US Post Card Ux5 But Why The C

I believe (could use confirmation) that this card is UX5, and that is nice, but what intrigues me is the written side that has a great big C stamped on it. Does anyone know why that is there and what it stood for. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. Jeff

It seems your card is either a UX4 or UX5, the difference being that the UX4 has a small "USPOD" watermark in monogram; whereas the UX5 is unwatermarked. Given that the UX4 is a relatively rare piece, odds are you have the UX5.

If you're interested in the addressee shown on the card, I found a brief biography of the person:




(I have no idea about the "C" stamp shown on the reverse, but probably a marking unique to the local post office.)

Thanks wt1 always interested in the information of the people involved. Many a time I have called family in the same locale to see if they knew the people involved. It just fascinates me. Thanks for the information and yes I believe it is UX5.

That C is actually like an upside down you and part of a fancy cancel from Troy, Pennsylvania and was probably used as a received postmark.

By the way, Alba, PA, I believe is a Discontinued Post Office, yet another reason that card is collectible.

Just a bit of added trivia - Alba is the Scottish Gaelic word for Scotland and is pronounced "AL-aba". Probably not pronounced that way in PA, though.

I checked with Jim Fortis's website and Alba, PA post office is still open.

Not according to the USPS web site. I'd trust that one more.

I stand corrected, but when did it close? Sidenote: With the USPS wanting to close 2000 some post offices there will be a wave of DPOs coming up.

That's not a "C"
if you look at the cancellation in its correct
alignment, then look at the negative not the positive
you will see it is a Negative "T" for Troy.

Hope that helps.

Talk about getting one thing in you head and having someone see it from a different perpsective. That's why this group works, no one has to be right except the explanation. Thanks everyone. Jeff

As to the date when the Alba, PA post office closed, it must have been relatively recent, as there are still some listings on the internet showing it exists (and their zip code 16910 still exists). I came across a USPS spreadsheet showing a date of 09/10/1996 which could be the date that post office closed (?) but I have no real confirmation without contacting the post office directly. My guess is it was one of those leased post offices within a convenience store or something that closed when the lease expired.

As a practical matter, the town of Alba has a population of only 186 and is 7/10th of a square mile, so it is incorporated within a number of small villages in the county. I think Granville Summit, PA 16926 is probably the closest to Alba and probably handles their current postal needs.

Rod, I see that now. Definitely a fancy cancel used as a received postmark. If you orient it that way and then look left of the T, you'll see traces of the Troy circular postmark. The date on the Troy postmark appears to be September 20th.