The use of "precancelled" stamps and USPS Form 3620
Cfmyers
Several years ago, I did an extensive project on the "Validity of US
Stamps and Postal Stationery." The document turned out to be a 7-page
monograph listing all of the USPS rules for the use of every type of stamp
one could image. Linn's Stamp News made reference to the document.
To sum up John Larson's experiences with precancels:
John is 100% correct in the need for a permit to use service-inscribed
stamps. The permit is obtained using USPS form 3615 (which replaces form
3620) and is issued at no cost. The Aurora IL post office may accept mail
if one just writes "first-class" below the service-inscribed stamps.
(Aurora is 100% wrong in doing so.) However, a down-stream post office
may not like it, and it is 100% legitimate for them to reject the letter..
It is not uncommon for a postmaster to stamp the service-inscribed stamps
"void" and return the letter to the sender. There have been numerous
photographic examples of this in Linn's over the last few years.
The "catch" is an illustration in the Domestic Mail Manual. DMM P023
Exhibit 1.12 refers to "rate precanceling" and shows a picture of a stamp
marked "first class presort." That's a service-inscribed stamp.
Service-inscribed stamps are therefore considered precancels and therefore
require a permit. I have confirmed this with letters with the USPS
Headquarters and USPS Rate & Classification in Memphis.
John also brought up the issue of Christmas precancels. These were stamps
issued by the USPS (some with the word "precanceled") designed to save the
post office time in handling Christmas mail. There were exempt from the
rules of having to have a permit. However, the exemption was documented
in Postal Bulletins over 20 years ago. A postmaster today might not
remember this. In my monograph, I recommended treating these stamps as
precancels and using your precancel permit. Technically, you do not have
to, but it beats getting your letters returned to you.
There is one type of precancel that does not require a permit. Many USPS
postal cards have three horizontal lines as part of the "stamp" design.
These horizontal lines are considered precancel lines--the idea is that
the USPS should not have to cancel a postal card because reusing the card
would be difficult.
For those of you that have a copy of my book, I Inherited a Stamp
Collection, Now What?, you'll find all of this information of the Validity
of US Stamps and Postal Stationery reproduced in Chapter 29.
Hope this helps!
Charlie Myers
APS 6780-172840
John L. Larson
I am a collector of plate number coils and have a "precancel permit"
(Form 3620) for the towns I previously lived in for the purpose of using
the scrap service-inscribed stamps that I must buy in order to get
the plate number.
I recently moved to Aurora, IL when upon asking for a precancel permit
I was told that I do not need one, and that mail containing the service-
inscribed stamps need only have an endorsement "first class mail"
under the stamps. Many collectors buy service-inscribed stamps at
the Aurora, IL Philatelic Window and use them on their mail in this
way (without permit).
In discussions with the philatelic clerk, it became evident that the
problem I was having in getting a permit was the definition of a
precanceled stamp. I insisted that service-inscribed stamps (ones with
the service requested printed as an integral part of the stamp design)
were precanceled stamps and that I needed a permit to use them on
first class mail, just as I did in all the previous places I lived.
We consulted the Domestic Mail Manual for help.
DMM P023.1.1. Definition of Precanceled Stamps. Precanceling is the
cancellation of adhesive postage stamps, stamped envelopes, or postal
cards before mailing. Precanceling may be done by the USPS or the
mailer under a postal permit. Precanceled commemoratives are not available.
The clerk showed me a 10-subject device used to produce precanceled stamps
locally. We agreed that we were not talking about mailer-applied
precancels. We did not find the words service-inscribed anywhere, and
believe that it is a philatelic term rather than a USPS term.
Additional relevent information was found in section DMM P022, Adhesive Stamps.
DMM P022.2.1. Validity of Stamps. All postage stamps issued by the United States
since 1860, unless listed in 2.2, are valid for postage from any point in the
United States or from any other place where U.S. mail service operates.
***** Bulk rate and nonprofit rate stamps (I would call these service-
inscribed stamps, JL) may be used to pay regular postage and fees for special
services if the mailpiece is correctly endorsed under the standards for the
class of mail and service requested. ***** ...
DMM P022.2.2 Invalid Stamps. (lists postage due, special delivery, etc. stamps,
but does not mention precanceled or service-inscribed stamps, JL)
We concluded that one could interpret the *****'ed section above as
allowing the use of service-inscribed stamps for first class mail
WITHOUT a precancel permit by the use of the endorsement "first class
mail" under the stamps.
