Postage Meter Collecting Question

Top one is definitely a tape, is it on cover ? Full meter tapes on cover are not that common and sell for decent money.

Here's an interesting piece I recently got from an insurance company. Although the envelope went through the postmarking machine twice (it didn't need a postmark at all, really) the interesting thing is the ZIP Code of the sender versus the ZIP code shown in the meter differ by one digit (01835 v. 11835). I think the postage meter company (Neopost) made an error in the meter indicia, as 01835 is the correct ZIP Code for the location:

Dan,

No I have never seen one, but I never looked for one either. I just remember it from studying mathematics like how I remember the Benjamin Franklin 'Join or Die' cartoon of the cut up snake. It never dawned on me that you could own one.

I really haven't been active in the hobby after being a child. I've been using discount postage for several years to ship out packages and the exposure of the stamps bring back memories of my childhood I've started reading a lot about stamps online and some books I've been able to check out of the library. I have to say it is much more complicated hobby then I remember. I feel like I'm back in college and need a degree before I can start collecting.

As to rules on the board, do you know when someone can send an email to someone? I used to read the boards without an account, but wanted to contact a specific member on a timely matter so I signed up and tried to email them, but it said I could not as I was new and spammers had abused the system in the past. It also said if I had a valid email to send a message to the contact us link. I never heard back. I waited thirty-five days days and tried to send an email. It said I couldn't as I was new and if I tried again my account would be automatically locked. I sent another message to contact us asking when I would be able to send email and related the need to send a timely email but I never heard back. Searching the boards I can't find an answer and if I ever try to send an email to see if I'm not considered too new to send an email I will lose my account. S0 I'm at a point where I will never be able to send an email.

Back to meters (and thanks for posting those) - why are they in different colors? Does the colors signify anything or are more desirable?

Thanks again

KGB & wt1,

Thanks for the info on zero meters. As a kid, my grandfather would save tons of covers and allow me to pull out ones with PNC on them and I would see meter covers with zero values on the occasionally and I just assumed it was done by mistake. It's also exiting that someone else is learned something from a topic I started.

wt1,

You have an eagle-eye. I got a neo post meter last week and I looked at it, but zip codes match. Does that mean a different post office is getting credit for processing the mail piece?

Stalzer,

Thanks for the heads up on the paper tape meters on cover. I will keep my eye open for them.

dsmith426:




There are two different forms of credit (so to speak).

1) Physical credit. The USPS is nuts about counting everything, so the piece will be counted by the processing center that first handles it, applies the bar code, etc. That board code will be scanned, and the piece counted, at N points along the way, though N is probably not that large a number.

2) Fiscal credit. In the Bad Old Days, you would bring your postage meter to the post office, the clerk would break the seal, as much postage as you were buying would be added to the machine (by resetting the cogs on the wheels, or whatever), and the clerk would reseal the machine. That money was entered on that station's books - and on up the line.

Today, of course, the fiscal process is electronic, and nobody drags nothing nowhere, and the money is not counted at the station level.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

50 posts and 14 days as a member gives you all the privileges of this forum. You're almost there!




Meters are predominantly in red ink. I've seen other colors(blue, green). In some cases the ink color (e.g. cancellations) is important to a collector. I don't know if that is the case with meters. I don't collect them at that level of detail.

Dan

Wt1. You nailed it. There is no 11835 Zip Code

Dan

Amen to that!! When I was a newbie I dutifully soaked off all my meter tapes.

Dan

wt1 - There are quite a few organizations and companies that reside and one place and have their mail sent for a different one.

What exactly is a 'full meter tape' on cover? Is that just meter tape affixed on the cover? Or does the 'full' qualifier mean something else? Have an example photo? And how much do they go for? I think I threw one out a few weeks back that I came across in the attic as it was a beat up 9x12 envelope that was folded in half and stuffed with other envelopes.

Here is a full meter tape on cover out of my collection.

Here's another postage meter I find unique. Is that five fingers AND a thumb in the illustration of the hand/fist? It sure looks like it to me!

This is a push for a six digit zip code.

Stalzer,

Thanks for posting the example. Is it considered 'Full' because it has a slogan vs being a shorter tape showing just the meter? I like to see things dealing with old automobiles, truck, and motorcycles so you picked an excellent example out of your collection. I had no idea stop lights used to only have red and green lights and the caution light came later.

wt1,

I had a neopost cover that came in the mail this week, but it doesn't have a hand or torch at all. I find it amazing you spot these things. Are EFO meters something you specialize in?

I had originally thought I would cut the meters off the envelopes as I thought there might be some people who collect by city and state, but after spending the week looking for errors on them like the ones wt1 has shown it has become apparent to me (finally) that the current meters in use no longer list a city and state. Has the use of meter slogans gone away too?