# United States Postage Meter Stamp Catalog/GROUP TST – Test stamps
## GROUP TST: Stamps generated in equipment and component tests

Click here to return to the United States Postage Meter Stamp Catalog
* Most of the stamps in this group were listed as Specimens in earlier editions of this catalog. Most Specimens are generated for publicity and promotional purposes and are expected to have at least some public exposure. Test stamps have a different purpose. They are generated during internal tests of machines and equipment, for employee training purposes, and to preview town marks and slogans before they are released to the customer. They are not intended to be seen by the public and are normally destroyed or trashed after use. Those that escaped destruction and are available to collectors were in most cases saved by employees for their personal collections or those of friends.
* Test stamps are also generated when variable rate stamp vending machines and digital post office franking systems are switched on. These "initiation" stamps are meant to show if the system is working properly. Test stamps such as this occasionally are found in public trash bins near the machines.
* There is much overlap between Test and Specimen stamps. Specimen stamp designs have often been used for internal testing purposes. Cataloged in Group TST are only those stamp designs that unambiguously were meant for internal testing purposes only.
TST-DE3. Pitney Bowes.
    Type DE3 frank only, without town mark, with "P.B.METER" prefix but blank space in place of meter number.
    Without value figures.
TST-DG2. U.S. Postal Meter.
    Type DG2 with town mark: SHOP / TEST
TST-IA(1). Pitney Bowes.
    An "R" model machine stamp made of horizontal bars with a blank circular (town mark) insert at left and a small square insert at lower right containing the value figures.
       A. V/F: $_*$ 00
       B. V/F: ≋ 00
TST-IA(2). Pitney Bowes.
    A Sub-group IA frank with most of the design above the value box obliterated.
    Both the town mark circle and value box are empty.
    Meter number: 482359 seen.
TST-IA3. Pitney Bowes.
    Type IA3 or IA4.1 with "U.S.POSTAGE" above the value box obliterated and with the meter number defaced.
    Town mark empty.
    V/F: 1 00 : (. 00 : or ≋ 00 : ?)
TST-IA4(1). Pitney Bowes.
    Horizontal line design as TST-IA(1) but with value figures as found with Types IA4.1 and IA4.2.
    V/F: ≋ 00 :
TST-IA4.1. Pitney Bowes.
    Type IA4.1 with blank space where the meter number would be.
    With empty town mark.
    V/F: ≋ 00 :
TST-IB4. Pitney Bowes.
    Type IB4 with upper half of frank obliterated.
    Both the town mark and the value box are empty.
    Meter number: 453829 seen.
TST-IC(1). Pitney Bowes.
    A 5300 series model machine stamp made of a solid background with insets at top center and at bottom right and center plus a circular (town mark) cut-out at left and a rectangular (value figure) cut-out at right. With horizontally oriented grooves snaking through the center and right of the design.
    The number 1234567890 appears in both the top and bottom center cut-outs.
TST-IC(2). Pitney Bowes.
    Horizontal line design as Types IA(1) and TST-IA4 but the footprint fits the 5300 series model stamp.
    The value box is empty, and there is no meter number.
       A. Town mark: CITY / STATE
       B. Town mark normal town and state
       C. Town mark: QUALITY CONTROL / TEST
       D. Town mark empty
TST-IC1. Pitney Bowes.
    As TST-IC(2)D but with value figures.
    V/F: ≋.00 :
TST-IC4. Pitney Bowes.
    As TST-IC(2) but with wide triad at left in the value figures.
       A. Town mark: CITY / STATE
          V/F: . 00
       B. Town mark blank but with date. The value figures have a slash bar between the two zeros.
          V/F: . 0/0
TST-IC4.1. Pitney Bowes.
    Type IC4.1 with SPECIMEN above the value box and with QUALITY CONTROL / TEST in the town mark.
    Meter number all zeros.
    V/F: . 00
TST-ID2. Pitney Bowes.
    Type ID2 with QUALITY CONTROL / TEST in the town mark.
    Meter number: 1007694 seen.
    V/F: ≋ 0.00
TST-IE1(1). Pitney Bowes.
