stampguyusa
Member
Inactive
State Revenue Society Member #1119
Posts: 69
What I collect: Worldwide, USA used until self-adhestives, specialize in India
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Post by stampguyusa on Mar 3, 2019 7:21:48 GMT
Can a person use special delivery mint stamps for regular postage? I have a few mint special delivery stamps and I don't collect mint. Thanks for your reply!
satmpguyusa
Jim
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khj
Member
Posts: 1,524
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Post by khj on Mar 3, 2019 7:41:10 GMT
No, they are not valid for any class of postage in the US other than Special Delivery, which is no longer available.
That's why they are excluded from dealer posted buy quotes.
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khj
Member
Posts: 1,524
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Post by khj on Mar 3, 2019 7:48:05 GMT
I know how much TSF members love to read the Domestic Mail Manual. Sorry to disappoint you, but I will only quote the relevant part of section P022. Read at your own risk, you may find some of the postage you have been using has been illegal usage... (don't shoot the stamp-collecting messenger) k
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stampguyusa
Member
Inactive
State Revenue Society Member #1119
Posts: 69
What I collect: Worldwide, USA used until self-adhestives, specialize in India
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Post by stampguyusa on Mar 3, 2019 12:48:42 GMT
Thanks for verifying what I thought, but I was not sure.
All the best,
Jim
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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 Mar 3, 2019 14:57:25 GMT
Jim ( stampguyusa ): I know that khj is absolutely correct in his assessment. That said, I can tell you that there are some people who use Special Delivery stamps or others not technically valid as regular postage for exactly that purpose, and they have gotten away with it. I have received letters franked with Special Delivery stamps in the recent past. One of the reasons it is possible to do, is because Special Delivery stamps have not been issued for so many years, that many current postal employees do not recognize them for what they are. As a case in point, I feel that it is highly unlikely that employees at the PO in the town in Arizona where I used to live would have recognized that these stamps were not valid for regular postage had I used them on any of my mailings. For the most part, they told me that they had never seen many of the stamps that I did use from the 1980s and 1990s, so I doubt that they would have recognized these, either, let alone been able to determine that they were issued to pay a particular service and were not valid for regular postage. To be clear, I am not recommending that you attempt to use your Special Delivery stamps as regular postage, but I am just letting you know that I have seen it done in the recent past, for what that is worth.... probably not much! Just something to enhance your cocktail party knowledge.
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