return to sender can be made prior to spoilage or within the 60-hour period.

(3) Mail addressed and deliverable to a post office box, except registered, certified, insured, COD, and perishable, will not be returned until box is declared vacant.

(b) Registered, insured, COD, and certified mail. (1) Undelivered registered, insured, COD, and certified mail is retained for not less than 3 days, nor more than the periods specified in paragraphs (b)(2), (b) (3), and (b)(4) of this section.

(2) Registered mail is held up to 60 days if the sender so requests by endorsement on the mail. If the sender names no specific period, the mail will be held 10 days before return. EXCEPTION: If the postmaster believes he will be able to make delivery if the mail is held longer than 10 days, it may be held up to 60 days if written permission is obtained from the sender.

(3) Insured and certified mail is held a maximum of 15 days. It is held a lesser number of days if the sender so specifies.

(4) COD mail is held a maximum of 30 days. It is held a lesser number of days if the sender so specifies.

(c) Special delivery and special handling mail. Special delivery and special handling articles are held for the period specified in paragraphs (a) or (b), except that requests for immediate return of special delivery mail will be honored. § 159.4 Disposal of undeliverable mail and unclaimed articles.

(a) Disposition of mail. Mail undeliverable at the last office of address is disposed of as follows:

(1) Postal and post cards or samples of merchandise are destroyed or sold immediately.

(2) Printed matter, including circulars, greeting cards, newspapers, magazines, and other periodical publications, obviously without value, is disposed of as waste paper without examination of contents. This mail will not be torn or mutilated before being consigned to the general waste, except when necessary to prevent improper use. Such matter as redemption coupons and uncanceled postage stamps must be burned or mutilated to prevent improper use. Magazines shall not be separated from the general waste unless their separate bulk sale by contract as waste would result in a material advantage to the Postal

Service by reason of the high quality of the paper. Under no circumstances may magazines or other periodical publications be sold at a per copy rate or at auction by the post office. Contracts negotiated for the disposal of waste should contain a provision prohibiting resale by the contractor of copies of magazines or other periodical publications to the public for reading purposes.

(3) Domestic ordinary, insured, or COD articles bearing sender's instructions to abandon are disposed of immediately after expiration of the periods stated in § 159.3 of this chapter.

(4) Third-class mail of no obvious value (see § 159.6 of this chapter) and without sender's request for return is disposed of as waste.

(5) Insured and COD articles bearing sender's instructions to destroy will be destroyed.

(6) Packages containing medicine, perishable articles, liquids, or other articles likely to injure employees, or damage equipment or other mail, or to attract pests, must be destroyed as soon as they are known to be undeliverable.

(7) Letters from Canada or Mexico with return addresses are returned to the postmaster at the post office of origin.

(8) Mail addressed to a deceased person is delivered to the executor or administrator of the estate or, if there is no executor or administrator, to the widow or widower or other claimants, except that U.S. Government pension mail is returned to the mailing Federal agency.

(9) Unclaimed franked mail from a Member of Congress, including that addressed under provisions of § 122.4(d) (2), and unclaimed official mail, including official reports and bulletins sent by State agricultural colleges and experiment stations, is returned to the postmaster at the office of origin if it is known. If office of origin is not known, the mail is sent to the post office at Washington, D.C. Undeliverable mail bearing return address of the White House, the Senate, or the House of Representatives, with or without postage stamps, is returned to the post office at Washington, D.C.

(10) Santa Claus letters, with postage fully prepaid (or local unpaid or partly paid), with no identification of person for whom they are intended, are sent to institutions or persons who may request them to use for exclusively philanthropic purposes. If there is no volun

tary request, they are sent to the dead mail office.

(11) An undeliverable letter bearing the return address of a hotel, motel, school, college, or other public institution printed on the envelope as an advertisement is sent to a dead letter branch for disposition unless the return address also includes the name or title of an individual or a printed or written request for return.

(12) Other mail, including first-class and airmail, bearing no return address is sent to a dead letter or dead parcel post branch for final disposition.

(13) Coins should be stripped from undeliverable circulars and their value should be accounted for as Miscellaneous Nonpostal Receipts, A/C 40990. § 159.5

Directory service.

(a) Identified as to obvious value. The sender of third- and fourth-class mail may identify pieces which are considered to be of obvious value and assure their delivery or return by using the "Return Postage Guaranteed" or the "Forwarding and Return Postage Guaranteed" services.

(b) Unidentified as to obvious value. When an undeliverable piece does not bear the sender's guarantee to pay forwarding or return postage, its value must be appraised before it is disposed of. Packages of merchandise or personal property such as photographs, jewelry, or clothing are examples of matter having obvious value. Miscellaneous printed matter such as circulars and articles unsolicited by the addressee such as samples of merchandise are examples of matter not of obvious value.

