Illegal Use of Postage

Not legal use. It's in the DMM somewhere. I'll find the exact rule one day when I've got nothing better else to do, but take my word for it, it is in there -- I actually researched once, wanting to get rid of all the unused postal stationery I had. Adding postage onto postal stationery, no problem. But cannot cut out postal stationery and put onto your own envelope.

It's a postal history keeper. There are those who specialize in illegal use covers. And then there are those who specialize in creating illegal use covers...

A lot of collectors don't know, that US special delivery and certified mail stamps are no longer valid for postage!

Most full-time dealers won't bother because they have plenty of discount postage available.

However, sometimes their grunts or part-time dealers or just collectors will use the cut-outs, special delivery, certified mail, and even postage due stamps on mailings. I typically see it from part-time dealers and collectors. Very very unusual to see it from full-time dealers -- the most I ever saw was a special delivery stamp that probably was missed during the postage filtering process.

The special delivery service class no longer exists.

The great puzzler for me is why certified mail stamps are not valid -- that service does still exist!

All international mail, by default, is airmail rate -- they just stick that airplane silhouette on it instead of inscribing airmail. What they did was discontinue the Surface Mail rate in 2007 -- or some Orwellian speak like that. Sort of the opposite of when they discontinued the separate domestic airmail rate (even though some things were clearly being transported by air).

I was one of those who still shipped things to/from Asia by surface rate prior to 2007. It might take 1-3 months, but that was fine with me. Can't do that anymore, at least not outbound.

coastwatcher, I have that permit, and I've often wondered that very thing.

Some countries do permit cutouts on covers.

stampbears.net/thread/6730/stationery-cutouts-used-on-covers

As you noted, we are disregarding the postage dues stamps (definitely illegal use)...

As far as I know, the permit to use pre-canceled stamps (I have one) is for bureau precancels, not local precancels -- as long as it is bureau precancel, it doesn't matter what city or what service may be inscribed on the stamp. The MPP is insufficient to allow you to use pre-canceled stamps -- you need the actual permit that allows you to use precanceled stamps. The MPP only allows you to apply your own cancel instead of the standard USPS cancels. (Side question: Does Kris need to have an MPP in order to pen cancel his Liberty Bell mail?!?)

You also have to notate the envelope correctly, which the mailer did not.

In all fairness, most postal workers don't bother checking the difference between bureau & local precancels. Also, I admit I almost never mark that I have a pre-cancel permit on the envelope. I think I only did that the first 3-4 times, and then never again after that. I wait until someone asks. Why attract unnecessary attention?