Marker Monkeys And Other Stamp Crimes.

Here is an example of what is done and what should be done. Cancels on right side sheet are very faint. Both sheets remained never hinged.

Nells -- how can there be postage due on a Forever stamp. I assume the letter must have gone over 1 ounce?

Good question... stupid me didn't think to weight the envelope after I opened it. A mixture of stamps was mailed to me in it.

Hi,
Over the last six months I've bought a lot of stamps off ebay. Most come with "collector" stamps used as postage. I cut these out and keep for a future donation as I only collect unused (so far anyway). While I've had several instances where the stamps are not cancelled, I have had some nice ones get the magic marker / sharpie treatment. Seems to me someone is just lazy............

Hi!
I've been ordering a lot of stamps on ebay the last several months and most of the vendors use "collectible" stamps as postage. I cut these out and save them for a future donation. One thing puzzles me......... About 1/3 of the envelopes I receive have stamps that are partially torn - usually with a piece ripped off. I think its because they are not fully glued to the envelope and an errant edge catches on rollers. Its a shame, cause I have had some nice blocks messed up this way.

WHY! WHY! Thats what I ask the postmaster general. Not that anything will be done. And I could have used some of them to fill up some holes in my collect.

I think they do it because is cheap and easy as compared to franking with a hand stamp. I will say pen or marker is shame.

While I have seen the work of said simian, it seems that for the most part I get stamps from both the US and Canada that are completely un-cancelled and unmarked. An example is this block of US Boston tea party stamps. Not only were they not cancelled, a slight jostle and they came off the package, complete with gum, ready to use. Of course, being concerned with the post office deficit, I would never use them.




And today, I got an envelope from Nanaimo, BC, which is less than 200 miles from where I live. Again, the cover was not cancelled, but it was backstamped Hastings, Ne. on the 12th of March. It was mailed, according to the ebay seller on the 5th of March.

Whenever I post a parcel at my local PO they rarely cancel the stamps that I have pre-placed on the parcel - they just pop it in the mail bag. Not sure what happens at the other end. Marker monkeys eyes light up perhaps

yakboomer,

I recently had a item I sold on ebay take 5 weeks to get from Michigan USA to England, I wrote the customer asking about any markings on the cover, he has not replied (yet)

I bought this on ebay because I liked the cancellation. Unfortunately I didn't look closely enough at the stamps. I didn't contact the seller because it was my mistake for not paying attention. And I still like the cancellation. But disappointing!

I grudgingly accept that the magic markers are used as revenue protection, but today I got some recent covers sent from the UK to the US (bearing of course UK stamps) and some of them were defaced by magic marker as if someone in the US could use uncancelled UK stamps to defraud the US postal service. Worse, in one of the cases the stamps were actually properly cancelled before the marker monkey got to them.

dlawson281 -



5 weeks? I would like to see the backstamp on that, if any. Was your buyer a bit upset?

I pretty much despise these large-format cancels that are used on flats. They're sloppy and ugly. :P


(click for larger, although I have no idea why you would want to)

If you're curious, it's Columbus, Nebraska, which I could only figure out by looking at the return label. :P