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United States/Covers & Postmarks : US postmark YYMMDDHHSS only

 

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ikeyPikey
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31 Dec 2016
03:57:41pm
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I don't think that I have seen one of these before.

The address block, visible in the window, included the correct 9-digit zip code, and one of those up'n'down barcodes you see on invoices nowadays.

The envelope was clear of visible markings, except for the YYMMDDHHSS, as shown.

I immediately read the "12271602" part of the string as 4:02 pm on 27/Dec.

The return address is NJ, the delivery address is NY, and the contents are a current invoice, so delivery in 3-4 days would make sense, except ... the string begins with "20", not "16".

Re-booting ...

Ten digits would be right for a telephone number, and 201 is an area code for NJ, but the number is reported as "not a working number".

One supposes that whatever equipment applied that code could have a cellphone for reporting its status & usage - a number that is only "in service" when the device powers it up for its own reasons - but why would it print that cellphone number on the mail it processed?

It seems unlikely that the post office would apply a date'n'time (to the second, no less) without reference to both the year & processing center.

It also seems unlikely that this will be judged the perfect cover with which to close-out the old year and bring in the new, but:

Q/ Have you seen this ten-digit postmark-zone marking on your incoming mail?

Q/ What did you think you were looking at?

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

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BenFranklin1902
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Tom in Exton, PA

31 Dec 2016
08:26:50pm
re: US postmark YYMMDDHHSS only

I'd be more inclined to read this as 12-27-16 with "20" and "02" on the ends of it.

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jthurd
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31 Dec 2016
11:32:30pm
re: US postmark YYMMDDHHSS only

Recently, we have seen many of these type of cancel markings in Canada

Usually there are two lines, one above the other. The first line is like this one: 1612100811 which translates as (20) 16-12-10-08:11 i.e. 8:11 a.m. on Dec. 10, 2016.

The second line on our Canadian cancels is a four digit number and then a space and then a three-digit code e.g. M4L or H4T which represents the regional sorting centre where the mail has been processed.

Your example seems a bit peculiar with the first two digits being 20 instead of 16. I don't think there are any seconds -- I think the last four digits are hours and minutes.

JTH

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DavidG
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APS member since 2004

01 Jan 2017
08:01:09am
re: US postmark YYMMDDHHSS only

I've had these cancels on incoming mail from the USA. They do not cancel the stamp(s) at the immediate right of the envelope.

David G
Ottawa, Ont.

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ikeyPikey
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01 Jan 2017
11:02:28am
re: US postmark YYMMDDHHSS only

"... I'd be more inclined to read this as 12-27-16 with "20" and "02" on the ends of it ..."



Writing dates as YYMMDD for most of my life ... a practice begun while programming in Fortran II, and recently 'validated' by the discovery of ISO 8601 ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601#Truncated_representations

... I never even looked for the American date format MMDDYY.

Yes, of course, you're right.

Q/ So it is agreed that it is a USPS marking?

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey
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"I collect stamps today precisely the way I collected stamps when I was ten years old."
        

 

Author/Postings
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ikeyPikey

31 Dec 2016
03:57:41pm

Image Not Found

I don't think that I have seen one of these before.

The address block, visible in the window, included the correct 9-digit zip code, and one of those up'n'down barcodes you see on invoices nowadays.

The envelope was clear of visible markings, except for the YYMMDDHHSS, as shown.

I immediately read the "12271602" part of the string as 4:02 pm on 27/Dec.

The return address is NJ, the delivery address is NY, and the contents are a current invoice, so delivery in 3-4 days would make sense, except ... the string begins with "20", not "16".

Re-booting ...

Ten digits would be right for a telephone number, and 201 is an area code for NJ, but the number is reported as "not a working number".

One supposes that whatever equipment applied that code could have a cellphone for reporting its status & usage - a number that is only "in service" when the device powers it up for its own reasons - but why would it print that cellphone number on the mail it processed?

It seems unlikely that the post office would apply a date'n'time (to the second, no less) without reference to both the year & processing center.

It also seems unlikely that this will be judged the perfect cover with which to close-out the old year and bring in the new, but:

Q/ Have you seen this ten-digit postmark-zone marking on your incoming mail?

Q/ What did you think you were looking at?

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

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"I collect stamps today precisely the way I collected stamps when I was ten years old."
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BenFranklin1902

Tom in Exton, PA
31 Dec 2016
08:26:50pm

re: US postmark YYMMDDHHSS only

I'd be more inclined to read this as 12-27-16 with "20" and "02" on the ends of it.

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jthurd

31 Dec 2016
11:32:30pm

re: US postmark YYMMDDHHSS only

Recently, we have seen many of these type of cancel markings in Canada

Usually there are two lines, one above the other. The first line is like this one: 1612100811 which translates as (20) 16-12-10-08:11 i.e. 8:11 a.m. on Dec. 10, 2016.

The second line on our Canadian cancels is a four digit number and then a space and then a three-digit code e.g. M4L or H4T which represents the regional sorting centre where the mail has been processed.

Your example seems a bit peculiar with the first two digits being 20 instead of 16. I don't think there are any seconds -- I think the last four digits are hours and minutes.

JTH

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DavidG

APS member since 2004
01 Jan 2017
08:01:09am

re: US postmark YYMMDDHHSS only

I've had these cancels on incoming mail from the USA. They do not cancel the stamp(s) at the immediate right of the envelope.

David G
Ottawa, Ont.

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"President, The Society for Costa Rica Collectors"
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ikeyPikey

01 Jan 2017
11:02:28am

re: US postmark YYMMDDHHSS only

"... I'd be more inclined to read this as 12-27-16 with "20" and "02" on the ends of it ..."



Writing dates as YYMMDD for most of my life ... a practice begun while programming in Fortran II, and recently 'validated' by the discovery of ISO 8601 ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601#Truncated_representations

... I never even looked for the American date format MMDDYY.

Yes, of course, you're right.

Q/ So it is agreed that it is a USPS marking?

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey
Like
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this post

"I collect stamps today precisely the way I collected stamps when I was ten years old."
        

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