SV2AEL
International Reply Coupons
The IRC FAQ
The space on the bottom left is where your local post office dates the coupon to validate it (the spot where the purple postmark is). The center space is the local cost and the right space is for the recipient's post office to validate it.
What is an IRC? An IRC is an International Reply Coupon. It is used when you send mail to a country other than your own and you want to pay for postage. It is redeemable in any country which participates in the Universal Postal Union. Think of it as "Stamp Currency."
Where can I get one? IRC's are available from your local post office. You may also want to check your country's online postal resources, if available.
How do I use it? As an autograph collector sending a request to a country other than their own, you would put one to three of them with your request and your self-addressed (BUT NOT STAMPED) envelope.The person who you send them to can take the IRC's to their local post office, and trade them in for the equivalent amount of non-registered air mail postage. This will allow them the courtesy of providing you a reply.As self-addressed stamped envelopes are a MUST when making an autograph request in your own country, a self-addressed envelope and the appropriate amount of IRC's are a MUST when making an autograph request outside your own country.
How much are they? In the United States, each IRC is currently $1.05 and are purchased at your local post office. You will want to check with your own country's post office for your cost locally.
The International Reply Coupon's BACK SIDE
This side contains the "explanation" of use in various languages. The English translation reads:
"This coupon is exchangeable in any country of the Universal Postal Union for one or more postage stamps representing the minimum postage for a priority item or an unregistered letter sent by air to a foreign country."