No Finders, Keepers

Stephen Kochersperger, senior research analyst at USPS Headquarters in Washington DC, examines vintage collection boxes. The U.S. Postal Service is reminding employees to check with the USPS historian before selling or discarding historic items.

USPS is reminding employees to not hold onto old postal equipment or other historic objects for themselves.

The reason: These items belong to USPS — and theft of postal property is a federal felony.

Employees might come across such items when cleaning up workspaces, preparing for retirement or moving from a USPS location.

Local postal officials might also think they can dispose of historical items, but whether the disposal is by loan, donation or sale, approval by the USPS historian is required.

Requests for approval must include a photograph and description of the item. The USPS historian can also provide further guidance in disposing of valuable historic records.

For more information, refer to Handbook AS-701, Asset Management, Part 6-4.4, Material Requiring Special Approval. The historian’s email address is phistory@usps.gov.

Artifacts in the USPS collection include uniforms, a leather delivery satchel, employee badges and postmarking and canceling hand stamps.    

Other artifacts in the USPS collection include a letter carrier uniform coat and cap, a city delivery zone guide and a canvas collectors’ satchel.    

The USPS collection also includes locks, scales and more.    

Source: LINK