USPS Milticolor Postmarks

I apologize if this is a repeat to some of you; I oroginally posted this to Google Groups and I
have no evidence that it ever propogated.

I got a letter in the mail recently with a two-color postmark. Most of the postmark is black. But
the date is in red. This caught my eye - I have never seen a two-color postmark before.
This was postmarked at an American post office, so USPS procedures apply.
Have I stumbled on something truly unusual?

Pictu
http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/355/postmarkbg1.jpg

|---------------------------------------------------|

| Edward A. Locke |

| huygens1962ATyahoo.com |

| http://www.spaceandastronomystamps.com/ |

|---------------------------------------------------|

On Feb 5, 8:05 pm, Edward A. Locke wrote:
I apologize if this is a repeat to some of you; I oroginally posted this to Google Groups and I
have no evidence that it ever propogated.

I got a letter in the mail recently with a two-color postmark. Most of the postmark is black. But
the date is in red. This caught my eye - I have never seen a two-color postmark before.
This was postmarked at an American post office, so USPS procedures apply.
Have I stumbled on something truly unusual?

Pictu http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/355/postmarkbg1.jpg

| Edward A. Locke |

| huygens1962ATyahoo.com |


There are several different companies now making postmarks for the
U.S. Postal Service. Local postmasters can order from whatever company
they want. One of those companies makes self-inking postmarks with two
ink reservoirs, one for the dial and one for the date. Most clerks
fill both reservoirs with the same color ink, but they can use two
different colors (typically black and red) if they want to. Two-color
postmarks are unusual but not "rare." I saw the first of these several
years ago and occasionally come across them today. I say they are not
rare because any post office could order one of these devices and use
any combination of colors they want to.

On Feb 5, 9:00�pm, "Dave Kent" wrote:
On Feb 5, 8:05 pm, Edward A. Locke wrote: I apologize if this is a repeat to some of you; *I oroginally posted this to Google Groups and I
have no evidence that it ever propogated.

I got a letter in the mail recently with a two-color postmark. Most of the postmark is black. But
the date is in red. This caught my eye - I have never seen a two-color postmark before.
This was postmarked at an American post office, so USPS procedures apply.
Have I stumbled on something truly unusual?

Pictu *http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/355/postmarkbg1.jpg

| Edward A. Locke * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * |

| huygens1962ATyahoo.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * *|

There are several different companies now making postmarks for the
U.S. Postal Service. Local postmasters can order from whatever company
they want. One of those companies makes self-inking postmarks with two
ink reservoirs, one for the dial and one for the date. Most clerks
fill both reservoirs with the same color ink, but they can use two
different colors (typically black and red) if they want to. Two-color
postmarks are unusual but not "rare." I saw the first of these several
years ago and occasionally come across them today. I say they are not
rare because any post office could order one of these devices and use
any combination of colors they want to.

I too ran across a couple of these some years back but what became of
them I do not know. If my OLD memory serves me right one of them was
from APS.
I was not aware the hand daters had two reserviors. I will have to
check and see if any are in this neck of the woods.

Ralphael, the OLD one