eBay

jaywild · ‎07-17-2018

What's wrong here? Despite the facts that...

1. It is wildly overpaid for insurance in this period

2. The return address/adressee are written in an unaccustomed place

3. It bears insurance marks from two different locales

msgtdavid · ‎07-17-2018

Try using the usual enhancement for the cancel.

DAVID THOMPSON

MSGT/USAF/RETIRED

thines · ‎07-17-2018

There's nothing wrong here. It wasn't this little card that was insured. It was the package it was attached to. On the top card the postage was affixed to the card which was then affixed, probably in some sort of specialized holder, to the package. So, Susan used the top card to mail something from college, perhaps to her parents in Geneva, NY. They used the reverse of the card to mail whatever it was back to her but affixed the postage to the package itself. This kind of insurance card is quite common - I have had dozens with Prexies used to mail films back and forth from schools to libraries.

jaywild · ‎07-17-2018

Mr Hines—

Aha! That answers the question. I was puzzled by the fact that there are no signs of this card being taped on either side, and it didn’t seem likely laundry sent back and forth would have a plastic sleeve on the box. Nevertheless I am sure you are right. Students frequently sent their dirty clothes home to be laundered and sent back. I kind of doubt they still do…

First sending seems to have been from Virginia. At prevalent rates it weighed 9 pounds (from the 80/15 notation: actual parcel post charge 79.2¢ rounded up—the PO rule for rounding is any fraction of a cent over bumps the charge up a full cent) plus insurance of 15¢ ($10.01 to $25 indemnity).

Coming back the article’s weight had increased to 10 pounds (86.1¢ rounded up to 87¢) plus 15¢ insurance for a total of $1.02. Maybe Mom added some Thanksgiving cookies?

The cancel is irrelevant.

Below, a doubly-used mail card that sent a film back and forth between Atlanta and Ft. Moultrie SC. Despite there being a spring-loader holder for the card some paste seems to have been applied (the residue at top from the film box). Incidentally, I think Moultrie was the first Federal installation seized by the rebels in the Civil War, on 27 Dec 1860, a day after Lt. Anderson moved his troops by night across the bay to Ft. Sumter.