The Ten-cent Prexie

Return Receipt Service

The cost of return receipt service showing to whom and when an insured or registered package was delivered, when added after mailing, was ten cents from January 1, 1949 to January 1, 1952.

This document is part of a claim filing for non-receipt of an insured parcel. In order to be treated as such, the addressee would have to have claimed non-receipt after a reasonable period of time for delivery. Otherwise, the inquiry was to be treated as a request for a return receipt after mailing, showing to whom and when delivery was made.

In the case of this document the inquiry was made September 7, 1951, while the addressee admitted receipt as of August 13. It's obvious that the addressee did not indicate non-delivery to the post office, so it was proper for the ten cent charge to be made. In fact, one wonders whether the addressee told the sender that they had not received the package, but the sender did not believe them and spent the ten cents to get a postal inspector involved.

Page back

Navigation Bar