7 ms·

Mildly disappointing ending to what I hoped to be some epic story/gimick/whatever. Amusing that the USPS thought the vintage (fake) Egyptian postage was real t

Mildly disappointing ending to what I hoped to be some epic story/gimick/whatever. Amusing that the USPS thought the vintage (fake) Egyptian postage was real though

codva 14y ago
I'm not surprised at all. I have a relative who sends out Christmas cards every year using cancelled stamps from those 1000 stamps for a dollar stamp collector starter kits. He has been doing this for 15+ years. It is amusing though to get a Christmas card in 2012 covered in multiple 8 cent Eisenhower stamps. Apparently stamp fraud is not a high priority issue at USPS.
- meric 14y ago
  Are those real, but used, Eisenhower stamps, or fake ones?
  - Wingman4l7 14y ago
    They'd be real, but used stamps. I can't imagine anyone cheap enough to bother faking 8 cent stamps -- although apparently there are people cheap enough to use cancelled ones! =P Kidding aside, I think it'd be awesome to get cards like that -- and maybe the USPS thinks so too, which is maybe why they're letting them through. =)
    - snogglethorpe 14y ago
      > Kidding aside, I think it'd be awesome to get cards like that -- and maybe the USPS thinks so too, which is maybe why they're letting them through. =) haha, totally agree, I suspect that the canceled stamps are detected, probably automatically, but when a human gets involved, he thinks it's funny/cool/nostalgic ("why those are the same stamps my grandma used!"), and just laughs and passes them on... Also, you know, Christmas... :]
- dredmorbius 14y ago
  I've seen uncanceled, but taped-on (adhesive had gone bad) stamped mail returned for invalid postage.
mdc 14y ago
The USPS thought the fake postage was real after the fake package came out of its properly-stamped wrapper once it was already in the USPS process stream. It's always easier to pass a fake at a point where everyone assumes the fake has already been verified.
- jlgreco 14y ago
  Now we just need someone to invent a gimmick disintegrating envelope. Stuff multiple letters with fake stamps into it, and mail several letters for the price of one!
  - slapshot 14y ago
    Great way to disrupt the postal system! It's a legal gray area, but you would only be against it if you're against innovation and new technology! I'll call it Stampr.
    - eli 14y ago
      I'm pretty sure there isn't much gray area in defrauding the postal service.
  - huherto 14y ago
    A "hack" would be to switch the sender and receiver addresses on the envelop; and mail without a postal stamp. What is the postal service supposed to do with an envelop missing the stamp? Yes, you are right. Return it to the sender.
    - wallflower 14y ago
      Reminds me of when we would make collect calls from a payphone and our parents would get: "Will you accept a collect call from...MomPickUsUp"
      - kuhn 14y ago
        Haha that reminds me of a similar hack we discoverd as kids. Australian payphones had an interesting feature where you could place a call without paying however the call would hangup almost immediately upon being answered. There was a split second where you could actually hear each other so we'd usually yell something out and our parents would know it was us waiting to be picked up from the beach or some such.
andrewaylett 14y ago
I suppose you pretty much have to assume that once a package is in the system, it's valid, especially if it's got foreign stamps.
jetti 14y ago
"Mildly disappointing ending to what I hoped to be some epic story/gimick/whatever." I started to wonder if it was some sort of publicity stunt by Disney to get interest into a new Indiana Jones movie after buying Lucasfilm.
- georgemcbay 14y ago
  Unlike Star Wars, Lucasfilm doesn't outright own all of the rights to Indiana Jones. Disney would have to do deals with Paramount to do much of anything with Indiana Jones. Something I hadn't previously considered is that given Disney does its own distribution, they probably have no need to use 20th Century Fox on the new Star Wars movies. Having a Star Wars movie that doesn't open up with the 20th Century Fox drumroll is going to be downright weird.
  - jetti 14y ago
    Good to know. The only Indiana Jones movie I have seen is the Crystal Skull one, so I'm not up on my Jones. "Something I hadn't previously considered is that given Disney does its own distribution, they probably have no need to use 20th Century Fox on the new Star Wars movies. Having a Star Wars movie that doesn't open up with the 20th Century Fox drumroll is going to be downright weird." I didn't think of that either. It would be weird, although, I don't think I'm going to see it anyways. The story has ended and I'm content.
    - DigitalJack 14y ago
      Go watch Raiders of the Lost Ark. I can't bear the thought of someone having only seen the Crystal Skull (aka Nuke the Fridge) as their exposure to Indiana Jones.
danilocampos 14y ago
Oh, I disagree completely. I love the serendipity of this story far more than if it were just a viral stunt on the part of Disney, U Chicago, or anyone else. Something entirely mundane became something extraordinary for everyone to enjoy. I'm going to call that a win.
- snogglethorpe 14y ago
  and the resolution is great too: "Paul has graciously let us know that he will make the intended recipient a new journal, and that we are welcome to keep this one— thanks, Paul! It will find its home either in the Oriental Institute at UChicago or the Special Collections at the Regenstein Library because, as many have noted, “It belongs in a museum!”. " It will be simply too cool if it ends up in the Oriental Institute!
  - dredmorbius 14y ago
    Paul has just had epic incidental marketing.
- polyfractal 14y ago
  That's actually a very good point. I rescind my original disappointment. It was a pretty cool story that emerged out of something as simple as a postal mishap.

