Return to Sender

Return of the day

Consider this as a revised version/addendum to my blog post: An Unexpected Sequence of Events, which was a very oblique encounter with one of the consequences arising from the George Floyd incident. 

Before:

And after:

@Jean Hess: if someone got a 'return to sender', maybe we can help each other with information, like change of address and so on.

john, were you able to send it to allison's new po box?

Hi William, Unfortunately not. The envelope was posted in the middle of May in hope of making the project's May 31st deadline. The change of address came out after that. The envelope made it back to me in August.  

It's not quite mailart, but here's some returned mail from a fictional address:

https://wormwoodiana.blogspot.com/2020/10/unknown-to-post-office.html

Interesting, thank you, Alan.

I've had many in the last month.  

Amber Scribble? is she still active?

OK so maybe my postcards were too fragile, I had a nixie to The Sticker dude, just sent it again.  But what about Shirley Gergel?  Active?

Lastly one back from Gerda Osteneck. I double checked the address.  Seems quite correct.  

Heide, possibly you can e-mail them for more inquiries? 

VAL'S ELVIS SHRINE

The leaf on the left comes from the original Heartbreak Hotel, the leaf on the right from Gracelands.

(I also have a Buddy Holly Shrine with little stones from his grave at Lubbock Cemetery, Texas, and from the Norman Petty recording studio, Clovis, New Mexico)

"POSTAL SEANCE: A SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION INTO THE POSSIBILITY OF A POSTLIFE POSTAL EXISTENCE" -- one of the most bizarre Mail Books I have chanced upon

In the author's (Henrik Drescher) own words, and in his own capitals:

"AT LONG LAST THERE IS EVIDENCE VERIFYING THE EXISTENCE OF THE AFTERLIFE.

THE IRREFUTABLE PROOF OF WHICH IS CONTAINED IN THE PAGES OF THIS BOOK, WHICH IS THE CULMINATION OF FIVE YEARS OF EXHAUSTIVE RESEARCH INTO THE POSSIBILITY OF A POSTAL PORTAL CONNECTING US WITH THE DEAD.

THE PROCEDURE WAS SIMPLE: BY ADDRESSING CORRESPONDANCE TO PERSONS IN THE AFTERLIFE AND AFFIXING POSTAGE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO PASS THROUGH THE MAIL SYSTEM'S POSTLIFE PORTAL, IT COULD BE DETERMINED WHETHER IT WAS POSSIBLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE DEARLY DEPARTED, THEREBY ESTABLISHING FIRM EVIDENCE OF ETERNAL LIFE IN THE HEREAFTER.

I AM PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT MY FINDINGS PROVE THAT THE AFTERLIFE EXISTS. OF THE LETTERS MAILED, 87% OF THE CORRESPONDANCE WAS NOT RETURNED;"

So Dreschler and 8 of his accomplices mailed envelopes to 100 or so dead people, from all eras, from all countries.  If they were not 'Returned to Sender', he assumed that they were delivered and the recipient was indeed alive; if they were returned, the assumption was that the addresse was dead.

Now wearing your 'Return to Sender' hat, you might think that if the envelopes were not returned to him, the postal authorities had just thrown them away  -- but that would not be a 'scientific' conclusion;

Here are 2 examples  of ones that were 'DELIVERED' (to Alexander Graham Bell and Ray Johnson -- 'using his own mailing system method' ) and one xample of one that was 'RETURNED' (to Jack Kerouac)

Last words from Henrik:" AFTER CAREFUL ANALYSIS OF THE DATA ACCUMULATED I CAN DEDUCE THAT DENMARK IS THE MOST INEFFECTIVE PORTAL TO THE AFTERLIFE. IF ONE WISHES TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE DECEASED, THE BEST ODDS ARE TO MAIL FROM ROME, ITALY, WHERE MY SUCCESS WAS 100% DELIVERY TO THE AFTERLIFE."

(I have a personal story about the Italian postal system -- Non Return To Sender -- that I can tell you if anyone's interested later)

Returned to sender and so far no reaction from Cliff.

Those returns are pretty disappointing, Greg

Always sad to see "returns" in the mailbox :-(

I sent before Christmas to Russia via Azerbaijan, no can do.

Lost a lot of Euro in postage!

and recently a little package to Athens came back...sigh:

Received back this week but was send in may last year

Two mailart postcards returned