Careful postmarking of stamps

[Raymondwatkins]

I have recently purchased some stamps from a considerate seller based in Denmark. When the envelope was received there was a small label taped to the top right corner with a request that the post office franked the stamps carefully as indicated by the diagrams on the label. Lo and behold, the stamps were carefully franked. The label and franked stamps are shown in the attached image.

With machine cancellations prevalent in the UK I am not sure if this would work in the UK unless the franking was done at the post office counter. Has anyone any experience of similar treatment from elsewhere?

Ray

[FirstGreenIsGold]

The post office here doesn't even have a nice circular date stamp for hand cancelling anymore. When I've taken my eBid stamp sales to the counter at our Canada Post main office and have asked for hand cancelling "because recipient is a stamp collector", the clerks will oblige. But, they take this rather large square stamp and apply that. It doesn't look very nice. I asked about CDS (which they used to have) and the clerk seemed uncertain, but seemed to think that they didn't have one now.

[maxfli65]

Hand Stamp!!!

First you have to find a Post Office that still open (3 have closed around here) and then when you do go they want you to use the "Self Service" machines which produce an ugly big label : then you have to put in the correct slot!!!

It almost makes you want to hand stamp someone!!!

[Raymondwatkins]

Hand Stamp!!!

First you have to find a Post Office that still open (3 have closed around here) and then when you do go they want you to use the "Self Service" machines which produce an ugly big label : then you have to put in the correct slot!!!

It almost makes you want to hand stamp someone!!!

I know what you mean re closing of post offices. Where I live, the very busy main PO in town closed a couple of years ago and was replaced by a much smaller unit at the back of a WHSmith store. I have got to know most of the staff there, and I will see what they can do / will do regarding hand postmarking.

Ray

[Anniemcc2]

I know what you mean re closing of post offices. Where I live, the very busy main PO in town closed a couple of years ago and was replaced by a much smaller unit at the back of a WHSmith store. I have got to know most of the staff there, and I will see what they can do / will do regarding hand postmarking.

Ray

Are they still allowed to do it, as once your letter goes into the system it will go through the machine to be franked and sorted ?

[maxfli65]

I know I shouldn't say this but I don't think they actually frank anything anymore that's why you see "unfranked" stamps for sale people take them off carefully and reuse them or sell them on.

Sometimes you will see pen lines through stamps that's the way they try to prevent this or get you to use the self service machines or print online through PayPal etc.

[Raymondwatkins]

Thanks everyone for your comments. I asked in our main PO - now based in a WHS store - and was advised that they do have handstamps that could be used to carefully cancel stamps with. However it would be likely for the envelope to still go through the mechanical franking system anyway in which case the careful handstamping would be spoiled. (Although as maxfli65 says, many envelopes are delivered without any franking - far too many to my mind). I then asked if it would be allowed to affix the stamps further towards the bottom of the envelope where they could be hand cancelled, and if they subsequently went through the mechanical franking system the handstamps would not be spoiled - answer received was "I don't see why not". This might be the solution. However, I would like to see that in writing first, so will contact Royal Mail customer services to see what they have to say.

[Posbear]

In a collection I obtained there are thousands of items with dual postmarks, one on the stamp and one in a blank area.
The person that got the postmarks has put a light pencil cross where he wanted the postmarks to be, like on this postcard..

Attachment 53490

So maybe you could do the same?