Postage Stamps

[seal43]

I have just come across some old mint British stamps (decimal) which I bellieve I can still use at face value but what if they have 1/2p's on? Can I use, say 121/2p, 191/2p & 201/2p stamps if I round them down? And can I add two together e.g. 121/2p + 201/2p = 33p? Thanks in advance for any information.

[SylvesterCat]

You can use the stamps but do not add the 1/2p as this is not legal tender

[spudqueen]

I work in a Post Office and I can tell you that you can use them. They are worth the value printed on them, and if you add two half pences together they make one pence, so to use your example a 12 1/2p and a 20 1/2 p would make postage of 33p.

It does not matter that we no longer have 1/2ps, we had a missive from the Post Office last year confirming that two 1/2 p stamps make one 1p stamp!

[johnk]

I also found a lot of 1/2p stamps, thanks spud that's good news

[WatTyler]

spudqueen hope the post office in Liverpool and Birkenhead got this letter as they said you must not add up the 1/2 p. This was over 12 months back.

[dzug2]

The situation did change fairly recently - probably with spudqueen's letter.

Anyway what the Post Office think is irrelevant - it's what the sorting office or its machinery make of it that counts.

[seal43]

Thanks very much for all your answers, esp. Spudqueen. I hated the idea of them being wasted as postage is now so dear!!

[spudqueen]

Yes, we did get a missive over a year ago saying that you could not add two 1/2p stamps up to make one 1p, but then they retracted that and send the second missive saying that you could!

[weecalf]

So the missive became permissive then spudqueen. When did 1st and 2nd become printed and can old ones of these be used as they would be a different colour and value from todays ?

[spudqueen]

Sorry, can't remember when stamps started being printed with 1st and 2nd class rather than the value, but you can use any 1st and 2nd class stamps, no matter when you bought them. ALL stamps since decimalisation are valid for the value printed on them.