Introduction to Collecting ATM stamps, Also Called Vending Machine Stamps, Framas or Variable Rate Stamps


Stamp vending machines existed for a long time, brought into service in Great Britain around 1908.  These machines dispensed coil definitive stamps in 1/2 d or 1d denominations after the insertion of an appropriate coin.  Many countries began to use stamp vending machines of various mechanical and electro-mechanical designs.  But variable denomination ATM stamps were not introduced until the late 1970s and early 1980s.  These vending machines dispensed stamps with variable denominations to match the value of the coin or coins inserted.  

From a philatelic standpoint, these variable denomination stamps are different than the ordinary postage stamps people buy at the post office counter.  They are actually franking labels, but are often called "framas" after the name of the company which pioneered their use.

Many stamp collectors ignore vending machine stamps because they are not typical postage stamps as we all think of that term.  This is a shame, however, for two reasons:  some framas are actually quite lovely, with beautiful colors and attractive designs; and we may not have them to collect in the future.  Several countries, including Australia, have stopped selling framas on the theory that they are not sufficiently in demand.  And on top of that, variable rate stamps, especially those that are printed on thermal paper, are almost self-destructive.

It's entirely possible and perhaps likely that most ATM stamps will be destroyed or damaged beyond salvation within 20 to 50 years.  And some won't last anywhere nearly that long.  The paper they are printed on seems to typically be of very low quality, and the ink used for the denominations easily fades or washes away.

Variable rate stamps dispensed by vending machines have another downside:  most if not all of them use non-soakable adhesive.  No matter how carefully you try to soak them off paper, you just end up with a gooey mess, often in several pieces.  This makes them similar to the unsoakable recent stamps we discussed a few posts ago.  All you can do is collect them on paper.

There's no doubt about it, framas provide some interesting challenges for stamp collectors.  But there are as many ways to collect ATM stamps as there are "regular" postage stamps.  They can be collected by country, geographic region, topic, vending machine type, year, etc.  Most vending machine stamps are inexpensive, although there are high value exceptions.

Try something different. Give your stamp collection a boost by collecting framas.