What In The World Is This US Stamp On This Postmarked Cover

This is another odd item I found in a recent lot I purchased. What is this stamp? The envelope is postmarked but there is no addressee on it. Can anyone explain what this could be?
Thanks,
Robert

It is a Test Stamp.

I believe the "stamp" is a test stamp. What it is doing on the cover I have no idea,

Peter

It is a test cover.

OK Thanks everyone. I will see if my Scott Specialized catalog has it listed. I was wondering what the value might be....if any.
Thanks again,
Robert

Typical of a sample that one would find at a postal convention. Unaddressed, never went through the mail. Slogan that implies it went through an advanced demo piece of equipment. I have seen "specimen" meter impressions from such postal equipment shows. Very nice item.

Add: Moe Luff's "United States Postal Slogan Catalog", (revised ed, 1975) notes this cancel was demonstrated at ASDA Show, November 20-22, 1959 and gives rating of "rare".

Robert, look for the "TD" prefix in the Scott catalog. This purple one is a test coil, but I do not have the number.

Peter

Yup. Got it. It looks like # TD96? Red Violet........which naturally is the lowest valued of them at $2.00. Sure wish it was Carmine.
Thanks again everyone.
Robert

Since John Becker mentioned Mr Luff:

Re United States Postal Slogan Cancels, by Moe Luff (1950)

You can grind your way through a scanned copy at:

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt...w=1up;seq=3.

You can (join and) borrow one from the Rocky Mountain Philatelic Library at:

http://www.rmpldenver.org/catalog/r...-search.html

You can order an inexpensive Print-on-Demand reprint from a vendor at Abebooks ... PM me for the link.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

Pitney-Bowes and other postal machine machine manufactures use "Test Stamps" to set-up and calibrate the "throw-arm" or "trigger" mechanisms" of postal cancellation machines at post offices around the country.

They are also used used in the set-up, test, installation, calibration and demonstration of "LIVE-STAMP" application by machines used by direct mail letter shops where live stamp application is requested by a advertiser or ad agency. They are used at trade shows to demonstrate the latest equiptment.

The "test stamp" usages are suppose to be destroyed by the the technician but many times do not.

Test Stamps - Part 2

Here are some examples to demonstrate "Test Stamps" used by direct mail lettershops to test and demonstrate their equipment. These were acquired many years ago at a Trade Show.



I grabbed a slew of direct mail samples and several "Test roll" ends left on a trade show table at the show booth, while talking to a salesperson. Again, the salesperson told me the stamps weren't suppose to be released, but I promised they were going in my collection -- and I was already their customer. If I wasn't a customer, I would have never gotten the loose stamps.

While here are some examples used by postal clerks in the late-1970's/early-1980's to test a hand-held stamp application device devised by Pitney-Bowes for use by U.S. Postal Service window clerks. The "test" was held for a three day period in Central Pennsylvania and elsewhere across the US. I was able to "rescue" ten PS Form 13s from my friendly USPS window clerk that I purchased my plate blocks from on day one of the test. When I returned on test day two, I was advised he couldn't give any more slips to me --"...it was prohibited and he shouldn't given me the ones he did. He got in trouble giving some to another person! "



Sometimes, you just get lucky.
Hal

Great informative post Hal!

Modern - Thank you for showing these