The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Just got a very nice 2 spring Edison Diamond Disc motor from a person in Texas. It took a long time for the folks at the post office to bring it out, couldn't figure out why until I saw the package. $72 worth of postage the hard way:

Stamp collectors buy this stuff at pennies on the dollar and then use the stamps for postage. That package may have cost the sender lass than$10.00 to mail it.

Rich Gordon

Fantastic.I would like to know the reason for doing that! I could understand if it was being sent overseas.
Did they go and ask for all the stamps just to annoy the Post Office person!

The postage is marked at $72 but I only paid $55 for the motor, including postage.

Probably a 'pennies on the dollar' deal, as described. The clerk at the post office was only mildly amused.

Cliff

Make those lazy screws at the post office do something anyway.

Kiwi wrote:Fantastic.I would like to know the reason for doing that! I could understand if it was being sent overseas.
Did they go and ask for all the stamps just to annoy the Post Office person!

They buy these at auctions or estate sales not at the post office. Many times you can buy a box full of albums full of stamps for next to nothing and in them you can find unused stamps such at these.

Rich Gordon
Retired Postmaster-42yrs.

You're lucky they didn't make you pay some part of the postage. Some of those were cut off envelope and postcards (a no-no) and taped or glued to the package (another no-no).

With very few exceptions, postage stamps made after about 1940 are worth less than face value. After all, when postage starts at 49 cents, what good do 3, 4, 5 (etc.) cent stamps do?

52089 wrote:You're lucky they didn't make you pay some part of the postage. Some of those were cut off envelope and postcards (a no-no) and taped or glued to the package (another no-no).

There were no envelopes damaged in the making of this package. All the post paid envelopes and postcards are taped intact to the package. Only the corner with the postage printed is visible.

There are lousy people in every profession but to label all postal workers as "lazy screws" is insensitive and mean. At first glance all the stamps on that package seems funny but who made the postal lines longer that day? Jerry Blais

You might turn a profit by framing that and offering it on Ebay- it's now a "Collage"