[Dx-qsl] Dutch IRC

[VR2BrettGraham]

PA2R replied to EU1SA's query about PA postal authority
no longer selling IRCs:

>I can confirm IRC's are not anymore sold in Holland, but the new ones can be
>traded in for stamps or money.

Are you sure about the latter?  "Money" is not postage
stamps, postal stationary, postal prepayment marks or
impressions.  UPU LM is quite clear on what an IRC must be
redeemed for by postal administrations (see LM Art 13, RL
142, paragraph 3).

Further, are you sure that they refuse to accept the previous
version of IRCs (as implied above)?  They are still valid & as
UPU member it is an obligation of the PA postal authority to
accept them.  It has been confirmed by UPU many times, as
QSPed here in various posts by several folks.

SM5DQC then added:

>It's been that way here since they started with the large
>type. According to Swedish mail very few IRC's were
>sold, and they found the new ones to expensive to print!

Are you sure about the latter?  IRCs only come from the
UPU & presently they are sold for 0.74 SDR each - same
price to all postal administrations (since 2002, if I am not
mistaken).

M5AAV also suggested:

>For a definitive answer - have to see if any PA's are on the
>list..........

Actually, the definitive answer is contained in the LM
Compendium, where what individual postal administrations
have reported to UPU is documented.  The LM
Compendium has been reworked since the last time I looked
& it is very easy now to tell where IRCs are sold & where
they are not (as well as many other things about post in
that particular place).

Interestingly, in LM Art 13 RL 142 commentary (142.1),
the "option of limiting the sale of IRCs is meant to prevent
abuse of IRCs as means of payment for matters not
connected with the postal service, in particular when
currency values are disrupted in certain countries".

So apparently IRC abuse is a problem in PA & SM, or
there is disruption in currency values there (EUD &
SEK respectively, if I am not mistaken ;^).

73, VR2BrettGraham.