My 2 Cents

The following info is for historical and educational purposes only. 

I learned of an old historical United States post office statute that still exists, allowing letters to be mailed within the United States for two cents. Curious, I mailed a letter to a friend in the manner described that arrived without extra postage due. 

This mailing rate is only valid for personal letters mailed to friends and family within the United States that weigh under 1/2 ounce. Each additional 1/2 ounce is an additional 2 cents.

This is NOT for commercial use or important documents, checks, sensitive papers, or to federal government agencies such as the social security office, military bases, prisons, police stations, or Washington DC, etc. This is NOT available for foreign mail.

When addressing your letter and writing your return address, spell out every word. Spell out "Street," "Avenue," "Boulevard." etc. If it's part of the address, spell out "North," or "South, etc. Spell out the State: "Nebraska," "California," "Mississippi," etc. DO NOT use any abbreviations, none! I'll explain why below. On my envelopes, I spelled out "Post Office Box," "Apartment," and "Northeast" (instead of NE). Next, DO NOT include the zip code, instead write "Zip Exempt."

CORRECTION: The top of your envelope should include notations next to the stamp as shown in the photos below, EXCEPT it should say "First Class Non Domestic" vs. "First Class Domestic." Though my letter went through as shown.

This is the complete text as it should be written on your envelope:

     First Class Non Domestic
     Without Prejudice
     USC-1-207
     bk.12 Statutes at Large
     Chapter 71 Section 23
     37th. Congress Session 111

Finally, add 2 cent postage. 

Here's the letter I sent to my friend, Nancy. 

How is this possible? When you mail a letter this way you are sending mail using the General Post Office that still exists within the USPS corporation/agency. Below is a copy of that law below, notice Sec. 23. When your letter is delivered to the post office or mail carrier with a stamp affixed to the envelope the cost is 2 cents.

Here's some USPS history. The current USPS corporation/agency was created in 1970 when Nixon enacted the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, passed by the United States Congress to take the place of the General Post Office that was a part of the Cabinet. The United States Postal Service (USPS) is a corporation-like independent agency that manages mail in the United States. You can find all the info about it with a quick online search. However, the old law, which apparently can't be rescinded, repealed or amended, still exists.

There's more info about the history of the US Post Office at https://www.britannica.com/topic/postal-system/Nat...

I hope this bit of history was interesting. If you decide to send someone your 2 cents in the form of a friendly letter, may they also enjoy this little tidbit of hidden trivia.

And finally, please note, I am not a legal advisor of the law. This is a result of my findings, research, and curiosity. I'm not offering legal advice. Please do your own research to verify this information. In no way do I wish to deplete the Post Office of any funds. My small greeting card business has generated sizable sums of revenue for the Post Office over the years.