[Nodxa] Redeem your IRC's now.

[wb8k]

A recent item  from Frank W3LPL & published in the Daily DX gives some 
information about redeeming your old IRC's. The old style IRC, those 
issued after January 1, 1975 may be redeemed up *until December 31, 
2006.  *After that date they will be worthless.  The post office should 
exchange the IRC's for an equivalent amount of US postage. From what the 
postal regulations say, the exchange rate of foreign should be  $0.84 
per coupon & I think US issued IRC's might get the current $1.85 rate. 
Bottom line is that after Jan1, 2007 the post office will only redeem  
the newer IRCs with an expiration date of December 31, 2009.  So I guess 
it's time to exchange them or lose them.

I've added the relevant text from the International Mail Manual section 
372.4.b. It might be a good idea to print this out & take it with you to 
the post office as not all of the postal employees are familiar with 
IRC's. For the full text go to    
http://pe.usps.gov/text/imm/immc3_007.html#npLZq39wats


      372 International Reply Coupons


372.3 Selling Price and Rate of Exchange

a. The selling price of a reply coupon in the United States is $1.85. 
One coupon is exchangeable in any other member country for a stamp or 
stamps representing the minimum postage on an unregistered air letter. 
Unused U.S. coupons (that is those with the U.S. selling price stamped 
on them) may be exchanged only for United States postage stamps by the 
original purchaser at a discount of 1 cent below the purchase price.

b. International reply coupons purchased in foreign countries are 
exchangeable at U.S. Post Office facilities toward the purchase of 
postage stamps and embossed stamped envelopes (including aerogrammes) at 
the rate of $0.84 per coupon irrespective of the country where they were 
purchased.


        372.4 Processing Requests

a. When an international reply coupon is sold the Postal Service clerk 
must place a postmark in the block which is headed /control stamp of the 
country of origin./

b. Under Universal Postal Union's regulations member countries are 
*/not/ *required to place a control stamp or postmark on the 
international reply coupons that they sell. Therefore some foreign issue 
reply coupons which are tendered for redemption may bear the name of the 
issuing country (generally in French) rather than the optional control 
stamp or postmark. Such coupons are exchangeable for U.S. postage as 
specified in 372.3 
<http://pe.usps.gov/text/imm/immc3_007.html#tOjUq2dbwats>b.

c. A Post Office facility redeeming an unused U.S. coupon must postmark 
it in the unpostmarked circle. A Post Office facility exchanging a 
foreign reply coupon must postmark it in the right circle. Post Office 
facilities must not accept foreign coupons that already bear a Postal 
Service postmark.

d. Reply coupons issued by foreign countries before 2002 will not be 
redeemable at U.S. Post Offices as of January 1, 2007. The pre-2002 
international reply coupons are approximately 2.5 inches by 4 inches and 
do not have a barcode on the back. The latest versions of the 
international reply coupons printed by the Universal Postal Union are 
approximately 3.75 inches by 6 inches and can be distinguished by the 
barcode on the back. Starting January 1, 2007, customers should return 
pre-2002 coupons of foreign origin to their correspondents in the 
country of issue for replacement or redemption through the issuing 
postal administration. This policy change is only for international 
reply coupons issued by foreign postal administrations — U.S.-origin 
coupons are not affected.

e. Reply coupons formerly issued by the Postal Union of the Americas and 
Spain are no longer valid. These coupons are printed in green ink and 
bear the caption /Cupon Respuesta America-Espanol./ Customers possessing 
any of these coupons should return them to their correspondents in the 
country of issue for redemption through the selling post office.

f. Postmasters must process exchanged foreign and redeemed U.S. coupons 
as prescribed in 426.9 International Reply Coupons (IRCs) Handbook F-1 
/Post Office Accounting Procedures.
/

//73 & Merry Christmas
/Denny  WB8K
/