Field Mail stamp?

[deValcourt]

I've had this for a while. The date on the side is 1977 and it is heavily used. The text on the stamp says "Field Mail" and there is an 8-digit set of adjustable numbers in the center. Does anybody know if this was something a military "post office" in the field would use to mark incoming/outgoing mail or was it used for something else? The dings and nicks on the handle together with the wear on the metal of the stamp face suggest heavy use, so I'm guessing bulk mail and somebody with a tired wrist and forearm.

The text on the side is really difficult to make out, but it appears to say: "3-д промсвяз пермь 1977 ту 45 113 21" which I cannot translate into anything that makes sense other than a "gost" style permit or identification.

Phillip

[desantnik]

Originally Posted by devalcourt

Does anybody know if this was something a military "post office" in the field would use to mark incoming/outgoing mail or was it used for something else?

Yes, polevaya pochta is just that.

[deValcourt]

Thanks as always, Paul.

Phillip

[EricFG]

Ya don't see stuff like that too often. Where'd ya find that Phil?

[deValcourt]

Strangely enough, I guy I used to buy from many years ago sent it to me along with a batch of other items including blank IDs and suggested I could use it to "authenticate" documents because it had the H&S and "CCCP" on it. Needless to say, I never bought anything from him again since I could see where he was going with that idea. By the way, I think most of the forum vets know who this guy is. "Z" ain't for "Zorro" in this case.

Phillip

[desantnik]

The "54620" is the actual unit - kind of like an American "APO" address.

Are the central digits rotational to any # combination? I wonder if they indicated the ID of the guy stamping them...

[deValcourt]

Originally Posted by desantnik

Are the central digits rotational to any # combination? I wonder if they indicated the ID of the guy stamping them...

Yes they are (or were and will be again with some WD-40 ) and with 8 digits to set we are talking about at least 100 million combinations - maybe more but math was never my thing. With that many possibilities, it would make sense for it to ID an individual rather than any formation of groups. At the same time, 8 digits could also be the date - 25121977, but then you would expect the 19 to likely be fixed unless it was simply easier to build the stamp with all of the digits having all 10 numbers on them.

Just another piece in my "esoteric" collection. And I'm simply thinking "out loud" on my keyboard.

Phillip

[EricFG]

Originally Posted by devalcourt

...and with 8 digits to set we are talking about at least 100 million combinations - maybe more but math was never my thing.

Maybe Marc(2) could help with that. I never could get a grasp much past algebra.

Maybe it's like a secret decoder? You'd get a message over your tinfoil headset, twirl the numbers, stamp it and all would be revealed? Like "The moose are the ones not to be blamed for nothing"...*

I think most of the forum vets know who this guy is. "Z" ain't for "Zorro" in this case.

Oh yeah, that guy...

* bonus points for remembering where that butchered quote came from. (done in poor taste; bad pun intended)

[deValcourt]

I'm tending more toward the date concept, but then I'm exhausted and looking for easy answers right now.

As for the quote, I know it's from a film but my recall centers aren't firing at the moment.

Just reading your post makes me think you've been "conversating" with Normsky very heavily and his off-beat style is rubbing off on you.

[EricFG]

Originally Posted by devalcourt

As for the quote, I know it's from a film but my recall centers aren't firing at the moment.

Nope. No film. At least not at first. It was real first and then may have been shown in some films much later on.
Sleep on it.