotiate a better deal than 5 percent, we know that. But whether it's 3 or 4 or 5 percent, we still don't feel like raising the prices to "cover" it, as they say.) We were accepting payments through an online payment service for awhile, but then they started charging for their services, too. Maybe things will change someday.
We regret that we're unable to send
"bill with" orders, but that just adds to
the paperwork, and we've got plenty to do without the extra load.
Exceptions: If you're a long-time customer of ours, and you're
experiencing some kind of major "reference literature emergency"
that won't allow you to wait a couple of extra days, give us a
phone call (309 / 786-6539) and we'll discuss the possibilities.
Catalog of U.S.
Naval Postmarks / Fifth Edition. (David A. Kent, Editor/1997):
This important catalog was the first full revision in more than
twenty years. Lists ships and cancel types, and includes a scarcity
index. This one is a must for all dealers and collectors. (500
pages; unbound, 3-hole punch.) #970603. $55.00.
As above, AS PDF DOWNLOAD. #850301. $39.00.
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United States Patriotic Envelopes of World War II. (Lawrence Sherman/2006): A large and impressive range of new information and ideas since the 1999 effort result in this wonderful volume, with advances in printing allowing an all-color format for the 600+ illustrations. And there's much more, including a significant increase in the number of cachets listed (more than 11,060, up from the previous 9,660) and the number of illustrations, with more than 1,000 price changes since the 1999 edition. The updated cachet catalog accounts for more than 260 of its total number of pages. (428 pages, hardbound.) #760603. $80.00.
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The Catalog of Union Civil War Patriotic Covers. (Weiss/1995):
A lavishly illustrated, monumental work. Replaces the 60 year-old
Walcott book as the standard reference to aid in identifying and
collecting Union patriotics. Includes both a value guide. (850
pages; hardbound.) #740503. $95.00.
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Domestic United States Military Facilities of the First
World War (1917-1919): A Postal History. (Bob Swanson/2000):
An important publication in which the author lists every known
location in the United States and Territories where soldiers,
sailors or marines might have been stationed during World War
I, providing source locations and checklists for postal history
(letters and cards) from military personnel. The book lists all
fixed, land-based United States military camps and facilities
that operated during the War period, with known postmark types
and dates of usage for the various machine cancels that were used,
as well as some handstamp types. The book includes:
- Many illustrations of cancels and covers
- Extensive index to assist searching for specific military bases
- Additional background information covering both the War and
its military postal history
- War-era listing of U.S. military abbreviations
- Listings arranged by state to assist both state and local postal
history collectors
(375 pages; looseleaf.) #700301. $65.00.
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Prisoners' Mail from the American Civil War. (Galen
D. Harrison/1998): It has been decades since the last work was
compiled on the Civil War prison covers. This book is a totally
new work on the subject.
More than 20 years of research and a database of more than 2,700
Prisoner of War covers were used to produce this publication.
Included in this work are the earliest and latest dates of usage
for most handstamped "examined" markings, as well as
manuscript markings, from the various U.S. and Confederate prisons.
The number of reported covers is given from each of the 58 Confederate
and 83 Union prisons that are listed. A series of four appendices
gives tabulated information at a glance. This work corrects many
errors that are to be found in earlier articles on the subject.
It contains more than 300 illustrations, about 50 which are illustrations
of the prisons themselves.
This archive-quality publication is a must for any Civil War enthusiast,
postal history collector or library. Only 1,000 copies have been
printed and, considering the appeal of the subject matter, these
will surely be sold in a short time. (307 pages, hardbound: Smyth
sewn and bound with a gray roxite cloth cover, gold stamped.)
#980103. $45.00.
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Canadian Military Postal Markings. (W.J. Bailey & E.R. Toop/1996): Final Canadian Military Postal History book by these writers, a massive work in two soft bound volumes with multi-color cover & slip case. (872 pages; softbound.) #760106. $110.00.
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Mellone's Photo Encyclopedia of U.S.S. Akron & Macon Event
Covers. (John F. Ullmann/1996): Contains photographs and current
market prices of more than 2,700 city and ship cancels on event
covers commemorating the Akron & Macon dirigibles. Indicates
cachet maker, color and quantity issued, when known. Uses unique
numbering system for types. (352 pages; softbound.) #970379.$40.00.
ILLINOIS RESIDENTS: Add 8.5% state sales tax to your order.
INTERNATIONAL ORDERS: Before ordering, please email us for the shipping charge.
To view our Mail Bid Sale catalog, click here.
To go to our Postal History Net Price List, click here.
To see our list of Supplies for Collectors, click here.
For information about consigning material for our Mail
Bid Sales, click here.
To see our Show Calendar for Collectors of Stamps, Postal History
and Postcards, click here.
To see our Postcard Net Price List click here.
To see our Old-Time Postmark Calendar click here.
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©2002 Jim Mehrer. REPRODUCTION OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS
PAGE, IN PART OR WHOLE, IS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED.