Are These Postage Dues J60s?

These are perf 10, so they are either J53 or J60. This has only the front of the envelope, which is thin, so I was able to see the back of the stamps and did not detect WM 190. So I believe they are J60s. Does anyone have the first day of issue of J60, as further confirmation?

Answer ought to be in the Scott catalog.
But why was postage due on this?


Peter

Possibly to get the letter from where it landed to Baltimore. Possibly double weight, or possibly double deficiency. One of the postage due collectors should know for sure.

Thanks Rev, but I was under the impression that a soldier at war war exempt ?


Peter

I think that was only up to the US; once here some mail did get charged postage, but I am not sure of the details. I know that in WWII, if a soldier wanted air mail once it came to the US they had to pay for it.

Due mail is often tricky, I would propose:
This mailed at British APO in 1916.
WWI franking for U.S. soldiers not in effect until 1917.
Treated as unpaid, double due.

That sounds right (or, at least, like a good explanation).

Thanks John,


Peter

My 2014 Scott Specialized only indicates J60 was issued in 1916. It doesn't provide the date of issue. I presume it was before this October date, but I would like to know the issue date if possible.

Can anyone advise me where I could find the first date of issue for J60 in 1916 as my Scott Specialized only lists the year - 1916?

The postage dues were not issued to the general public so I don't think there could be an issue date. They were available for sale to collectors under special conditions but were intended for use of postal employees. Also, J60 was just the result of a change in the type of paper used in the presses from watermarked to unwatermarked; I doubt that it would have been considered a different issue by the USPOD. I am not an expert in this area so will appreciate any feedback on my observations here.

I think you may be expecting too much, and at best, you may eventually find "early reported uses".
As you will find to be the case with most of the Washington/Franklin stamps of that era, the USPOD prints definitive stamps to "run the business" of the post office and not as something to satisfy collectors or document when a certain production run of different paper, color, or perforation gauge actually hits the streets from the vaults - with the notable exception of the publicity surrounding commemoratives. Even more remotely, postage due stamps were not sold to the public at this time, they were workhorse stamps for accounting purposes which were distributed from stock as required.

(LOL, writing as the same time as Rhett!)

Thanks for the insight, and the comparatives!

No problem. Glad to help. I've found postage dues to be a challenge. That's why I collect plate blocks and sheets.
A least with a plate number I can get down to one or two. Then just need to check the watermark or lack there of.