INTERESTING RETURNED FOR POSTAGE COVER

Ai Li-Shan

It is not too often that a cover returned for additional postage is seen. This cover was mailed on December 6, 1964 from Peitou (Northern suburb of Taipei) to the United States. Being sent by airmail, the rate was NT$10.00 for the first 10 grams and $10.00 for each additional 10 grams. The postage paid was $4.50. In the upper right corner below the stamps is the notation 13 g 15.50 or the total weight was 13 grams, with 15.50 due. See figure 1.

Figure 1

Attached to the cover was a slip with a rather scarce postage due chop,

cancelled Peitou post office December 8, 1964. (figure 2) Handwritten

was the 15 dollars, 5 cents or the due of 15.50. The chop is 11 x 58 mm

in size. Translated it reads: This item is overweight and postage is insuf-

ficient. Please add $15 and 50 cents, then re-mail.

Usually the slip is removed when the item has been re-mailed. In this

case, it was intact on delivery. It is hard to believe that it could survive

intact!

Figure 2

The back of the cover has the additional $15.50 applied to cover the deficient postage. See fig. 3.

Figure 3

The additional postage was cancelled on December 11, or five days difference between the front and back stamps. With careful attention, these returned for postage covers can be identified by the different dates of cancellation as well as sometimes the manuscript weight and postage required. It is not often that these covers are found, but certainly worth the search!