I’ve seen alot of stamp youtubers have their own postmark (the black thing over the stamp) which they cancel their stamps. Does anyone know how (or where I suppose) to make them?
It depends on if your country allows such stamps
In USA and UK they are legal
For ex in Russia they are forbidden
I don’t know about your country
In the U.S.A. you’ll need to fill out form PS 3615. It can be found here:
This can be a bit of an adventure if your post office has not previously dealt with it. You’ll also have to get your custom stamp designed.
Mail cancelled this way can only be accepted by the post office branch that approves the form (it will be specific to that zip-code), and MUST be handed to a postal clerk for inspection you can’t drop it in a box or slot).
More info here:
We can ask @richardphilatelist himself!
I use my own postmarks/cancellations quite often, especially on Postcrossing postcards. This one was made with found imagery, which I then gave to a rubber stamp maker in Chicago, who made the actual stamp. A number of Postcrossers carve their own rubber stamps using erasers or rubber slabs that can be purchased from art supply shops. If you use the rubber stamp/postmark to cancel the stamp, make sure the postmark “ties” the postage stamp to the postcard or letter, so then the post office will know that the stamp wasn’t previously used.
(There are numerous companies on the internet listed under “custom rubber stamps” that will make stamps from the client’s own design).
I have 4 MPP permits and cancelers, for 4 different zip codes.
More details in my Facebook group.
Even non-US residents can be approved, like Derwin Mak (Canada).
Here is my wolf maxicard with an MPP postmark applied by my friend Bill Porter.
I have designed the wolf personalized stamp at Zazzle.
Hello, here is Richard.
First, it is not quite a postmark; it’s my postmark-shaped logo. There are many ways to design your own one such as Photoshop one. I designed ‘my postmark’ using PowerPoint.
Also I made a self inking stamp with that design. I use it on my Postcrossing cards. There are quite a few companies make customised stamps in the UK. I believe this service is also available in other countries.
Hope that’s helpful
Richard
In the UK you also have the option of sponsoring a postmark with Royal Mail. You design the postmark, choose the date(s) you want it to be available, and submit your request to Royal Mail. About 10 years ago the cost was approximately £220, but I’ve no idea what it costs now.
The sponsored postmarks for the coming month are published in the monthly Postmark Bulletin (here’s this month’s). Anyone can get any of the sponsored postmarks applied to their mail - just send your items to the relevant special handstamp centre’s address on or before the given date (or up to a month later if you’re outside the UK), and Royal Mail will apply your requested postmark and send the items on.
It’d be fun to get one for World Postcard Day on 1st October…
I designed my own stamp but it’s not official so I use it on my cards but not over the stamps. You can design whatever you want have it made and use it anywhere else on your cards. Here’s an example of mine in the upper left corner. I blacked out my address but this what I designed and had made in a rubber stamp.
The word stamp is confusing. Your thing is a non-postal fancy cancel. A rubberstamp impression. A scrapbooking embellishment. Not a real postmark.
Nice, though!
Yes I clearly stated it wasn’t a postmark and if someone wanted to make something like a postmark but didn’t want or couldn’t go through all the rigamarole of getting one made then this was an alternative. I was just putting mine out there to show that you can have a “rubber stamp” with whatever you want it just has to be placed somewhere else other than on the postal stamps.
Also when I send written postcards in an envelope I will put a postal stamp, write the recipients address and make it look as if it’s been traveled and then out my own “cancellation” over the stamps. So that is the other way to do that when you are sending one or more cards in an envelope.