brightonpete
Departed
Rest in Peace
On a hike at Goodrich-Loomis
Posts: 5,110 
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Post by brightonpete on Jul 15, 2018 18:26:15 GMT
I was at the local post office wanting something & the clerk opened up the top drawer. I spied 2 different items, which are shown below. I recall as a kid, they were quite cheap, but when I bought these, they were $7.50 each! Quite the price for someone, somewhere to mail a letter at no cost to them! The only difference on the backside are the dates & the UPC code. The first one has a 2013 date, the second 2017. I guess they'd have a new one now. Has anyone ever used these before? I bought a couple as a kid, but only to collect. Although they have vanished from my collection now, just like the Bileski cinderella's.
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ajkitt
Member 
Inactive
Posts: 175
What I collect: Classics, Central Europe, World
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Post by ajkitt on Jul 16, 2018 13:40:50 GMT
I was at the local post office wanting something & the clerk opened up the top drawer. I spied 2 different items, which are shown below. I recall as a kid, they were quite cheap, but when I bought these, they were $7.50 each! Quite the price for someone, somewhere to mail a letter at no cost to them! The only difference on the backside are the dates & the UPC code. The first one has a 2013 date, the second 2017. I guess they'd have a new one now. Has anyone ever used these before? I bought a couple as a kid, but only to collect. Although they have vanished from my collection now, just like the Bileski cinderella's. I've never used one (nor even seen one), but after WW2 they seem to have been required in Germany to send a letter outside the country ('45 - '48 the occupation years). What exactly are they for? |
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brightonpete
Departed
Rest in Peace
On a hike at Goodrich-Loomis
Posts: 5,110
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Post by brightonpete on Jul 16, 2018 13:53:08 GMT
I was at the local post office wanting something & the clerk opened up the top drawer. I spied 2 different items, which are shown below. I recall as a kid, they were quite cheap, but when I bought these, they were $7.50 each! Quite the price for someone, somewhere to mail a letter at no cost to them! The only difference on the backside are the dates & the UPC code. The first one has a 2013 date, the second 2017. I guess they'd have a new one now. Has anyone ever used these before? I bought a couple as a kid, but only to collect. Although they have vanished from my collection now, just like the Bileski cinderella's. I've never used one (nor even seen one), but after WW2 they seem to have been required in Germany to send a letter outside the country ('45 - '48 the occupation years). What exactly are they for? They can be used by the recipient of the letter to pay for the return mail to the original sender. Airmail rates apply on these. So if I were to send someone outside my country for something, I could add one of these, so they would not have to pay for return postage. A number of stamp dealers used to request one if one wanted anything from them years ago. There were also Imperial & Commonwealth Reply coupons for use within the British Commonwealth. |
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Post by dgdecker on Jul 16, 2018 16:45:49 GMT
I have seen a few older ones over there years but know of no one who ever used them. Interesting to see that Canada Post still carries them. I wonder if there are any other postal authorities that still produce them.
david
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hrdoktorx
Member
Posts: 7,213
What I collect: France (and French territories), Africa, Canada, USA, Germany, Guatemala, stamps about science, flags, maps, stamps on stamps...
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Post by hrdoktorx on Sept 12, 2018 8:39:54 GMT
I never used an International Reply Coupon, but you can find them in France too (same design as the Canadian ones, I suspect it's the same UPU-wide). The designs also seem to change every year.  They used to look a lot less fancy and a little smaller, here's another exemplar from Canada in 1989:  |
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Post by classicalstamps on Sept 12, 2018 10:50:59 GMT
They were 'used' by Ponzi in his now infamous scheme.
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kasvik
Member
Posts: 606
What I collect: Cancels mostly, especially Sweden Gävle and Lidingö, Switzerland Geneva, Germany Pforzheim
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Post by kasvik on Nov 1, 2019 16:27:37 GMT
They were 'used' by Ponzi in his now infamous scheme.
Is the UPU mostly promoting romance in the face of technological change? Or is there still a major role for these? |
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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 19, 2020 18:09:04 GMT
I collect U.S. IRC's, but have acquired a number of them from other countries in the process. The U.S. stopped selling them in 2013 however, in some countries they remain an option for the prepayment of return postage from a foreign country. Here are a few examples from other countries (design types are from Scott): Sweden (Type B)  Denmark (Type C)  Brazil (Type D)  France (Type E)  Great Britain (Type F)  |
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JeffS
Member
Posts: 2,837
What I collect: Oranges Philately, US Slogan Cancels, Cape of Good Hope Triangulars, and Texas poster stamps and cinderellas
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Post by JeffS on Feb 19, 2020 19:02:16 GMT
I don't collect these but do have an example in my 4-cent Prominent American Lincoln collection: 22-cent IRC uprated with added postage stamp to 26 cents Rate in effect January 5 1975 through January 1 1976
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brightonpete
Departed
Rest in Peace
On a hike at Goodrich-Loomis
Posts: 5,110
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Post by brightonpete on Feb 19, 2020 20:55:27 GMT
At least yours ( tomiseksj & JeffS) were properly cancelled on purchase. I declined to have mine stamped when bought as they have such an ugly steel, over-inked stamp that would just make a mess of the coupon. If I ever decide to use it, I can have them cancel it then. At that point, it won't matter to me! |
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oldpapercollect
Member
All giveaways have ended. Thank you.