    Type IE1 blank at top of value box and with QUALITY CONTROL / TEST in the town mark.
    Meter number: P.B.METER SPEC.
    V/F: ≋0 .00 ≋
TST-IE1(2). Pitney Bowes.
    Type IE1 with QUALITY CONTROL / TEST in the town mark.
    Meter number: 6002605 seen.
    V/F: ≋0 .00 ≋
TST-IE1(3). Pitney Bowes.
    Horizontal line design as Types TST-IA(1), TST-IA4, and TST-IC(2) but the footprint fits the 6500 meter model series stamps.
    Town mark: CITY / STATE
    V/F: ≋0 .00 ≋
TST-LA. Hasler.
    Sub-group LA frank frame with panels at top and bottom but otherwise completely empty.
    Town mark: SPECIMEN / SPECIMEN
TST-NA(1). Pitney Bowes, 1993. [RRRR]
    This stamp and the next one [TST-NA(2)] were used during the designing and testing of Pitney Bowes' first digital stamp, internally nicknamed the "Fox" and released in 1995 as the PostPerfect model. The stamp includes an image of a fox in the design. It was never meant to be issued as such and so is considered a Test stamp rather than an Essay.
    The design shows a sitting fox at left of POST. The fox sits above the value figures, and POST is above the meter number and the date.
    The stamp contains a scalloped border in the upper corners.
    Meter number: PB0000000
    Town mark: MAILED FROM FOXLAND 06926'
    V/F: 00.00
TST-NA(2). Pitney Bowes. [RRRR]
    Test design as Type TST-NA(1) but without the scalloped border.
    Meter number: PB0000000
    Town mark: MAILED FROM FOXLAND 06926'
    V/F: 00.00
       a. With LOW VALUE above POST
TST-NA1. Pitney Bowes.
    Type NA1 with TEST ONLY SPECIMEN in arc above eagle's head.
       A. Town line: MAILED FROM STAMFORD CT 06905
       B. Town line: THIS IS FOR TESTING ONLY and ZIP code
    Meter number: PB 2000000
    V/F: $00.00$^o$
       a. With LOW VALUE over the wing
TST-NA2.1. Pitney Bowes.
    Type NA2.1 with TEST ONLY SPECIMEN in arc above eagle's head.
       A. Town line: SPECIMEN SPECIMEN
       B. Town line: THIS IS FOR TESTING ONLY 09626
       C1. Town line: MAILED FROM normal town, state and ZIP code
       C2. Town line: normal town, state and ZIP code without MAILED FROM
       D. Town line: MAILED FROM FOXLAND 06926
    Meter number for A: PB0004510
    Meter number for B, C and D: 000000000
    V/F: $00.00$^o$
TST-NA3. Pitney Bowes.
    Type NA3 with TEST ONLY SPECIMEN in arc above eagle's head.
    Town line: SPECIMEN SPECIMEN
    Meter number: PB0056821 seen.
    V/F: $00.00$^o$
TST-ND1. Francotyp Postalia.
    This stamp looks nothing like the postage stamp produced by the meter. The machine prints it out when verifying if everything is aligned properly.
    The stamp is a horizontal rectangle containing a target at center with various alignment indicators at the sides.
    At lower left is mymail Test Print and at lower right is USA with numbers at the sides above the date and time.
TST-QA2.1. Neopost-Hasler.
    Stamp label as used with Type QA1.1B but inscribed (from top down): TEST INFO, the date, time, model number, Safe (and number), and with PostLink Meter | US on the bottom.
    Without value figures.
NOTES:
    * The scan shows the stamp along with a tab at right (black on top, "Hasler" on bottom). The tab is not part of the stamp. They are used as spacers on the rolls of blank labels fed into the machine.
    * Presumably this test stamp also exists on QA2.1 labels Type A1, A2, and C.
TST-QB1.1. Pitney Bowes.
    Type QB1.1 with ENGINEERING TEST replacing "UNITED STATES POSTAGE" in the arc above the eagle's head.
    NOT VALID POSTAGE above eagle's wing.
       A. ID number with 02 1A prefix
          - 3380001333
       B. ID number with 02 1M prefix
    V/F: $00.00$^o$