Variant c applies to Type 12 cancels and indicates that they have a split inner circle.
The following cancel is classified as Type 12-1c(n+) (USS)
The “-1” variation indicates that “U.S. Navy” appears in the dial in addition to the ship’s name. The “c” variation indicates that the inner circle is split. The “(n+)” variation indicates that the ship’s designation and hull number are given in parenthesis and are separated by a dash. The “USS” variation indicates that the letters USS before the ship’s name do not have the normal periods after them (ie, U.S.S.).
The following cancel is classified as Type 12-2(n+) (USS, FPO AE 09534-1662)
The “-2” variation indicates that “FPO” and a ZIP Code appear in the dial in addition to the ship’s name. The “(n+)” variation indicates that the ship’s designation and hull number are given in parenthesis and are separated by a dash. The “USS” variation indicates that the letters USS before the ship’s name do not have the normal periods after them (ie, U.S.S.). “FPO AP 09534-1662” is the FPO address of the ship at the time of the cancel.
The above example is provided to show what the dial of a normal Type 12 cancel looks like in comparison to the c variant.