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Post by mailartist on Jan 21, 2016 22:19:31 GMT
What experiences have you had receiving mail that was damaged in transit?
Do you think it adds to the exchange, or takes away from it?
Maybe it's my offbeat sense of humor, but to me, the added tears/scruffs/creases/mangles/dousings only add to the experience (so long as the letter hasn't vanished entirely). It suggests a mystery as to how the letter got that way, and I've had some funny interchanges with senders on exactly that subject.
I received a shredded letter today that was encased in its own USPS "WE CARE" protective bag, which got me thinking about this . . .
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Post by Gary S on Jan 22, 2016 1:42:35 GMT
Ha ha, I know what brought this on. I personally like getting mail in slightly less than perfect condition. I've gotten a couple mailings in postal bags, one with a plastic bag from Spain where it originated from, and one with a postal sticker covering a ripped out spot. The sticker was worse than the original envelope damage as it stuck to the thin paper and lifted a tiny bit of the paper surface and ink. Luckily it was still readable with some guess work.
Perhaps we should start a thread showing some of the more severely damaged mail we've received? I don't have many letters personally, just three or four, but some of those who have been doing this longer might have some pretty good ones to share..
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Post by MKB on Jan 22, 2016 6:33:50 GMT
A pen pal was sending a cartridge of a nice ink he wanted to share. In his defense, he had done it successfully before.
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Post by Mia on Jan 22, 2016 16:28:36 GMT
I came across a blog post about snails feasting on snailmail! Royal Snail
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Post by Gary S on Jan 22, 2016 19:09:58 GMT
Who knew snails ate the glue off envelopes. Seems they digested a bit of the paper envelope as well. I don't like using those metal outside drop boxes if a rain is expected as I'm unsure if they are prone to leaking or not. It appears that in parts of the UK that would mean one almost never used an outside drop box and now you must factor in roving herds of snails and slugs. What next?
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Post by Mia on Jan 22, 2016 19:43:40 GMT
I knew snails take a liking to post, they also like to eat seed packets. I don't like to leave letters in the postbox overnight, just in case. I also like to post letters at the post office or other indoor postbox if it is raining. If it is only light rain, I am sometimes able to catch the postie emptying the box.
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Post by Gary S on Jan 26, 2016 4:58:03 GMT
This is not how I open letters but rather how it arrived. The postal sticker was placed across the opening and was firmly stuck to the paper inside. I lost a little paper and ink removing the sticker. Really strong, stretchy glue on the back. It's still stuck really well now even after having been moved.
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Post by DJW1066 on Jan 26, 2016 16:54:20 GMT
My post Christmas mailbox yielded a plastic bag courtesy of Canada Post, enclosing a letter from Europe that looked like it had been submerged. The letter was largely illegible and would have needed a forensic letterologist to interpret it, apart from the very perimeter where the text was quite clear. I believe the address was in ballpoint, else it never would have arrived. I didn't check for snails, but don't remember seeing any.
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Post by sharmon202 on Jan 26, 2016 16:57:08 GMT
If I send a cart in a letter I wrap it in saran or glad wrap or shrink wrap. Just one time around a cart & it is hardly thicker. I generally am not happy with damaged letters. Sometimes it ruins wax seals, the art of the envelope.
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Post by Gary S on Jan 26, 2016 17:06:53 GMT
My post Christmas mailbox yielded a plastic bag courtesy of Canada Post, enclosing a letter from Europe that looked like it had been submerged. The letter was largely illegible and would have needed a forensic letterologist to interpret it, apart from the very perimeter where the text was quite clear. I believe the address was in ballpoint, else it never would have arrived. I didn't check for snails, but don't remember seeing any. I've been fairly lucky with just a few letters that got damp and the ink spread a bit but all were still legible. Mostly I get letters which appear to have been written while it was sprinkling rain. I've almost asked a few times in my reply if the sender was prone to bouts of uncontrollable crying. I now have a much clearer understanding of the term "tear stained letter" than I did before receiving letters written with fountain pens.
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Post by Gary S on Jan 27, 2016 2:36:45 GMT
Here's one that was damaged in Spain, so letter and plastic bag both made the trip to America.
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Post by Gary S on Jan 27, 2016 2:55:37 GMT
Lastly, as far as mail arriving in bags or with stickers sealing their contents inside, is one that didn't meet height and weight requirements for crossing postal bridges. I think lack of return address along with the inclusion of extra postage for special handling is the only reason the USPS begrudgingly delivered it. Otherwise it might have been returned as undeliverable. It's possible they thought it was the label off a full size package and felt bad for loosing the rest but that would be assuming that they failed to read the message right there on the front proclaiming it to be "World's Smallest Postcard".
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Post by alc3261 on Feb 3, 2016 23:10:03 GMT
My post Christmas mailbox yielded a plastic bag courtesy of Canada Post, enclosing a letter from Europe that looked like it had been submerged. The letter was largely illegible and would have needed a forensic letterologist to interpret it, apart from the very perimeter where the text was quite clear. I believe the address was in ballpoint, else it never would have arrived. I didn't check for snails, but don't remember seeing any. Your birthday card had gone through Storm Gertrude (or whatever Henry's predecessor was)!!
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Post by annavalerious on Feb 4, 2016 7:16:21 GMT
I've been quite lucky so far, but a couple of times I got mail inside a plastic bag with a stamp from Slovakia and some notification I couldn't decipher. Which made me wonder: is Bratislava the pit stop for mail that goes to Austria and Italy?
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