Most Unusual Coverless Shipment

I was going to post the following elsewhere, but what group would know better about the LACK of a cover?

What is the most unusual item you have sent or received via USPS without packaging?

Years ago I ordered an automobile exhaust pipe, and it arrived naked except for an adhesive address mailing label and postage value imprint.

The local postmaster told me about someone who had mailed a bicycle in a similar fashion.

Wood!
Not too unusual, but it may get things started.

Sample of flooring board, 3.5" x 5.5" x 0.5"
c1973 or 1974. Single piece 3rd class, weighing 3.6 ounces rated at 8 cents for the first 2 ounces and 4 cents for each additional ounce. Paid exactly with solo use of 16 cent Ernie Pyle Prominent American series.


Political "Please support our schools" message to the Governor of Indiana, Robert Orr, a pine board, 3.5" x 11" x 0.75"
Mailed during the 22 cent first class rate period of 2/17/1985-4/3/1988, 8 ounces at 0.22 for the first ounce and 0.17 for 7 additional ounces, total of 1.41.

Fifty-five-gallon steel drums. My rural delivery driver dropped them off. They had labels on them. I don't remember the postage type. They were decommissioned food barrels (chicken parts) that I cut holes in and use for burning barrels. The last delivery was probably five years ago. She did not look very happy about stuffing them in the back of her Tahoe.

Look like this times three:

On a trip to Hawaii a while ago I mailed a coconut to myself back home. Sharpie pen for the address and I forgot how I attached the stamps but it arrived intact.

For some wilder unusual objects, Ripley's had a contest about 10 years ago, some pictures are here:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ripl...il_n_5804460
and
https://www.usatoday.com/story/popc...ail/2843227/

Wasn't there an old thread here about "posting" children using the railway network?

If we remove the USPS time constraint and go back to Post Office days it opens up a slew of examples such as children, animals, German military helmets etc.

Some ideas for the enterprising postal history person -

https://www.thepencompany.com/blog/...0of%20toast.

I once received six pounds of live honeybees. They came in boxes with screened sides. When the bees are "packaged" they are put into the box along with their Queen. Inevitably some bees are left out and they tend to cling to the outside of the box to be near the Queen. When the boxes sit for a while, the clinging bees go on exploratory flights around the facility. The bees arrived at the nearest major post office on a Saturday and would not have been sent to my local post office until Monday. The distributing post office was extremely efficient in contacting me and asked that someone come down to pick them up. When asked when they closed they offered to stay open, just get them out of here.

They came without a cover, unless you count being covered in bees. All this transpired about forty years ago. I do not know if the USPS still allows shipments of live bees.

A quick search says that the USPS still delivers live bees along with many other live animals.

Wired magazine had a contest about the most unusual items mailed without packaging.
https://www.wired.com/2008/12/st-15returntosender/

First of all, RXC, bees, alligators, leaches as well as other live items were inside appropriate packaging containers which were not reused or specifically returned in the mails when empty for reuse. While primarily introduced for the mailing of day old chicks, Special Handling Service was also used on bee shipments. At first it provided expedited, meaning first class service for parcel post items. After a short period it was expanded to include Special Delivery Service from the office of delivery to the addressee. Previously a separate and additional Special Delivery fee payment was required. But again the live critters were in packaging.

The US Parcel Post was designed for such matter. Tools, coils of wire and other flexible tubular matter, children (under 50 lbs until prohibited), empty milk and cream containers as well as egg crates, samples from broom straws to small metal items, wood (as shown above), paper, fiber stock cut into a postal card, and even fencing are examples of not packaging mailings.

Recently I received an heavy duty metal packing and shipping container for packaging and protecting camera, electronics, musical instruments, glass and other items requiring custom cut foam packaging within a hard-sided container. I have purchased two from different sources and both came empty (except the foam) in the mail with a postage paid label. They are about 30" x 18" x 12" and weighted "empty" as shipped between 5 and 10 pounds.

Years ago my family would buy fruit and other bare root trees which would have the root ball sealed in plastic with the several feet of stem exposed with a mailing tag attached to the stem.

Winter is coming and both Sears and Montgomery Wards mail tires, my mailing tag example was for the mailing of a snow tire.

Below is one of the better sample items I own:

Wait, wow, did someone actually ship a child via Parcel Post?

I've long considered mailing myself a fresh $1 note with just an address and stamp, but never have. It might not be thick enough to meet minimum postcard requirements.

Yes indeed -

https://www.history.com/news/mailin...post-office#

My big worry is that Rodg's wife is going to mail him to an unsuspecting philatelist.