(c) Disposition. When a piece not so indorsed is determined to be of obvious value, it must not be disposed of as waste, or sent to dead letter or dead parcel branches if it can be forwarded to the

addressee or returned to the sender. If the addressee has guaranteed to pay forwarding postage for matter of obvious value, the piece will be forwarded. If the piece cannot be forwarded, it will be returned to the sender at the applicable postage rates.

§ 159.7 Dead mail.

(a) Definition. Dead mail is matter deposited in the mail which is or becomes undeliverable, or is unmailable, and which cannot be returned to the sender.

(b) Treatment of dead mail in dead letter branches-(1) Opening letters. The dead letter branches dispose of dead first-class letters. Dead letters are opened at dead letter branches in an attempt to determine the name and address of the sender so that his property may be returned. Only those employees especially designated to open dead letters shall be allowed to treat such matter and then only under proper supervision. Do not ordinarily use substitute employees in dead letter branches.

(2) Letters which can be returned to sender or forwarded to addressee. Return dead letters to the sender or, when the opening of the letter reveals the correct name and address of the addressee and the name and address of the sender is not found, forward the letter to the addressee; except:

(i) Destroy any letter which contains advertising matter obviously of no value to the sender.

(ii) Send all domestic letters, registered or ordinary, containing money or valuable enclosures "returnable to a foreign address," after recording when required, to the Postmaster, Dead Letter Branch, Washington DC 20013.

(iii) Dispose of any letter in the categories listed in paragraphs (d) (8)–(f) in this section in accordance with those instructions.

(3) Letters which cannot be returned or forwarded. Destroy letters which contain correspondence only and which are without sufficient information to enable return to the sender or delivery to addressee. Dispose of other letters in accordance with paragraphs (d) (8)–(f).

(4) Dead registered letters. Treat these letters in the same manner as other dead letters, except:

(i) When it is possible to return these letters to the sender, return them by registered mail and charge only the dead-letter fee for return.

(ii) When these letters must be recorded on Form 3877, Firm Mailing Book, use "Remarks" column to show the original registry number.

(iii) File for 1 year all dead registered letters which cannot be delivered.

Dead

(5) Second-time treatment. letters dispatched by a dead letter branch that are returned for second-time treatment shall be treated in the same manner as letters receiving original treatment, except that the original records, if any, shall be appropriately endorsed to show that the letters were returned to the dead letter branch for second-time treatment.

(6) Letters inadvertently sent to dead letter branch. If they bear the return address of the sender, withdraw and return them unopened, without charge, in the ordinary mail (except registered letters which shall be returned by registered mail). Endorse letters inadvertently opened and return under cover without charge. Forward all first-class parcels inadvertently sent to a dead letter branch to the proper dead parcel post branch.

(7) Fees to be collected on dead letters returned. Charge a fee on all opened dead letters returned to the sender (or forwarded to the addressee). When more than one dead letter is returned under one cover, charge each individual piece with the fee to be collected and show the total on he postage-due envelope in which returned. In addition to the dead letter fee, charge the minimum registry fee on letters dispatched by registered mail, except on letters originally registered and sent to a dead letter branch for disposition. They are reregistered without charge. Show the total amount to be collected in each instance on the face of the regular dead letter branch postage-due envelope. Make all collections at the office of delivery by the use of postage-due stamps. Collect any postage which was due before the article became dead.

(8) Disposition of letters originating in Canada. Forward dead letters originating in the Provinces of Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, and Newfoundland to the dead letter office at Toronto. Send dead letters originating in the Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia, Yukon and Northwest territories to the dead letter office at Vancouver, British Colum

bia. If the source of origin cannot be determined, send the letters to the dead letter office at Ottawa. Send packages of returned letters by ordinary mail and show the name, city, and State of the dead letter branch making the return. (9) Disposition of letters deposited in violation of law-(i) Domestic lottery matter. Destroy letters of domestic origin containing lottery tickets, chance books, etc., without remittances. Return those containing remittances of money, money orders, checks, etc., to the sender with the original stubs of the ticket sold so that the sender may refund the purchase price. Destroy chance books and tickets found in these letters.

(ii) Foreign lottery matter. Endorse foreign letters supposed to contain lottery matter, which have not been opened by the addressee, with the reason of nondelivery. Return them to the country of origin through the proper exchange office. Treat letters originating in Canada in accordance with instructions in § 159.7 (d) (8) after endorsing with the reason for nondelivery. Dispatch letters of foreign origin stamped "Supposed to contain prohibited matter," which have been opened by the addressee and found to contain lottery matter, to the postal inspector in charge of the division in which the office of address is located.

