Can I use precanceled coil stamps on my first-class mail?
The answer is yes, but there are specific guidelines that must be followed. Many collectors save strips of five coil stamps with a small plate number on the center stamp in the strip. To obtain this strip of five from the Postal Service, however, the collector usually has to purchase as many as 25 stamps, sometimes more. Leftover stamps with 33¢ denominations printed on them can be used for postage, but what about the nondenominated coil stamps for bulk rate, nonprofit mail, and presorted mail? These stamps are each assigned a nominal value, which is the cost the collector pays to purchase the stamp. Shown in Figure 2 are two such stamps used to pay postage for a first-class letter, along with a 2¢ Woodpecker stamp. The Butte stamp in the center of the illustration, with the service inscription “NONPROFIT ORG.,” has a nominal value of 5¢. The Juke Box stamp at right, with the service inscription “Presorted First-Class,” has a nominal value of 25¢. Together, the three stamps pay 32¢, th