Confusing the situation is that the current Philatelic catalog from
Kansas City identifies service-inscribed stamps as "precanceled".
One must remember that originally (1981 era) many of the service-inscribed
stamps were issued untagged with precancel bars (these were used with permit by
bulk mail and presort organizations). Before this time, fractional valued
stamps were issued with precancel bars with the service requested printed
between the bars. Collector (tagged) versions of both were issued without
precancel bars. Without the precancel bars, are the stamps precanceled?
Recall the 1975 self adhesive weather vane stamp that had the word
"precanceled"
as part of the design. Confusing, isn't it?
What do you think?
thanks
john larson
APS 104998
BIA 8499
Aps ken
John,
I wrote an opinion piece for Linn's ten years ago, which proposed the
terms "service inscription" and "service inscribed." Lin''s published it,
agreed with it, and adopted those terms. They are not postal terms.
Best wishes,
Ken Lawrence
Aps ken
Charlie Myers is not quite right. You need a permit to use precanceled
stamps. Not all service-inscribed stamps are precancels, and not all
precancels are service-inscribed.
Service-inscribed U.S. stamps include Air Mail, Postage Due, Special
Delivery, Special Handling, etc., as well as Presorted First-Class, Bulk
Rate, Nonprofit Org., CAR-RT SORT, and other discount-rate stamps.
Precancels include ordinary stamps with post office (city and state)
overprints that have no service endorsement.
Postal regultions provide for many service-inscribed stamps to be used for
purposes other than those designated by the inscription. At a minimum,
they require a true endorsement above the address; in some instances, they
also require a permit.
Some service-inscribed stamps (Special Delivery, Postage Due) may not be
used for any purpose other than the one designated.
The point of the distinction is that some discount-rate service-inscribed
stamps are regarded as precancels under postal regulations, but not under
the philatelic definitions used by most stamp collectors and even by most
precancel specialists.
Also, under postal regulations ALL postal cards may be treated as
precancels, not just those that have simulated cancellation lines in the
designs.
Ken Lawrence
David Ross
I strongly suggest you get a permit. I will relate my personal
experiences in a later posting; for now, I will just say that these
experiences made me glad I have a permit.
Note, however, that Form 3620 is obsolete. Permits already issued on
that form remain good. But new permits are being issued on Form 3615,
which contains on the back a summary of how to mail individual
first-class items with precanceled stamps. The permit is still free.
You must obtain it from a post office that handles permit mail, even if
you then want to use it at another post office. Just make sure that the
issuing post office endorses it for use at the other post office.
John Murray
lar...@ais.net (John L. Larson) wrote:
>
>DMM P022.2.2 Invalid Stamps. (lists postage due, special delivery, etc. stamps,
>but does not mention precanceled or service-inscribed stamps, JL)
Could you expand on the etc.? Are Newspaper stamps in this list?
John Murray
APS 175318
Stephen L Suffet
Greetings---
Newspaper stamps are not on the list, possibly an oversight.
However, they are not valid for postage, as they were demonitized by
Postmaster General's Order no. 232, dated June 14, 1898, published in the
Postal Bulletin June 16, 1898, and effective July 1, 1898.
Note that the U.S. newspaper stamps issued from 1875 on were never
sold to the public for use as postage. They were used within the post
office for internal accounting purposes only. The various Special
Printings were sold to the public, but with the understanding that they
were not valid for postage. In addition, remainders of the last newspaper
series, the 1895-1897 issue, were sold in complete sets to stamp
collectors for $5 per set in 1899. As these sets contained all values up
to $100, they were obviously not sold for postage!
The 1865 series -- the really big newspaper stamps -- were,
however, sold to the public for use as postage on bulk shipments of
newspapers and periodicals. Their use had long been discontinued by the
time the PMG's 1898 order was promulgated, so the argument could be made
that the PMG did not intend to include such stamps in the dometization. So
if you want to go ahead and spend $100 or more for a Scott #PR3 and use it
for 25c worth of postage, I won't argue the finer points of the law! :-)
(Anyway, it's my considered opinion that the 1898 order did apply
to all U.S. newspaper stamps.)
Kindest regards,
Steve Suffet