Prexie Parcelpost Tag 1952, Operation Ivy

This parcel tag was sent from Mr. A.A. Perkins involved with Operation Ivy. His address: Taskgroup132.1 Bureau of Ships, APO 187 San Francisco.
Operation Ivy was a nuclear testing programm conducted at the Enewetak Atol in the Marshall Islands in October/November 1952.

The parcel (containing a plant???) was sent to (probably) his daughter in Albany, California.

The parcel passed the "Plant Quarantine in Alameda County Agricultural Commissioner". See marking upper right of the tag.

The tag is franked with a 4c and 20c Prexie. Handwritten on the tag (left of the 20c Prexie) is the numeral "24". The APO 187 cancellation is October 2? , 1952 (exact date in October not readable).

Who can figure out the rate? Tony W's Domestic Postal Rates book does not give me the answer (page 225).

An interesting puzzle.

Parcels in 1952 (the rate was change on Jan 1 of that year) was $0.03 for the first once and then $0.03 for every once after that. Hence, the package weighed 8 ounces and was charged $0.24 to ship.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histo...ostage_rates

I hope this helps.

I need to run for a car servicing this morning. When I get back in a few hours, I will rate the tag for you. A reminder that Parcel Post was by the pound and no rating was 3 cents per pound. Secondly, the rating should be for the distance from SF to Albany which is not far, too far for local but a solid zone one. In fact the two cities share a boundary in the water of San Francisco Bay.

As to the addressee, I walked to and from school past the house.

Edit:

Took a bit longer to return to SCF than expected.

Effective 1-1-1952 zone one parcel post was 17 cents for the first pound and 2.4 cents for each pound or fraction thereafter for the next 69 pounds. For the first weights:

1-17c
2-20c
3-22c
4-25c
5-27c

Zone 3 rates were 17 cents first pound and 3.5 cents fro each additional pound or fraction up to 69 pound

1-17c
2-21c
3-24c
4-28c
5-31c

Plant matter including material for planting became regular third or parcel post matter effective 4-15-1925, separated only by weight, 8 and under ounces 3rd class and over 8 ounces, parcel post.

There was one special circumstance for for Zone 3 rates, that was when the crowfly miles were only zone 1 or 2 in distance but the actual mail route traveled was a zone 3 distance by "post road" distance. This usually arose when going around a water body which did not have a water (boat) post road. In this case Sf to Albany was not a zone 3 exception.

Thus, the sender over paid for postage at zone 1 or paid correctly for the incorrect zone 3 rate. In either case, the weight was over 2 up to 3 pounds.

While Wikipedia should always be verified by other sources, here you, Stamp Hunting, misinterpreted the table in Wikipedia. It was a table of first class rates of postage and used the term "package" which refers to the nature of the mailing container, and as indicated first class packages were also three cents per ounce up to seventy pounds.

However the terms package and parcel are not interchangeable in all circumstances, including this one. The handstamp marking, "Parcel Post" indicated a non-1st class rate of postage for the package being sent at parcel post rates.

Edit: To add post to parcel where post was missed my first time.

Maybe slightly related, but I just found this in an old worldwide album I picked up at a collectables show yesterday.

Thanks a lot Parcelpostguy for your explanation!

State Revs, I believe that it's an advertisement for parcel services? Not an actual parcel tag?

I've only seen ads on those meter tapes? Does the rate match parcel rates?

Here is a similar meter tape on cover but the rate is much less

There was a big push advertising the 25th anniversary of Parcel Post. PB added the image to their postage meter strips which have no relationship to the class of mail being sent. However, yes a parcel post item at that date could be 15 cents. Also if doing a mass of third class and parcel post mailing, the day of the month and often the day and month are not included as those tow classes of mail were not to be dated.

The USPOD also had slogan cancels advertising the 25th year of parcel Post as well. If I can find one example later, I will post it. But I know other on SCF have examples which they may post first.

Edit:
Here is one USPOD version--