Postmark High Quality (2024-2026)

Mail-in ballots for elections often rely entirely on the postmark to determine eligibility. If a ballot arrives days after an election but bears a postmark from Election Day, it is legally counted in many regions. Philately and Postal History: Collecting the Marks

Historically applied with a physical rubber stamp and ink pad (known as a "handstamp"), most modern postmarks are applied via high-speed cancellation machines. These machines do two things simultaneously: they "cancel" the postage stamp (marking it so it cannot be reused) and imprint the postmark details. postmark