The beginning of the "self service post office"

According to Akron Beacon Journal, in 1948, Akron Postmaster C.B. Webb installed two coin operated machines that marked the beginning of the "self service post office.

One of those was the Pitney Bowes Mailomat which was roughly the size of a movie theater's ticket booth. It had a coin slot, a twist dial and a letter slot. The Mailomat's advantage was that it did not use adhesive stamps.

However, some people still preferred stamps so a second type of machine was installed. The second machine was simple in design and easy to use. It had three coin slots, a push button and three stamp dispensers.

Customers could buy five 1-cent stamps for a nickel, two 5-cent air-mail stamps for a dime or five 3-cent stamps for a nickel and a dime. After the machine dispensed stamps, patrons tore them off along perforated edges.

Shown above is a Mailomat postcard which is available from CardCow.com.

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