CTO

CTO, or cancelled-to-order, refers to stamps that are cancelled and sold by post offices to jobbers and dealers, who then sell them on to collectors. This can include cancelled stamps sold at face value to ones sold at a small fraction of face value. See also: Favor cancels. Many Eastern European countries including Russia, French Community countries and others have produced these over the years.

This often allows collectors to obtain stamps quite cheaply and easily. However, in some cases, for East Germany most notably, there is/was a "blocked value" from a set that is not released as a CTO. Even mint copies were only sold for hard non-native currency and in complete sets only, so that collectors attempting to complete a set used are in for a tough time. Sometimes, stamps taken from first day covers can be found.

CTO cancels are generally recognizable by being printed or at least extremely clearly struck. Some cancels are composed of dots to imitate incomplete inking but are often too dark and too cleanly struck to be taken for postal cancels. The cancels are almost always neatly placed CDSs in the corner of a stamp. Of course, the obvious tipoff is that CTOs usually have full gum. In the cases where prices for used are higher like Italy and its colonies and offices abroad, CTOs should be valued based on the (lower) mint price. Stamps with pictorial first day cancels may or may not be considered CTOs; many examples are sourced through kiloware sold by post offices selling clippings from unsold FDCs.

While many experienced collectors mock CTOs, not all are to be shunned. In many cases, particularly for places with relatively few postal users like Ascension, French Southern and Antarctic Territories and others, postally used stamps, not to mention complete used sets, are truly difficult if not close to impossible to find. So, CTOs sold at face will enable collectors to have a chance at completing collections, That is, unless an extremely difficult challenge is your cup of tea. In fact, CTOs are preferred on modern stamps for many collectors of Germany, Sweden and Switzerland, since SOTN or corner CDS cancels can be had as new issues.  File:Cameroun satellite CTO.jpg|The very black and neatly placed corner cancel marks this Cameroun stamp as a CTO, as does its full gum. File:Iran 2k reprint CTO.jpg|Iran 2kr CTO. Only reprints of this issue come CTO so the cancel identifies the cancelled reprints as well. File:Rhodes semi.jpg|Rhodes semipostal. Many Italian colony islands exist with CTO cancels. File:Japan ship.jpg|Japan roller cancel used on stamps sold as kiloware from the post office. File:Rhodesia arms A.jpg|Many Rhodesia stamps like this 4d value and similar arms designs are often found CTO. 