Mailboxes

[IthinkIknow]

I may very well be wrong, but I see those marks as 89 and NOT 6B. The reason I say that is the orientation of the mark. The bottom of the letters/digits would be toward the middle of the circle. The top would be toward the edge. So, it should be read consistently around the circle with all the markings having the same orientation. If you look at it that way, it clearly has an 8 as the initial mark. Thus, it is 89.

[Xcaliber]

You make a good point, but Graysmith's appendix has them as 6B. Also a Reno zip code zone with a San Francisco post mark wouldn't make sense.

[Chaucer]

I’d take any in the yellow book with a grain of salt. Frankly, upon closer inspection it does look like an 89 to me.

My question is why do some have a number and letter and others have two or three numbers? I know what those numbers mean, but why are some postmarked one way and some the other? Was it a change in postal processing during the 70s?

[Xcaliber]

I take that guy with a grain of salt too, though the appendix info should have come straight from SFPD.

I think there were 88 zones in SF back then -- so in theory, if it does read 89, it could have been an un-referenced processing center.

Either way, if the postmark says San Francisco, the letter wasn't mailed in Reno.

[Chaucer]

The problem is that USPS postal coding was in flux at this time. During the 1960's the USPS was beginning to institute standard ZIP codes and moving away from metropolitan postal district codes. So while the early letters have a postal district code like 4B, the later ones have three digit ZIP codes. So, I believe 940 would be early ZIP codes that we are all familiar with today. Still, that doesn't explain 89 or the other two digit codes.

Any insight from anyone?

[Xcaliber]

Good point. We need to find a postal employee from back in the day who can clarify this stuff.

I believe the Presidio had its own USPS boxes and post office back then, on the army base. Would be interesting if any of the letters (such as the possible '89's') were mailed there.

[IthinkIknow]

I just emailed a postmark club. Their website suggests their museum has the information we're looking for.

There appear to be dozens of such clubs devoted to postmarkd and cancellations.

[Xcaliber]

Excellent idea, thanks for doing that.

[Cragle]

Was gonna write a post on it but haven't got my thoughts fully together, so, throwing it out there:

The Halloween card, assuming you believe the Z wrote the card (I do), offers the best chance in my opinion rather than trying to nail down a po box. In the cancellation are the numbers 89. That's the starting zip of Reno, Nevada. Reno, Nevada is home to one of the Sectional Centers for that state. The Reno Sectional Center handles all mail for 10 counties and approximately 52 cities in California that have the 961 zip code. The 10 counties are: Alpine, El Dorado, Lassen, Modoc, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sierra and Siskiyou. The cities are: Hope Valley, Markleeville, Fallen Leaf, South Lake Tahoe, Tahoma, Doyle, Herlong, Janesville, Lake Almanor, Litchfield, Madeline, Milford, Ravendale, Standish, Susanville, Termo, Wendel, Westwood, Alturas, Cedarville, Davis Creek, Eagleville, Fort Bidwell, Lake City, Likely, Coleville, Topaz, Floriston, Truckee, Alpine Meadows, Carnelian Bay, Homewood, Kings Beach, Olympic Valley, Tahoe City, Tahoe Vista, Beckwourth, Blairaden, Blairsden-graegle, Chilcoot, Clio, Hraegle, Cromberg, Portola, Vinton, Calpine, Loyalton, Sattley, Sierra City, Sierraville and Tulelake. Sounds like lot but if you look up these cities, as of 2010, the populations were very low for most; 50 to 2,827. This isn't counting the major cities like Susanville (17,974), Truckee (16, 180) and South Lake Tahoe (21,403). There was or is a guy here, forgive me but I can't think at the moment who it was, but they did a name search for vallejo at a given year. The same should be done here for the years 70 and 71. I say 71 because just 5 months later the supposed Donna Lass communication comes and it pretty much deals with this same area.

My two cents....

Soze

Soze seemed fairly sure.

And it is definitely 89 the top half of the 8 is a lot smaller that the bottom.

680ABBAF-1544-42C6-89C4-1BE059672B4A.jpeg

Great idea about mailing the clubs, they could be very helpful.

[Chaucer]

Prior to 1963, all cities had two digit postal codes. Then they began slowly instituting the five digit ZIP. So why would they still have a two digit code in 1970?