rogo
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Post by rogo on Apr 27, 2014 2:43:34 GMT
This isn't Marker Monkeys. More like Border Patrol Tape Trolls. Surprisingly, the tape peeled off without damaging the stamps. However, once I got it off I realized that the cover was probably more interesting with the tape than without it.   Arrggghhh..... sometimes trying to be too neat is a curse..... |
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rod222
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Posts: 11,047
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps, Ephemera and Catalogues
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Post by rod222 on Apr 27, 2014 2:44:37 GMT
This isn't Marker Monkeys. More like Border Patrol Tape Trolls. Surprisingly, the tape peeled off without damaging the stamps. However, once I got it off I realized that the cover was probably more interesting with the tape than without it. Spot on! possibly not of huge interest now, but in 50 years, articles like this will be sought after. With philately I think you have to think 50 - 100 years hence, as to what will inspire collectors then. |
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rod222
Member
Posts: 11,047
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps, Ephemera and Catalogues
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Post by rod222 on Apr 27, 2014 3:55:50 GMT
This isn't Marker Monkeys. More like Border Patrol Tape Trolls. Surprisingly, the tape peeled off without damaging the stamps. However, once I got it off I realized that the cover was probably more interesting with the tape than without it. Spot on! possibly not of huge interest now, but in 50 years, articles like this will be sought after. With philately I think you have to think 50 - 100 years hence, as to what will inspire collectors then. An example of my own with Australian Tape, from a Swedish Stamp Trader.  |
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rogo
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Post by rogo on Apr 27, 2014 16:15:10 GMT
An example of my own with Australian Tape, from a Swedish Stamp Trader. Before going off on a tirade on how much a travesty this is....... what is/was the government looking for? I'm thinking that envelope is a bit small for an exotic fruit or animal...... was Sweden experiencing an epidemic that threatened mankind at the time??? |
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Zuzu
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Self-Proclaimed Black Belt in Google Fu
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Post by Zuzu on Apr 27, 2014 20:17:02 GMT
I quite like yours, Rod! The Tape Wielder was neat about it and avoided the stamps. I agree that this will be a very collectible piece.
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rod222
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Posts: 11,047
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps, Ephemera and Catalogues
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Post by rod222 on Apr 28, 2014 3:00:06 GMT
Hi Mike, I don't mind at all, just part of philatelic history.
We are an island, a rather large one at that, we have to try and protect our agriculture.
We are multi cultural, so a lot of our people have exotic tastes from their own heritage, and try to bring in goods that may wipe out
certain crops etc, we only have to look at the Cane Toad (Govt sponsored) that has wiped out huge volumes of native fauna.
They will be looking for seeds etc.
People regularly get caught trying to smuggle birds, parrots in cardboard tubes, lizards etc from our fauna.
I'd be OK if they looked at every letter.
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rogo
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Posts: 167
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Post by rogo on Apr 28, 2014 3:28:46 GMT
Hi Mike, I don't mind at all, just part of philatelic history. We are an island, a rather large one at that, we have to try and protect our agriculture. We are multi cultural, so a lot of our people have exotic tastes from their own heritage, and try to bring in goods that may wipe out certain crops etc, we only have to look at the Cane Toad (Govt sponsored) that has wiped out huge volumes of native fauna. They will be looking for seeds etc. People regularly get caught trying to smuggle birds, parrots in cardboard tubes, lizards etc from our fauna. I'd be OK if they looked at every letter. I understand the reasoning behind opening the mail looking for items you mention..... but seriously, that envelope does not appear it would be able to contain contraband of concern, seeds maybe but I believe the government would have a better way of determining contents. I was wondering if maybe your seller was on some kind of terrorist list  ........We know all about invasive species here....... the latest being the Zebra Mussel infesting the Great Lakes. A tiny marine organism, playing havoc in the eco-system. The theorem being they were introduced by foreign ships dumping ballast water. Living in Michigan, a peninsula surrounded by four of the five Great Lakes we are greatly affected. |
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tomiseksj
Moderator 
Woodbridge, Virginia, USA
Posts: 6,385
What I collect: Worldwide stamps/covers, Cinderellas, Ohio Prepaid Sales Tax Receipts, U.S. WWII Ration ephemera
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Post by tomiseksj on Jun 17, 2016 0:00:01 GMT
I received the April-June edition of the American Tax Token Society Newsletter today...the stamps on cover had been cancelled with a unique "wave postmark" which surely must have been designed for use on covers bearing a "$1 Patriotic Waves" stamp (Scott 4953; Jan 12, 2015).   |
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Ryan
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Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,749
What I collect: If I have a catalogue for it, I collect it. And I have many catalogues ....
