I cannot believe you guys...And i thought stamps were dead....Some of you are wondering why stamps are plastered all over the package... Well i have the answer for you all...Years ago the only way to house stamps into albums was with mounts or hinges until the slide in stamp albums were invented and mostly were made in china... Therefore this carzyness of MNH came along...It devalued anything previously mounted into an album and that is what i use on my packages...Anything that has a short perf or missing corner being torn wrongly off the sheet is also used..l have been doing it from 1977 to now. Please remember that these mint stamps were once paid for at the post office and still a form of cash.... Where the correct amount is concerned, if you send enough from the same post office and they get to know you, and none ever come back with "PORTO " or more to pay on them, then the post office can see you know their prices... At the start, i can guarentee they will add up the stamps on the packages but after a month or so, it will be accepted.... Another thing is once an item is postmarked, nobody else usually recounts as it should have been done to start with.... I am originally from Australia and over there they are more particular than in the USA....
i am sure the stamps are better than an adhesive sticker...
Now where the adhesive ( or self stick ) stamps are concerned as JBK said.... The backs come off very very easily but they have to be *** soaked in VERY VERY hot water*** and i don't just mean warm!!! You will see the glue starts to recede and then peels away....
You must stay there all the time or else the paper turns to mush. The paper is much thinner than stamps of olden days. However most collectors want stamps from the sheet and due to laziness nowadays, those are hard to find.
They are easy to tell apart due to the size of the perforations.
In australia the normal used stamps from the sheet retail at least $1 each for fine used items...meaning only 25% of the stamp has to be cancelled.... lf the cancel is just on a corner or side, i can guarentee it was CTO with gum soaked off....
Not very often these days you will find uncancelled stamps on packages due to the letter sorting machines doing their job.
I PERSONALLY ONLY COLLECT NICELY USED STAMPS THAT ARE CANCELLED ON THE BOTTOM LEFT HAND CORNER.
THAT SHOWS ME THERE IS A 99% CHANCE THEY GENUINELY WENT THROUGH THE MAIL AND WERE NOT JUST
POSTMARKED AT THE POST OFFICE COUNTER.
if you peole are not lazy and go into stamp shops to buy stamps ( minimum of at least $100.00 worth - meaning you will come out with the value of $120.00 ) you can be sure to get them at 80% of face value....But please dont go in with $20 OR SO as there will not be enough in it for the shopkeeper....I personally dont ruin stamps like JBK stated but i make sure that my off center or lightly mounted ones go on that package as they are not saleable to collectors. I can visualize JBK nodding his head... Many times in ebay, i have had buyers get back to me and i have sold them hundreds of dollars of mint stamps at a discounted price ( 89% )...The odd 9% is the paypal fees. Other than that, they can send a check but i have to wait until it is cleared at 80% plus shipping.
The minute i have done 2 deals with any one person, i trust them 101% and dont wait for checks to be cleared.
Lastly i am adding some pics of a few of packages i sent today....I can only give you the back of the packages as the front has the adresses and i am respecting those customers privacy....
One package you will see is even a priority mail medium box covered 3 sides with stamps..
hey overdate...Try plastering with 3c , 4c , 6c and 8c stamps....That is so much fun..They were on sale for a very long time and there are millions out there...Some of the time i even place plate blocks on a package...OIO
@BuffaloIronTail said:
Postage is postage. If you can get a 10 Cent stamp for 8 Cents, good deal.
As far as using stamps to mail a package, nothing wrong with that. The package HAS to go across a counter to enter the mail stream, though. Clerks are responsible for accepting it and making sure the package has the correct postage applied,
The busy nature of being a postal clerk with a line of customers waiting to conduct business will make even the most hardened clerk "accept" a statement that the postage is correct.
Important to note.............ALL stamps are supposed to be cancelled. Usually a clerk will set the package aside and "round date" the stamps when there is a lull in business.
Another thing to note is that ANY package with stamps that is dropped into a collection box is considered "suspicious". Dispatch Clerks are supposed to separate and tag the package before it leaves a facility. It is then evaluated by the processing center before entering the mail stream. This is post 9/11.
Pete (retired postal employee)
Slight clarification, a stamped package need only go across a counter IF it weighs more than a pound.
The thing for me is that I preferred nicely cancelled stamps. Uncancelled are the worst of both worlds - not mint and not clearly postally used (postmarked). I just throw those away.
As I u understand it (and you guys would know better) there is now actually less focus on postmarking stamps. So much postage these days is labels, etc.
@air4mdc said:
There is a local Coin and Stamp store in my town. They buy stamp collections ( stamps not cancelled) at half of their stamped value. They then turn around and use them on their postage at full value. Cuts postage in half.
you can buy retail lots of postage at 65% of Face Value. Check eBay. I sell $5,000 worth every year from collections I buy.
I purchased a few small collections at garage sales for the fun of looking. The artwork on some of the stamps from the 20's to 50's are beautiful. It's a shame in kind of way to see these pieces of art .....so to speak....used for ordinary postage.
The artwork on some of the stamps from the 20's to 50's are beautiful. It's a shame in kind of way to see these pieces of art .....so to speak....used for ordinary postage.
I would add many of the stamps from the 60s and 70s as well. I just put some on a letter tonight that would be frameable art if they were a little larger and signed by the artist (8 cent Wildlife Conservation series). Multicolor intaglio printing, truly a work of art.
What's the value of a forever stamp on a package? Current value? Even if I bought it for 42 cents?
