The international reply coupon turns 100
With 2.2 million sold each year, the international reply coupon is a much-traveled centenarian which has been of service to generations of postal customers. This method for the prepayment of postage was first introduced by the UPU International Bureau on 1 October 1907, in response to a proposal by the “British Colonies of Australasia”, which wished to see a system already in use domestically in several countries – the ability to prepay the postage charge for a correspondent from whom a reply was expected – extended worldwide.
Acting on this request, the 1906 Universal Postal Union Congress in Rome created the international reply coupon. At the time, this new coupon could be exchanged for postage stamps valued at 25 gold centimes in all UPU member countries that had signed the corresponding agreement. The IRC was to evolve further at subsequent Congresses: the exchange of coupons by UPU member countries became mandatory; the minimum selling price was increased several times; time limits for exchanging coupons were introduced; and liquidation accounts were set up for given periods.
Since 1907, seven different types of IRCs have been designed and printed by the UPU, and put on sale by member countries. The current version is known as Beijing 2. It was launched on 1 July 2006, and is valid until 31 December 2009. Reply coupons are currently sold by 121 postal administrations. But while not all countries sell IRCs, all the postal administrations of the UPU’s 191 member countries, and their territories, are required to exchange them.
A century after it first appeared, the international reply coupon remains a useful item. Aside from its traditional use for correspondence, two particular groups of users have emerged: students, who use it as a means of exchanging correspondence with academic institutions, and amateur radio enthusiasts, who use coupons when exchanging their “QSL cards” confirming radio reception.