(iii) Other matter. In opening dead letters, destroy any matter under seal which is prohibited in the mail by law if the address of the sender or addressee is not known. Treat other contents in the regular manner. If the address of the sender (or addressee) is found, return legitimate contents to the sender (or forward to the addressee), and destroy the unlawful matter. Make no report to a postal inspector in charge based on information obtained by breaking the seal of first-class letters.

(e) Disposition of letters containing cash (1) Letters that can be returned to senders-(i) Containing $10 or more. Enclose these letters in dead letter postage-due envelopes, item P-26-K or P-32-K. Enter on Form 3877 the names and addresses of both senders and addressees. Show in "Remarks" column, the amount of money contained in each letter. Enter registration numbers in column 1 of Form 3877 and on the envelopes from a series assigned to the dead letter branch. Rate each letter for collection of the minimum registration fee plus the dead mail fee. Register the letters and

file the mailing receipts in the dead letter branch.

(ii) Containing less than $10. Forward these letters to the sender in a dead letter postage-due envelope by ordinary mail, rated for collection of the dead mail fee. Keep a daily record showing only the total number of these money letters returned and the total amount of money involved.

(f) Catalogs. (1) Prepare for each sale a mimeographed or multilithed catalog of numbered merchandise to be sold. List all lots by number and brief description. Provide space by each item for posting sale price and purchaser's name or number during sale.

(2) Show the following information on the front of the catalog:

CATALOG OF UNCLAIMED MERCHANDISE FROM THE MAIL TO BE SOLD AT PUBLIC AUCTION

(Place-Day-Date-Starting Time) Merchandise Will Be On Display: (Place— Day-Date-Time).

Terms: This catalog is for the purpose of identifying the merchandise only. No sale will be set aside because of any error in description of a lot not seen by the purchaser. There is no guarantee as to quantity or quality. All articles are sold "as is." The minimum initial bid will be $1. Bids after the first bid will be accepted in units of $1 or more only. Purchasers who do not make advance deposits must make payments immediately after each purchase. Refunds will not be made for merchandise not called for by the purchaser. Merchandise purchased must be removed by: (Time and date) (Postmaster)

(a) Why mail is registered. Registered mail provides added protection for valuable and important mail plus evidence of mailing and delivery.

(b) What may be registered. All mailable matter prepaid with postage at the first-class or airmail rate. Stamps or meter stamps must be attached representing all postage and fee charges. Business reply mail may not be registered unless postage and all fees are fully prepaid.

(c) Where to mail. Registration may be obtained by presenting mail to:

(1) Post offices and their branches and stations. Postmasters will accept mail of unusually high value only at the main office or larger branches, stations.

(2) Rural carriers. Mail and cash may be left in a rural box. Any change will be handed to the sender or placed in an en

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velope and left in the box on the carrier's next trip. Responsibility will not be assumed for articles or money until a receipt is issued. No responsibility will be assumed for any change placed in the box.

(3) Nonpersonnel rural stations and branches Customers must meet the rural carrier at the nonpersonnel rural station or branch to have mail registered.

(d) Registration not available. Mail will not be registered if:

(1) Placed in street letterboxes or in mail drops in post offices.

(2) Addressed to post offices to which it cannot be transported with safety. (3) Not properly prepared. See § 161.3 of this chapter.

(4) Two or more articles are tied or fastened together, unless enclosed in the same envelope or wrapper.

(e) Additional services—(1) Registered COD. Combined registry and COD service is available. The regular registered mail fees apply plus the collection charge specified in § 161.2(a) of this chapter. The mail must conform with registered mail and COD service requirements.

(2) Return receipts. The sender may obtain return receipt, Form 3811, by paying fees, in addition to the registration fee and postage, under the following conditions:

(i) At the time of mailing. Inform the postal clerk or write on the mail “Return Receipt Requested or Return Receipt Requested Showing Address Where Delivered."

other insurance both apply to the first $1,000 of value or any part thereof, postal liability is assumed on a coinsurance basis and prorated according to the formula in Part 164.

(3) To Canal Zone. The maximum liability for registered mail addressed to the Canal Zone is $1,000. For values over $1,000, the handling charges apply.

(c) Refunds. Registration fees will not be refunded after the mail is accepted. Return receipt or restricted delivery fees will be refunded only when failure to furnish a return receipt or to give restricted delivery was the fault of the Postal Service. Receipts for fees must be submitted with requests for refunds.

(d) Declaration by sender (1) Value. The sender is required by law to tell the postal clerk, or to enter on the firm mailing bill if a firm mailer, the "Full" value of mail matter presented