How to Mail a 2-cent Letter

My friend Josh sent me a letter affixing only a 2-cent stamp to the envelope. Surprise: It didn’t arrive.

But then he sent another letter with a 2-cent stamp, and on the envelope in red ink he wrote out the text of the law that requires 2-cent letters to be delivered. That letter was delivered to my mailbox. “Pretty cool,” I thought. I had heard that there is an old law on the books that letters can be sent for only 2 cents (if they are addressed a certain way), but I had never experienced it for myself. It really worked.

Josh sent another 2-cent letter, but it wasn’t delivered. Then he wrote to the postmaster and explained the law. His next 2-cent letter was delivered.

Read Josh’s letter to the “postmaster”

I’m going to mail him a 2-cent letter back. Let’s see if it gets delivered! What do you think of this exercise? Does it “hurt” the post office to follow the law?

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Jumping Jacks

It sounds like a fluke. Why don’t you try that with your bills. ie…  Electric, Water, Rent, etc….   I seriously doubt it would work.

Harriet

yes It does. Just mailed the commercial drivers manual from New York to Georgia and it was delivered in three days. Received 3/14/2024.

Lou

Hi Harriet, would you be willing to walk me through the whole process you did? I’d love to learn more about this. Please don’t hesitate to email me.

Jumping Jacks

I suggest you read this:  https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/investigations/mailfraud/fraudschemes/employmentfraud/shortpaid.aspx

TodMills

Jumping Jacks He isn’t selling anything, but the reason it would be considered fraud if he were, is explained at your link.  Good find.
“If it sounds too good to be true, it is.”

TaiRhoades

Why use paper letters to communicate with friends? We have the Internet, phones, etc.

BB SIZZLE

I’d like to put my 2 cents in, but it will fall under deaf ears.

David Jurist

Don’t use a zip code and spell out the state name. You can also put the zip code in brackets.

Bill

Thanks for the PDF’d letter. I would love to obtain the editable version if you are of a mind to share that with me. It is May 2018. I have been sending first class mail for 2 cents since January 2017. Tested it first with three friends, one of which is an NH Executive Councilman and another a NH State Rep. I have pictures of them post marked and delivered successfully with no insufficient postage stamps. I send all payments for my monthly bills for 2 cents each, and that’s using their envelopes and pre-addressed coupons containing abbreviations and un-bracketed… Read more »

Janine

I mailed a letter years ago as a test to my mom after a friend told me I could legally send a letter for 2 cents if I wrote a slogan on the envelope too. It worked and my mom mailed one back to me the same way. I can’t remember what that “slogan” was. I do remember not using zip codes.

Erin Simmons

I enjoyed the article and the video, but was laughing so hard at the end when a guy in a t-shirt, and naked from the waist down walked into view of the camera in the background! Full moon tonight! Roflmao! Thanks!

Sam Smith

It works, to the right of the stamp you must write:

First Class Non-Domestic
Without Prejudice
bk 12 Statutes at Large
Chapter 71 Section 23
37th Congress, Session 111

bill

I did this for years. Most went through and some were kicked back by my local post office. I even had a friend from Wisconsin send me a Christmas card with a 2 cent stamp that SHE signed through to cancel out…. and it got to me in a couple of days.

Melcena Woody

Please post a picture of the correct way to mail the letter. Also my post office did not have 2 cent stamps. Will two 1 cent stamps work.

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