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Post by Ryan on Jun 17, 2016 2:50:59 GMT
When they were issued, the internet was ablaze with rage over the supposed lack of merits of those Waves of Color stamps, but I really like them. I wish I came across them more often! I have a few of the $1 stamps, maybe 2 copies of the $2 stamp and none of the $5 or $10 issues.
Ryan
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tomiseksj
Moderator
Woodbridge, Virginia, USA
Posts: 6,385
What I collect: Worldwide stamps/covers, Cinderellas, Ohio Prepaid Sales Tax Receipts, U.S. WWII Ration ephemera
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Post by tomiseksj on Nov 21, 2017 20:19:23 GMT
It is difficult to find fault with someone who is doing his or her job but I really wish there was a better way... |
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Post by dgdecker on Nov 22, 2017 17:41:57 GMT
I am getting more and more mail with hand cancellations or none at all. Mostly from Canada, US and UK. My local post office still uses and hand stamp and the clerk asks me how I want the post marks place. She is excellent at making .clear and clean postmarks .
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Beryllium Guy
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Posts: 5,908
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Nov 30, 2017 6:20:43 GMT
Nothing overly dramatic here, but I have been disappointed that stamps which already bear perfectly valid hand-cancellations have been subjected to this sort of treatment by members of the USPS. These last two years here in Arizona, I have not seen this very often, but when I lived in Southern California from 2007-2012, it happened on philatelic packages frequently.  |
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Beryllium Guy
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What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Dec 15, 2017 21:59:25 GMT
Here is another example taken from a philatelic package sent to me earlier this year with some nice stamps on it which was irretrievably defaced by an employee of the USPS, probably here at the receiving end in Arizona, as I notice in this case that the stamps were apparently uncancelled prior to the application of the indelible marker.  |
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Mick
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Posts: 992
What I collect: Mostly covers and postmarks. Also miscellaneous paper ephemera.
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Post by Mick on Jan 3, 2018 1:53:18 GMT
It would have been nice to have a postmark on this block, but alas.  |
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Post by dgdecker on Jan 3, 2018 5:09:17 GMT
My local postal outlet will actually hand cancel my envelopes for me. The clerk there knows the postmark is very important to collectors. I will rarely ever drop mail in a post box. I get too many stamps destroyed like in this image. Or I get stamps with out any cancellation marks at all.
david
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,908
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Jan 3, 2018 6:33:28 GMT
It would have been nice to have a postmark on this block, but alas. Well said, Mick! Below is the most lamentable example of this philatelic vandalism that I have had the misfortune to receive--a very nicely hand-cancelled "Airlift for our Servicemen" plate block, which was then completely defaced with a black crayon. Leaving the hand-cancellation alone would have been nice, but alas....  |
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tomiseksj
Moderator
Woodbridge, Virginia, USA
Posts: 6,385
What I collect: Worldwide stamps/covers, Cinderellas, Ohio Prepaid Sales Tax Receipts, U.S. WWII Ration ephemera
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Post by tomiseksj on Jan 3, 2018 13:07:42 GMT
Even though I dislike the practice, it is hard to find fault with a carrier that is doing his or her job by defacing postage that has not been cancelled.
It is just wrong when they do so to postage that has appropriately and discernibly been cancelled.
