[SEDXC] What's with the IRC's lately...

[John Laney]

Most of the requests are for one IRC or $2.00 US.  Supposedly, an IRC 
can still be exchanged in any country member of the UPU for one unit of 
air mail postage.  But that same stamp costs more than $1.00 US in 
Germany and several other foreign countries, but not nearly all of them. 
  I think it is still OK for $1.00 to more than half of the countries, 
but I don't know which are which except Germany, which is what you hear 
from every German QSL manager.  I did see recently where one station on 
his QRZ.COM listing (was it in an African island country?) requested 2 
IRCs.  I did send the 2 IRCs, but with a little resentment.

I don't think any post offices are selling the old style IRCs now.  They 
had no expiration dates on them, but many overseas post offices are 
apparently reluctant to accept them because they don't look like what 
they are selling now.  There are even older IRCs circulating still that 
have no value as all post office have stopped accepting any but the last 
two series.

Note that the ones you buy today (I purchased six at the downtown branch 
of the post office in Columbus today) have an expiration date on them. 
I think it is Dec. 31, 2006.  So you would want to use or redeem any of 
them well before the end of 2006.

Maybe someone in Keith's area can tell him where there is a post office 
that keeps IRCs in stock and knows how to issue them.  I have been 
unsuccessful over the years in attempts to buy IRCs at the post offices 
in Valdosta and Thomasville (where I hold court in the same buildings as 
the post offices) because they don't order any and don't keep any in 
stock.  The larger and busier the post office, it seems to me, the more 
likely they are to keep IRCs in stock.  I suspect I am the only one 
buying them at my post office, but if I buy them out, they order more to 
replace them.

Be sure when you buy them that the post office employee puts the hand 
cancelled date stamp on the circle on the left side of the IRC, where it 
says something like "emmitteur," which I guess means place of issuance 
in French.  If they stamp the right side circle (where the redeeming 
post office is to stamp the IRC), they have ruined it.  It will have no 
value and you should refuse to pay for it or accept it.

73,


John, K4BAI.

P.S.  If your post office is like mine, the scanners on the new computer 
system will not scan the IRCs and the postal employee has to hand enter 
a code for IRCs instead of scanning the IRC itself.  The IRC has a bar 
code on it, but it doesn't work with the current computer system.  I'm 
guessing that the new series one assumes will be issued next year will 
work with the scanners.  I don't know the code, but if you find a post 
office with IRCs that just can't find the code so they can sell them, 
let me know and I'll get the code from my post office and e-mail it to you.