Philatelic Mail

Philatelists (stamp collectors) are interested in receiving mail from Antarctica, and the National Science Foundation has a procedure (see below) to support philately at a level not to interfere with the science mission.

While in Antarctica, you may receive unsolicited philatelic mail from collectors. The Foundation discourages this unauthorized philatelic activity, and you will be entirely within your rights in declining to respond to such unsolicited requests. Please discard the material in the appropriate recycling container. If you receive large amounts of unsolicited philatelic mail, bring it to the attention of the station manager or the NSF Representative.

Philatelists may obtain a maximum of two covers (self-addressed stamped envelopes) a year by writing to the postal clerks (addresses below) at the three year-round U.S. antarctic stations.

1. No more than two covers per person per station per year.
2. Covers will be processed for personal (that is, noncommercial) use of individuals only.
3. U.S. correspondents use domestic first-class postage for the APO addresses (below) and international first-class or air mail postage for the Palmer Station address.
4. Non-U.S. correspondents use international first-class or airmail postage.

Philatelic Mail Clerk McMurdo Station,Antarctica PSC 469 APO AP 96599-1035 Philatelic Mail Clerk Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica PSC 468 Box 400 APO AP 96598 Philatelic Mail Clerk Palmer Station, Antarctica c/o AGUNSA Deposito Franco Antartico P.O. Box 60-D Punta Arenas, Chile

Covers are not processed if these guidelines are not followed. Information in this Science Program Summary is not to be used to circumvent the above policy.

Philatelic mail is processed and returned to senders as soon as possible, but the processing is in addition to regular duties of station personnel. Some processing is done during the austral winter, when antarctic stations are isolated, resulting in year-long (or longer) delays in mailing covers back to the collectors.