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Beryllium Guy
Moderator
Posts: 5,908
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps 1840-1930
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Post by Beryllium Guy on Jan 3, 2018 16:48:10 GMT
Even though I dislike the practice, it is hard to find fault with a carrier that is doing his or her job by defacing postage that has not been cancelled. It is just wrong when they do so to postage that has appropriately and discernibly been cancelled. My sentiments exactly! |
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angore
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What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Jan 20, 2018 17:46:54 GMT
Wounded Warriors  |
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tomiseksj
Moderator
Woodbridge, Virginia, USA
Posts: 6,385
What I collect: Worldwide stamps/covers, Cinderellas, Ohio Prepaid Sales Tax Receipts, U.S. WWII Ration ephemera
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Post by tomiseksj on Feb 4, 2018 18:05:12 GMT
I was quite fortunate to receive this item in Saturday's mail. It seems clear that the conscientious postal worker, with due diligence and without hesitation, executed his or her duty to prevent reuse with a single, decisively bold stroke of the marker and then signed the piece at lower right. I wonder what it would yield as an eBay offering... |
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Londonbus1
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Cinderella Stamp Club Member 3059
Posts: 5,064
What I collect: Wonderland; 1912 Jubilee International Stamp Exhibition, London ('Ideal' Stamp, ephemera); French Cinderellas with an emphasis on Poster Stamps; Israel and Palestine Cinderellas ; Jewish National Fund Stamps, Labels and Tags; London 2010, A Festival of Stamps (anything); South Africa 1937 Coronation issue of KGVI, singles or bi-lingual pairs.
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Post by Londonbus1 on Sept 12, 2019 22:13:23 GMT
This thread hasn't seen an addition of late (about 1½ years in fact) and although I have received a fair number in recent times, nothing gave me the gobsmacked feeling that I had today.....nothing.   Last Monday (2nd). I received in a nice bubble wrap envelope, a Catalogue from a top auction house in London showing , amongst other lots, the collection of our former (deceased) member Anping. Nicely wrapped and sealed, with Company postage, the catalogue was still a little smashed up which was annoying...but heh, this is 2019 !! Today. I was in an important meeting when our village Secretary came in and handed me a very disheveled, bashed-up, open-on-two-and-a-half-sides envelope that looked like it had been under my lawn mower !! Everyone at the meeting insisted on looking at it. Inside was the same auction catalogue that I received last Monday !!  This one, miraculously, was in perfect condition. The plain brown envelope was franked with stamps to the value of £13.11p and they were very nicely cancelled !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   So they wasted all that money sending a second catalogue because of.....well, lets call it an oversight (I am in a polite mood) and then my hero Royal Mail are too damn lazy to give it the treatment all those stamps deserve. I am going to frame it. I have sent a scan to RM to ask for my money back (I know, it's not my money). I told them what I would do if the cheque was not in the post by Monday. I'm off to bed. Goodnight. Londonbus1 |
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Post by feebletodix on Sept 13, 2019 8:08:01 GMT
Alas Royal Mail workers do not care, either customer services or the monkey with the pen in the sorting office.
There are two ways to avoid this, the first put it into a postbox that gets sorted by machine. IF it gets handled by a monkey it gets drawn on. The other is to make up an address label on paper then get the counter staff to cancel the stamps as a favour before putting it into a clear plastic envelope and sealing the envelope down with a customs form. Without the seal formed by the customs document they pull the paper out and draw n the stamps despite the cancel.
The customer service reply will be 'using a pen is the approved procedure'.
This is really rather offensive when you consider they have an income stream from collectors.
Nor is it any good calling out the management because they no longer work for the Crown but their shareholders. If you think they care let me point out Royal Mail was sold off with a cash reserve for the increase in pay of the workforce. The chief executive (a very greedy monkey) refused to give the workers a pay rise. When the union settled the reserve for the pay rise was given as a dividend to shareholders. This paid for their purchase of the shares and the greed monkey found another job having been paid millions!
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Post by stamphinger on Sept 13, 2019 12:46:25 GMT
The Revenue Protection squad is still active in the U.S. too. I got this item in the mail last week. Glad I don't collect U.S. anymore.
Don StampHinger
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stanley64
Member
Posts: 1,979
What I collect: Canada, USA, Netherlands, Portugal & Colonies, Antarctic Territories and anything that catches my eye...
