Postal
Rate: Agree or Disagree?
 
View card with
1c franking, 1901 to New York. For the period the postal card rate to the
U.S. at 1c. IS THE FRANKING PROPER?
Technically
the card should have been charged at 2c First Class Mail matter rate because
it does not bear the imprint “Private Mailing Card - Authorized by
Act of Congress, May 19, 1898.” This Act authorized and encouraged
private printers to make and sell the cards by lowering the required mail
rate from 2 cents to 1 cent.
The wording
“Private Mailing Card” was to distinguish view cards from the government
printed postal cards. Only the address was allowed to be written on the
stamp side and a space around the image was purposely placed for any message
from the sender.
 
1900 View card
to Shanghai, subjected to 15 Centimes Postage Due resulting in 5c First
Class Mail matter rate and not the 2c rate for postal cards. WHY?
The card does
not bear the imprint “Postal Card - Carte Postale” or "Tarjeta
Postal" in order for it to be allowed to pass through the international
mail system at 2c postal card rate. Thus, the 3c Dues (without penalty)
is proper. |
