There is a very easy way to buy new Commemoratives for your philatelic mail. Instead of standing in line in the post office - order these online and pick exactly what you want. Shipping for USPS orders is only $1.30 for orders under $50 and a bit more for larger orders - $1.85.
So folks, please toss those boring old flags and fireworks and use something a fellow collector would appreciate!
re: Link to buy USA Commemoratives for Philatelic Mail
Mikeytoo,
Yes those are legal postage, you paid more than full postage for the benefit of having your stamps personalized, but they do make nice additions to mail sent to family members. There are plenty of collectors that look for them also.
Theresa,
I am amazed at the amount of mail I get with "Forever" stamps, which I rate the same as meter labels.
Mike
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"It's been three years now, since I joined a support group for procrastinators. We haven't met yet..."
re: Link to buy USA Commemoratives for Philatelic Mail
"you paid more than full postage for the benefit of having your stamps personalized"
I fully realized the cost (about a 2.5 multiplier), but these sheets are not for general postage. They are comfortably nestled in the "Back Of The Book" pages of the albums I'm making for each of my grand kids.
Hmm... now that I'm thinking about it, I think I'll scan them put the image on the the cover page for each album.
re: Link to buy USA Commemoratives for Philatelic Mail
I usually trade or sell any personalized stamps that I find in kiloware BUT if I find one with a dog on it that's a keeper! Actually, I see more with pet photos than children believe it or not!
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"Just one more small collection, hun, really! LoL "
re: Link to buy USA Commemoratives for Philatelic Mail
Theresa,
Not necessarily Liberty Bells, just anything with "Forever" on it. IMHO, yuck. But then "one man's trash is another man's treasure". I still save them, to give away, but that's all.
Mike
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"It's been three years now, since I joined a support group for procrastinators. We haven't met yet..."
re: Link to buy USA Commemoratives for Philatelic Mail
One may want to hold off buying "forever" stamps in bulk for now. In April, the exigent first class postage rate increase to 49 cents expires, and is supposed to drop back to 46 cents. Forever stamps will be worth 3 cents less. The post office is trying to fight it, but they lost in court and now need Congress to act. Congress probably won't step in.
re: Link to buy USA Commemoratives for Philatelic Mail
I received a letter from the US yesterday that had the 2014 Medal of Honour stamp on it that is marked "forever". There was also the Eastern Swallowtail stamp that has "non-machineable surcharge written on it but no mention of "forever".
re: Link to buy USA Commemoratives for Philatelic Mail
"One may want to hold off buying "forever" stamps in bulk for now. In April, the exigent first class postage rate increase to 49 cents expires, and is supposed to drop back to 46 cents. Forever stamps will be worth 3 cents less."
re: Link to buy USA Commemoratives for Philatelic Mail
Last year, the US post office began issuing stamps valued at rates that cover the second ounce, non-machinable surcharge, post card rate, etc. They are in themselves "forever" stamps at those rate classes. The true forever stamps relate to the first ounce domestic first class rate, which currently is 49 cents. The non-machinable surcharge rate is currently 71 cents as is the two ounce rate, and the post card rate is 35 cents. There also is a Global forever stamp that currently is $1.20.
re: Link to buy USA Commemoratives for Philatelic Mail
I regularly send letters and cards out International. Upon putting two Forever commemoratives and an additional 22 cents postage on a bunch of them, I stopped to think if those are valid for international use. I asked at the post office and the clerk said he didn't know, but to try it. I did and apparently they all got delivered.
re: Link to buy USA Commemoratives for Philatelic Mail
The US Postmaster General made it official on February 25. On April 10, 2016, the one ounce first class rate will be reduced from 49 cents to 47 cents.
re: Link to buy USA Commemoratives for Philatelic Mail
"I regularly send letters and cards out International. Upon putting two Forever commemoratives and an additional 22 cents postage on a bunch of them, I stopped to think if those are valid for international use."
Pay special attention to his citations from US Postal Bulletins 21146 (May 19, 1978) and 21148 (Jun. 15, 1978), both of which fall into the 'donut hole' between the privately-assembled archive (to 1970) and the USPS official archive (from 2001), to wit:
"The PB 21146 of May 19, 1978 stated: “15¢ ‘A’ stamp intended for domestic use; it may not be used on international mail.†From the PB 21148 of June 15, 1978 we find, “A fully prepaid international mail item bearing non-denominated postage inadvertently entering the U.S. postal system was not to be returned to the sender but instead sent on to the international exchange office for dispatch to its destination.â€"
And you can find the current rules here, reformatted to suit my taste, to wit:
" 152.2.d
Nondenominated postage stamps (except for those that bear uniquely domestic markings, such as First-Class Presort, Bulk Rate, Presorted Standard, or Nonprofit Organization) may be affixed to postal items that are sent to foreign countries.
The value of such stamps is linked to either a current or a former domestic rate (e.g., the "H" stamp has a postage value of $0.33).
Since the international postage rates are always higher than the comparable domestic postage rates, mailers who affix a single nondenominated postage stamp to their outbound mailpieces must add additional postage to comply with the international rate schedule.
Note: The nondenominated Breast Cancer Research semipostal stamp, which has a postage value that is equivalent to the domestic rate for a 1-ounce letter, may be used for international mailing purposes."
Cheers,
/s/ ikeyPikey
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"I collect stamps today precisely the way I collected stamps when I was ten years old."
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