A sorting system for sorting a group of mail pieces and at least one exceptional mail piece into a desired sequence, comprising: a plurality of holders, each holder being created by adjacent bin dividers and dimensioned for receipt and holding of a mail piece from the group of mail pieces and the exceptional mail piece, the holders arranged to move downstream in the sorting system; a first loading station arranged such that the group of mail pieces is received into the sorting system; a singulator for singulating the group of mail pieces at the first loading station; a second loading station, arranged such that the exceptional mail piece is received into the sorting system; first reader means for collecting data about each mail piece in the group of mail pieces; first loading means at the first loading station for loading each mail piece in the group of mail pieces from the first loading station into an unoccupied one of the holders so that the mail pieces are provided thereto, sandwiched between the holders, in a vertical and not end-to-end relationship; second reader means for collecting data about the exceptional mail piece; second loading means at the second loading station for loading the exceptional mail piece from the second loading station into another one of the holders so as to occupy said other one of the holders; means for associating the data about the exceptional mail piece with said other one of the holders, and for associating the data about each mail piece in the group of mail pieces with the unoccupied one of the holders into which said each mail piece was loaded; and a sorter (52, 36) for unloading each of the holders based upon the data associated with each of the holders, so that the mail pieces and the exceptional mail piece are sorted according to said desired sequence, in which system the exceptional mail piece is a mail piece having a shape that is suboptimal for automatic singulation. a plurality of holders, each holder being created by adjacent bin dividers and dimensioned for receipt and holding of a mail piece from the group of mail pieces and the exceptional mail piece, the holders arranged to move downstream in the sorting system; a first loading station arranged such that the group of mail pieces is received into the sorting system; a singulator for singulating the group of mail pieces at the first loading station; a second loading station, arranged such that the exceptional mail piece is received into the sorting system; first reader means for collecting data about each mail piece in the group of mail pieces; first loading means at the first loading station for loading each mail piece in the group of mail pieces from the first loading station into an unoccupied one of the holders so that the mail pieces are provided thereto, sandwiched between the holders, in a vertical and not end-to-end relationship; second reader means for collecting data about the exceptional mail piece; second loading means at the second loading station for loading the exceptional mail piece from the second loading station into another one of the holders so as to occupy said other one of the holders; means for associating the data about the exceptional mail piece with said other one of the holders, and for associating the data about each mail piece in the group of mail pieces with the unoccupied one of the holders into which said each mail piece was loaded; and a sorter (52, 36) for unloading each of the holders based upon the data associated with each of the holders, so that the mail pieces and the exceptional mail piece are sorted according to said desired sequence, in which system the exceptional mail piece is a mail piece having a shape that is suboptimal for automatic singulation.