Machine postmark

In the United States, the first successful postmarking machine was developed by Thomas Leavitt in the 1870s, with covers known from 1876.

Cancellations were of a variety of forms, including horizontal and diagonal lines, as well as "football" shapes.

During the 1890s dozens of other companies got into the business, although most were short-lived, and only about six, including Pitney-Bowes, lasted past the 1920s.

Slogan cancels also first appeared in the 1890s, initially to advertise the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, gradually expanding to include a wide variety of uses.

Slogans are commonplace today, with the US Postal Service still using them to promote special events, as well as to encourage better mailing practices (use of ZIP Code, proper addressing, etc.