Also, are forever stamps invalid for overseas shipping? I know other type of non-denominational stamps couldn't be used, but not sure about forever stamps...
What's the value of a forever stamp on a package? Current value? Even if I bought it for 42 cents?
Also, are forever stamps invalid for overseas shipping? I know other type of non-denominational stamps couldn't be used, but not sure about forever stamps...
Good question. Forever stamps are valid for the current rate they represent (first class is now worth 49 cents, international is worth 1.15) regardless of when you bought them.
In the past, nondenominated stamps were not valid for international postage, but the forever stamps are (even domestic first class Forever stamps can be combined with other stamps to make the 1.15 intl rate).
Comments
I cannot believe you guys...And i thought stamps were dead....Some of you are wondering why stamps are plastered all over the package... Well i have the answer for you all...Years ago the only way to house stamps into albums was with mounts or hinges until the slide in stamp albums were invented and mostly were made in china... Therefore this carzyness of MNH came along...It devalued anything previously mounted into an album and that is what i use on my packages...Anything that has a short perf or missing corner being torn wrongly off the sheet is also used..l have been doing it from 1977 to now. Please remember that these mint stamps were once paid for at the post office and still a form of cash.... Where the correct amount is concerned, if you send enough from the same post office and they get to know you, and none ever come back with "PORTO " or more to pay on them, then the post office can see you know their prices... At the start, i can guarentee they will add up the stamps on the packages but after a month or so, it will be accepted.... Another thing is once an item is postmarked, nobody else usually recounts as it should have been done to start with.... I am originally from Australia and over there they are more particular than in the USA....
i am sure the stamps are better than an adhesive sticker...
Now where the adhesive ( or self stick ) stamps are concerned as JBK said.... The backs come off very very easily but they have to be *** soaked in VERY VERY hot water*** and i don't just mean warm!!! You will see the glue starts to recede and then peels away....
You must stay there all the time or else the paper turns to mush. The paper is much thinner than stamps of olden days. However most collectors want stamps from the sheet and due to laziness nowadays, those are hard to find.
They are easy to tell apart due to the size of the perforations.
In australia the normal used stamps from the sheet retail at least $1 each for fine used items...meaning only 25% of the stamp has to be cancelled.... lf the cancel is just on a corner or side, i can guarentee it was CTO with gum soaked off....
Not very often these days you will find uncancelled stamps on packages due to the letter sorting machines doing their job.
I PERSONALLY ONLY COLLECT NICELY USED STAMPS THAT ARE CANCELLED ON THE BOTTOM LEFT HAND CORNER.
THAT SHOWS ME THERE IS A 99% CHANCE THEY GENUINELY WENT THROUGH THE MAIL AND WERE NOT JUST
POSTMARKED AT THE POST OFFICE COUNTER.
if you peole are not lazy and go into stamp shops to buy stamps ( minimum of at least $100.00 worth - meaning you will come out with the value of $120.00 ) you can be sure to get them at 80% of face value....But please dont go in with $20 OR SO as there will not be enough in it for the shopkeeper....I personally dont ruin stamps like JBK stated but i make sure that my off center or lightly mounted ones go on that package as they are not saleable to collectors. I can visualize JBK nodding his head... Many times in ebay, i have had buyers get back to me and i have sold them hundreds of dollars of mint stamps at a discounted price ( 89% )...The odd 9% is the paypal fees. Other than that, they can send a check but i have to wait until it is cleared at 80% plus shipping.
The minute i have done 2 deals with any one person, i trust them 101% and dont wait for checks to be cleared.
Lastly i am adding some pics of a few of packages i sent today....I can only give you the back of the packages as the front has the adresses and i am respecting those customers privacy....
One package you will see is even a priority mail medium box covered 3 sides with stamps..
have a nice day...Hal
OIO
hey overdate...Try plastering with 3c , 4c , 6c and 8c stamps....That is so much fun..They were on sale for a very long time and there are millions out there...Some of the time i even place plate blocks on a package...OIO
Slight clarification, a stamped package need only go across a counter IF it weighs more than a pound.
The thing for me is that I preferred nicely cancelled stamps. Uncancelled are the worst of both worlds - not mint and not clearly postally used (postmarked). I just throw those away.
As I u understand it (and you guys would know better) there is now actually less focus on postmarking stamps. So much postage these days is labels, etc.
I purchased a few small collections at garage sales for the fun of looking. The artwork on some of the stamps from the 20's to 50's are beautiful. It's a shame in kind of way to see these pieces of art .....so to speak....used for ordinary postage.
I would add many of the stamps from the 60s and 70s as well. I just put some on a letter tonight that would be frameable art if they were a little larger and signed by the artist (8 cent Wildlife Conservation series). Multicolor intaglio printing, truly a work of art.
I can just picture the person cancelling that with glee!
Whatever you are, be a good one. ---- Abraham Lincoln
Couple of questions.
What's the value of a forever stamp on a package? Current value? Even if I bought it for 42 cents?
Also, are forever stamps invalid for overseas shipping? I know other type of non-denominational stamps couldn't be used, but not sure about forever stamps...
Good question. Forever stamps are valid for the current rate they represent (first class is now worth 49 cents, international is worth 1.15) regardless of when you bought them.
In the past, nondenominated stamps were not valid for international postage, but the forever stamps are (even domestic first class Forever stamps can be combined with other stamps to make the 1.15 intl rate).