Mildly disappointing ending to what I hoped to be some epic story/gimick/whatever. Amusing that the USPS thought the vintage (fake) Egyptian postage was real though

codva 14y ago

I'm not surprised at all. I have a relative who sends out Christmas cards every year using cancelled stamps from those 1000 stamps for a dollar stamp collector starter kits. He has been doing this for 15+ years. It is amusing though to get a Christmas card in 2012 covered in multiple 8 cent Eisenhower stamps. Apparently stamp fraud is not a high priority issue at USPS.

meric 14y ago
Are those real, but used, Eisenhower stamps, or fake ones?
- Wingman4l7 14y ago
  They'd be real, but used stamps. I can't imagine anyone cheap enough to bother faking 8 cent stamps -- although apparently there are people cheap enough to use cancelled ones! =P Kidding aside, I think it'd be awesome to get cards like that -- and maybe the USPS thinks so too, which is maybe why they're letting them through. =)
  - snogglethorpe 14y ago
    > Kidding aside, I think it'd be awesome to get cards like that -- and maybe the USPS thinks so too, which is maybe why they're letting them through. =) haha, totally agree, I suspect that the canceled stamps are detected, probably automatically, but when a human gets involved, he thinks it's funny/cool/nostalgic ("why those are the same stamps my grandma used!"), and just laughs and passes them on... Also, you know, Christmas... :]
dredmorbius 14y ago
I've seen uncanceled, but taped-on (adhesive had gone bad) stamped mail returned for invalid postage.

mdc 14y ago

The USPS thought the fake postage was real after the fake package came out of its properly-stamped wrapper once it was already in the USPS process stream. It's always easier to pass a fake at a point where everyone assumes the fake has already been verified.

jlgreco 14y ago
Now we just need someone to invent a gimmick disintegrating envelope. Stuff multiple letters with fake stamps into it, and mail several letters for the price of one!
- slapshot 14y ago
  Great way to disrupt the postal system! It's a legal gray area, but you would only be against it if you're against innovation and new technology! I'll call it Stampr.
  - eli 14y ago
    I'm pretty sure there isn't much gray area in defrauding the postal service.
- huherto 14y ago
  A "hack" would be to switch the sender and receiver addresses on the envelop; and mail without a postal stamp. What is the postal service supposed to do with an envelop missing the stamp? Yes, you are right. Return it to the sender.
  - wallflower 14y ago
    Reminds me of when we would make collect calls from a payphone and our parents would get: "Will you accept a collect call from...MomPickUsUp"
    - kuhn 14y ago
      Haha that reminds me of a similar hack we discoverd as kids. Australian payphones had an interesting feature where you could place a call without paying however the call would hangup almost immediately upon being answered. There was a split second where you could actually hear each other so we'd usually yell something out and our parents would know it was us waiting to be picked up from the beach or some such.

andrewaylett 14y ago

I suppose you pretty much have to assume that once a package is in the system, it's valid, especially if it's got foreign stamps.

jetti 14y ago

"Mildly disappointing ending to what I hoped to be some epic story/gimick/whatever." I started to wonder if it was some sort of publicity stunt by Disney to get interest into a new Indiana Jones movie after buying Lucasfilm.

georgemcbay 14y ago
Unlike Star Wars, Lucasfilm doesn't outright own all of the rights to Indiana Jones. Disney would have to do deals with Paramount to do much of anything with Indiana Jones. Something I hadn't previously considered is that given Disney does its own distribution, they probably have no need to use 20th Century Fox on the new Star Wars movies. Having a Star Wars movie that doesn't open up with the 20th Century Fox drumroll is going to be downright weird.
- jetti 14y ago
  Good to know. The only Indiana Jones movie I have seen is the Crystal Skull one, so I'm not up on my Jones. "Something I hadn't previously considered is that given Disney does its own distribution, they probably have no need to use 20th Century Fox on the new Star Wars movies. Having a Star Wars movie that doesn't open up with the 20th Century Fox drumroll is going to be downright weird." I didn't think of that either. It would be weird, although, I don't think I'm going to see it anyways. The story has ended and I'm content.
  - DigitalJack 14y ago
    Go watch Raiders of the Lost Ark. I can't bear the thought of someone having only seen the Crystal Skull (aka Nuke the Fridge) as their exposure to Indiana Jones.

danilocampos 14y ago

Oh, I disagree completely. I love the serendipity of this story far more than if it were just a viral stunt on the part of Disney, U Chicago, or anyone else. Something entirely mundane became something extraordinary for everyone to enjoy. I'm going to call that a win.

snogglethorpe 14y ago
and the resolution is great too: "Paul has graciously let us know that he will make the intended recipient a new journal, and that we are welcome to keep this one— thanks, Paul! It will find its home either in the Oriental Institute at UChicago or the Special Collections at the Regenstein Library because, as many have noted, “It belongs in a museum!”. " It will be simply too cool if it ends up in the Oriental Institute!
- dredmorbius 14y ago
  Paul has just had epic incidental marketing.
polyfractal 14y ago
That's actually a very good point. I rescind my original disappointment. It was a pretty cool story that emerged out of something as simple as a postal mishap.