US 1934 Int. Postal Supply Metered Cover

Got this cover recently.

It was sent from the Don Lee Company in San Francisco in June, 1934.


Don Lee made his money souping up Caddys for the rich and famous. In 1919 he branched out into radio broadcasting. At least one of his original radio stations is still broadcasting today.

He then got into television broadcasting. In 1931 he began to broadcast a television signal on an experimental basis for CBS.

He died less than two months after this letter was posted.

The addressee was Owner, Operator, Station Manager and Advertising Manager for KIDO Radio, according to this listing:

Interesting. Is it common to put three meter stamps on an envelope? I've never seen that before.

Hi James,

You needed a special meter machine - a multi-meter. You have to remember that this is before the computer age. At this point the dies are preset for a specific potage amount. Multi-meters were created with a line of several dies (exact number depended on the machine). The machine would then imprint multiple meter stamps to total up to the required postage amount.

When I get home tonight I will scan in a few multi-meters as examples.

A fellow stamp club member and metered postage expert (more expert than me) says that these multi-meters have not been cataloged as yet

I assume that the meters did not have changable value dials. A company that needed say air mail, special delivery and regular postage rates, would opt for the multi meter. I have seen 2 meter letters, but I think this is the first 3 meter machine I have seen. Thanks for sharing.

A multi-meter impression.

IPS


Pitney Bowes

That IPS Multi-meter is from Equitable Life Insurance Co., of Chicago. Too bad some of the later postage meter impressions are not catlaogued yet.

Both meters say paid but one has a cancel. Did it get processed with regular mail? Or was it just common practice to cancel it?

The double-oval cancel was often applied to covers (including meters) when there was Registered Mail involved. I suspect the entire cover would reveal that it was a Registered Mail cover, thus the reason for the "mute" cancels.

Smauggie: I was recently looking up that IPS meter no. 5640 scanned above with multiple value frankings. Meter 5640 was attributed to the Equitable Life Insurance Company of Chicago, and the meter use is known from 03/19/1937 (EKU) to 11/25/1944 (LKU).

What is unique is that the Meter Stamp Society Oval Postage Catalog (plus selected square indicia) only shows values of 2c and 3c for that meter. I'm sure they would be interested in seeing your example that confirms use of franking in the 10c and 25c denominations as well.

Here's the link to the catalog. The data submission form on page 6 is where you may identify additional information to be included in future issues of their catalog:

http://www.meterstampsociety.com/Li...g020210s.pdf

I believe the 5640 Meter is a Pitney Bowes DB-9-B.

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Intern...rica,_Part_1