Gen X, think before you clear your cupboard and throw out that old aerogram an uncle abroad mailed you to wish you for your 10th birthday. Aerogram, telegrams, international reply coupons and postal greeting cards which were in vogue in the 80s and 90s, have now become rare collectibles sought after by postal stationary collectors.
These products which have been phased out over the last decade due to lack of patronage are now being sold by dealers and auction websites to philatelists for at least 10 times their cost.
While telegram services were stopped in 2013, greeting cards though not officially stopped have not been issued at regular intervals by most of the circles. International reply coupons, which people can purchase in India to send a letter from abroad without purchasing a local stamp, and aerograms have also been phased out over the years. “Most of the above products were stopped due to lack of patronage and eventually revenue. With the advent of new technology like email and mobile phones, people stopped requiring these services,” superintendent of Coimbatore postal circle Sudhir Gopal Jakhere said.
City-based philatelist Dr Sriram, who once tried to collect international reply coupons, said, “In the Chennai postal headquarters office, they said they had stopped it as it is not required anymore.” He said he could not acquire any coupons. The coupon last cost Rs 15 and could be used as a stamp to post a letter from anywhere in the world.
Telegrams sent on the last day of the service in July 2013 or on special occasions with information on landmark events, which probably cost a maximum of Rs 27 for 50 words, now cost more than Rs 100 to Rs 200 in the auction market.
There were also ‘customized stamp envelopes’, where the department permitted around 19 institutions, including Pune University, SNDT, South Eastern Railway and State Bank of India, to print their own postal stationary. They could submit their design and postal department would print it for them. However, no such envelopes were issued after 2004. “The postal department feared that the institutions could start printing the stationary themselves,” Jakhere said.
Regarding aerograms, which again cost Rs 15, are coveted by thematic collectors because they came in different forms. “Some aerograms come with a post mark or cancellation on a historic day or with a picture, some have advertisements or even a message. For a thematic collector, this is a rare item and addition. The cost is anything the dealer sets,” says Dr Sriram.
However, some philatelists say prices of products like an ordinary aerogram or postal greeting card are yet to shoot up because the postal department is yet to announce officially stopping them.
These products which have been phased out over the last decade due to lack of patronage are now being sold by dealers and auction websites to philatelists for at least 10 times their cost.
While telegram services were stopped in 2013, greeting cards though not officially stopped have not been issued at regular intervals by most of the circles. International reply coupons, which people can purchase in India to send a letter from abroad without purchasing a local stamp, and aerograms have also been phased out over the years. “Most of the above products were stopped due to lack of patronage and eventually revenue. With the advent of new technology like email and mobile phones, people stopped requiring these services,” superintendent of Coimbatore postal circle Sudhir Gopal Jakhere said.
City-based philatelist Dr Sriram, who once tried to collect international reply coupons, said, “In the Chennai postal headquarters office, they said they had stopped it as it is not required anymore.” He said he could not acquire any coupons. The coupon last cost Rs 15 and could be used as a stamp to post a letter from anywhere in the world.
Telegrams sent on the last day of the service in July 2013 or on special occasions with information on landmark events, which probably cost a maximum of Rs 27 for 50 words, now cost more than Rs 100 to Rs 200 in the auction market.
There were also ‘customized stamp envelopes’, where the department permitted around 19 institutions, including Pune University, SNDT, South Eastern Railway and State Bank of India, to print their own postal stationary. They could submit their design and postal department would print it for them. However, no such envelopes were issued after 2004. “The postal department feared that the institutions could start printing the stationary themselves,” Jakhere said.
Regarding aerograms, which again cost Rs 15, are coveted by thematic collectors because they came in different forms. “Some aerograms come with a post mark or cancellation on a historic day or with a picture, some have advertisements or even a message. For a thematic collector, this is a rare item and addition. The cost is anything the dealer sets,” says Dr Sriram.
However, some philatelists say prices of products like an ordinary aerogram or postal greeting card are yet to shoot up because the postal department is yet to announce officially stopping them.
Trending Topics
LATEST VIDEOS
More from TOI
Navbharat Times
Featured Today in Travel
Get the app