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Post by stanley64 on Oct 11, 2019 14:51:31 GMT
It is always pleasant to receive a colourful package/envelope in the post, but as with others who have shared in this thread, the pen cancel on today's mail is disappointing to say the least... nice stamps though ;-)
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renden
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Posts: 9,162
What I collect: Canada-USA-France-Lithuania-Austria--Germany-Mauritius-French Colonies in Africa
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Post by renden on Oct 11, 2019 15:04:08 GMT
Just arrived from the Post Office - pen cancels are ugly !! I have the chance to cancel all my outgoing envelopes - The clerk even hands me the cancel machine (for no better word at the moment) and I requested they change their "ugly" square cancel with a round cancel (like they use to have)  |
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Londonbus1
Moderator
Cinderella Stamp Club Member 3059
Posts: 5,064
What I collect: Wonderland; 1912 Jubilee International Stamp Exhibition, London ('Ideal' Stamp, ephemera); French Cinderellas with an emphasis on Poster Stamps; Israel and Palestine Cinderellas ; Jewish National Fund Stamps, Labels and Tags; London 2010, A Festival of Stamps (anything); South Africa 1937 Coronation issue of KGVI, singles or bi-lingual pairs.
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Post by Londonbus1 on Apr 4, 2020 12:10:19 GMT
Another batch of lovely stamps down the swanee ! Of all the mail I get these days from GB,USA,Canada, Australia 65% is not cancelled at all; 33% is cancelled violently by a misinformed employee and 2% is cancelled (mostly not very nicely!).   |
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mikeclevenger
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Posts: 887
What I collect: Ohio Tax Stamps, Ohio & Georgia Revenues, US Revenues, US FDC's, & Germany Classics
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Post by mikeclevenger on Apr 4, 2020 13:09:20 GMT
OK, this certainly isn't the worst one I have ever received but the worst one in a while. WHY on earth did she do that? She knows I'm a stamp collector too? In fact she's fascinated by it- they both are and me questions all the time? Oh well I guess I can't really stay mad; after-all they're just doing their job I guess?... Apparently she didn't like your Christmas gift this year, or did you forget all together? LOL |
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daveg28
Member
Posts: 1,062
What I collect: U.S., Canada, Great Britain & Commonwealth, France (esp. 1950-80), DDR, USSR
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Post by daveg28 on Apr 4, 2020 13:24:57 GMT
Are these seriously unwanted? I would take all of the marker cancel UK stamps you don’t want. I can’t really get any used UK stamps, so I’d take whatever I can get to fill my album.
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Londonbus1
Moderator
Cinderella Stamp Club Member 3059
Posts: 5,064
What I collect: Wonderland; 1912 Jubilee International Stamp Exhibition, London ('Ideal' Stamp, ephemera); French Cinderellas with an emphasis on Poster Stamps; Israel and Palestine Cinderellas ; Jewish National Fund Stamps, Labels and Tags; London 2010, A Festival of Stamps (anything); South Africa 1937 Coronation issue of KGVI, singles or bi-lingual pairs.
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Post by Londonbus1 on Apr 4, 2020 13:32:10 GMT
daveg28........if it's the commemoratives you are after I probably have all those in used condition. If you are loads missing from years 1980-2000 I can help you. I'll check my box of GB during the upcoming holidays.........just for you ! Londonbus1
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daveg28
Member
Posts: 1,062
What I collect: U.S., Canada, Great Britain & Commonwealth, France (esp. 1950-80), DDR, USSR
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Post by daveg28 on Apr 4, 2020 13:48:23 GMT
I have some from that period, but not a lot. It’s a challenge to find them in Ohio!
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........We know all about invasive species here....... the latest being the Zebra Mussel infesting the Great Lakes. A tiny marine organism, playing havoc in the eco-system. The theorem being they were introduced by foreign ships dumping ballast water. Living in Michigan, a peninsula surrounded by four of the five Great Lakes we are greatly affected.
This one, miraculously, was in perfect condition. The plain brown envelope was franked with stamps to the value of £13.11p and they were very nicely cancelled !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
