Can Mint Perfins Be Legally Used As Postage?

I couldn't find anything about this on the usps website.

Scenario: Company that perfinned their postage goes out of business. Can the remainder of the perfinned stamps legally be used as postage by another entity or individual? Are they considered precancelled, thus requiring a postmark mailer's permit?

I don't recall the exact measurement off of the top of my head, but there is a limit to the amount of the face of the stamp that can be "perfinned" and still be valid for postage. Shouldn't be an issue if it is restrained.

Perfins are still perfectly legal to create, if one was so inclined. I've looked into it. It's a winter project.

This was, and maybe is, the rule:



Here is an archived USPS document with the rule:
https://pe.usps.com/Archive/PDF/DMM...810/P022.pdf

Page 1, section 1.5

I tried two search strings to try to find a (confirmed) current document, and gave up with meaningless results...if someone has some time and a bit of Google-fu, perhaps that language is enough to dig it up...

Opinion.
Perfinned stamps are not pre cancelled, and still valid for use,
unless officially expired.

Opinion from a U.S. perspective.

The only requirement seems to relate to the size specifications as stated above.

The designs are not registered with (or formally approved by) the USPOD/USPS.

There is no permit requirement or any other kind of form that I am aware of to use perfins.

They do not invalidate or cancel the stamp.

The perfin machine is directly purchased from a private manufacturer and the perfins are then applied in-house, thus no limit to the quantity of stamps or a maximum face value/denomination.

Any theft/misuse would seem be an entirely private legal matter between the company and the illegitimate user. (I could see the USPOD/USPS possibly helping other state and local government agencies in misuse cases, but not private companies, although I know of no examples or procedures, and probably should have deleted this sentence.)

If a company goes out of business, it follows in my thinking that their perfinned stamps would be part of their corporate assets which could be sold and used by any future owner as valid postage.

That all seems right to me.

Thanks for the responses everyone.

Hideaki Nakano who produced FDCs beginning with the 1980 Coral Reefs until just before his 2019 death used a "HN" perfin usually on one stamp (or Souvenir Sheet non-stamp margin) on his FDCs. More about his FDCs and perfin can be found here: http://goscf.com/t/41764