Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
Discussion - Member to Member Sales - Research Center
When sending anything of value that is not insured. do not use old commemorative stamps, as it is an invitation to look inside. Use the modern commems, and use up the old ones on regular mail, and insured mail. Usually, if I am sending a large envelope, like the US Flat Rate, if it is insured, I cover it with early plate blocks, and other early US postage. Currently I have a couple of thousand dollars in old postage (not for sale), just for me to use, and others to enjoy getting them, nicely canceled. MY PO lets me cancel the stamps at the PO window, myself, so sometimes I give a nice smack on the nose cancel, or just cancel at a corner of the stamp. If a block, it is usually right in the middle. Only thing I do not like is that the ink is red, and cannot get them to use black ink.
Richaard
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Hi Richaard,
Yes. The red ink commonly used for hand cancellation is annoying. The Postal Operations Manual (POM) expressly prescribed black ink for all postmarking purposes (sec. 444.4; generally about postmarking see section 443). In addition, there is a whole section about postmarking for philatelic purposes (section 231 ff):
POM Section 231.31:
"Employees should strive to furnish clear and
legible postmarks to stamp collectors by ensuring that postmarking machines and hand-stamp
devices are properly inked. Postal employees must give special attention to mail bearing an endorsement of philatelic value or to requests for light postmarks and should avoid canceling
stamps by pen or illegible smudging; however, stamps must be postmarked sufficiently to protect
postal revenue."
POM 231.34
"All hand-stamped postmarks are made with
black ink, unless authorized by stamp services."
If you do not want to have the already cancelled envelopes go through the machine again, the envelopes should be bagged and marked as 'nonmachinable' -- there is some language in there as well, requiring the postal clerk to do that.
Don't think that throwing the book at the postal clerk will help much, certainly, it won't make you friends, but nice to know the official regulations regardless in case you should ever need them.
Below is a link to the POM (an enormous PDF-file):
http://www.nalc.org/depart/cau/pdf/manuals/POM/POM_9--12_08.pdf
I may want to add, saving a copy of the POM is a good resource for modern postal history. It specifies in detail how mail is to be handled. So one can look up when there still is a requirement to backstamp mail today etc. All the stuff, we at times have a hard time figuring out for 1800s mail, now saveable as a pdf for modern postal history.
Arno
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04:11:37pm
When I was a postal clerk in the navy, we were out at sea for a few months. I ran out of black ink for postmarking the mail so I was using red ink. The black ink was on order but never seemed to come. When we hit Olongopo in the Philippines, I got my head handed to me by the Master Chief Postal Clerk for using red ink. He immediately made sure I got a supply of black ink. He also got me off mess duty as I was the only postal clerk on the ship.
Bob
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Just noted the comments above re instructions to postal clerks.
Wish the British post office had one of these. The one they seem to use, under the philatelic section, must just say "find the biggest felt tip pen you can to mutilate stamps then repeat the actions muliple times
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Just my 2 cents worth,
When sending anything of value that is not insured. do not use old commemorative stamps, as it is an invitation to look inside. Use the modern commems, and use up the old ones on regular mail, and insured mail. Usually, if I am sending a large envelope, like the US Flat Rate, if it is insured, I cover it with early plate blocks, and other early US postage. Currently I have a couple of thousand dollars in old postage (not for sale), just for me to use, and others to enjoy getting them, nicely canceled. MY PO lets me cancel the stamps at the PO window, myself, so sometimes I give a nice smack on the nose cancel, or just cancel at a corner of the stamp. If a block, it is usually right in the middle. Only thing I do not like is that the ink is red, and cannot get them to use black ink.
Richaard
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this post
re: Requirement that clerks use black ink
Hi Richaard,
Yes. The red ink commonly used for hand cancellation is annoying. The Postal Operations Manual (POM) expressly prescribed black ink for all postmarking purposes (sec. 444.4; generally about postmarking see section 443). In addition, there is a whole section about postmarking for philatelic purposes (section 231 ff):
POM Section 231.31:
"Employees should strive to furnish clear and
legible postmarks to stamp collectors by ensuring that postmarking machines and hand-stamp
devices are properly inked. Postal employees must give special attention to mail bearing an endorsement of philatelic value or to requests for light postmarks and should avoid canceling
stamps by pen or illegible smudging; however, stamps must be postmarked sufficiently to protect
postal revenue."
POM 231.34
"All hand-stamped postmarks are made with
black ink, unless authorized by stamp services."
If you do not want to have the already cancelled envelopes go through the machine again, the envelopes should be bagged and marked as 'nonmachinable' -- there is some language in there as well, requiring the postal clerk to do that.
Don't think that throwing the book at the postal clerk will help much, certainly, it won't make you friends, but nice to know the official regulations regardless in case you should ever need them.
Below is a link to the POM (an enormous PDF-file):
http://www.nalc.org/depart/cau/pdf/manuals/POM/POM_9--12_08.pdf
I may want to add, saving a copy of the POM is a good resource for modern postal history. It specifies in detail how mail is to be handled. So one can look up when there still is a requirement to backstamp mail today etc. All the stuff, we at times have a hard time figuring out for 1800s mail, now saveable as a pdf for modern postal history.
Arno
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Immediate Past President - West Essex Philatelic Society www.wepsonline.org
31 Jul 2010
04:11:37pm
re: Requirement that clerks use black ink
When I was a postal clerk in the navy, we were out at sea for a few months. I ran out of black ink for postmarking the mail so I was using red ink. The black ink was on order but never seemed to come. When we hit Olongopo in the Philippines, I got my head handed to me by the Master Chief Postal Clerk for using red ink. He immediately made sure I got a supply of black ink. He also got me off mess duty as I was the only postal clerk on the ship.
Bob
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07:42:33am
re: Requirement that clerks use black ink
Just noted the comments above re instructions to postal clerks.
Wish the British post office had one of these. The one they seem to use, under the philatelic section, must just say "find the biggest felt tip pen you can to mutilate stamps then repeat the actions muliple times
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