Posts: 384
What I collect: UPU, UNITED NATIONS, SCOUTS ON STAMPS, CHICKENS ON STAMPS, ESPERANTO & CINDERELLA STAMPS and ISRAEL POST OFFICE OPENINGS SINCE 1948
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Post by oldpapercollect on May 29, 2020 22:41:24 GMT
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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 Jul 18, 2020 14:21:45 GMT
Beginning May 2, 1959, U.S. post offices were instructed to surcharge the 13 cent coupon (Scott IRC15) at 15 cents (Scott IRC16). Below are four of the revalued coupons that recently joined my collection.  |
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oldpapercollect
Member
All giveaways have ended. Thank you.
Posts: 384
What I collect: UPU, UNITED NATIONS, SCOUTS ON STAMPS, CHICKENS ON STAMPS, ESPERANTO & CINDERELLA STAMPS and ISRAEL POST OFFICE OPENINGS SINCE 1948
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Post by oldpapercollect on Jul 19, 2020 9:04:30 GMT
And there was this!
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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 Jul 19, 2020 12:38:26 GMT
The coupon shown in the previous post was issued in 1964 and is categorized as Scott IRC 18, although it may have been IRC 18a, depending upon the depth of the printing on its reverse. That issue is easily differentiated from the 15 cent coupon it replaced by the text in the box on the face at lower left. A Scott IRC 17, issued May 2, 1959, is shown below for comparison (I'm still looking for one that has been postmarked by the issuing post office).  |
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426 
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Oct 11, 2023 5:43:58 GMT
I got this Japanese IRC today from a Postcrosser. This is the first time I saw such a thing in my life! I bet the young clerks at my post office don't know what to do with it!   Does anyone want to have this piece? |
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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 Oct 11, 2023 15:09:39 GMT
Linda , IRCs (International Reply (or Response) Coupons) provide for payment of postage on a return letter to the country that issued the coupon -- in this case, Japan. If they aren't already aware, you've got a great opportunity to help educate those "young clerks." When a coupon is presented for exchange for stamps, the receiving clerk will apply a postmark to the right-hand circle, indicating that it had been redeemed. Redeemed coupons are typically retaind by the post office making the exchange; however, some make their way into the public domain. 
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hrdoktorx
Member
Posts: 7,213
What I collect: France (and French territories), Africa, Canada, USA, Germany, Guatemala, stamps about science, flags, maps, stamps on stamps...
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Post by hrdoktorx on Oct 13, 2023 20:44:14 GMT
International Reply Coupon stamped in Hanau (Germany) in 1944:  |
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on May 9, 2024 14:53:42 GMT
I got a new one from Romania: It features the same graphic design than the Japanese one previously shared, only the name of the country is different.   |
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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 Aug 2, 2024 21:37:18 GMT
And then there were three...
I recently wrote in another thread that I had taken a chance by bidding on a lot of 8 assorted U.S IRCs in the hope that one would fill a hole in my IRC collection (image quality precluded a positive ID). The lot arrived in this morning's mail and I am pleased to report that I'm now missing 3 to complete the collection. This unused 9 cent blue and yellow coupon with double lined UPU watermark was issued in 1936 and was the first U.S. IRC of this design (Scott IRC9). The Los Angeles, California postmark is dated November 1936 -- no date is discernible.  
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rod222
Member
Posts: 11,043
What I collect: Worldwide Stamps, Ephemera and Catalogues
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Post by rod222 on Aug 2, 2024 22:17:26 GMT
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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 Aug 2, 2024 22:21:49 GMT
It should be noted that the Commonwealth and Imperial Reply Coupons are different than the International Reply Coupons in that they are restricted to use within countries within the Commonwealth and British Empire, respectively.
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Linda
Member
Ex-mathematician turned visual artist and touring cyclist to bike across Canada, Europe, Japan etc.
Posts: 1,426
What I collect: Mostly Canadian and European stamps about art / science / landscape
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Post by Linda on Oct 12, 2024 11:27:33 GMT
150th Anniversary edition of IRC from Faroe Islands:   |
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