Original News Photo - Print. Dead Chain Letters in Denver, Colorado.   August 16, 1935

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Written or pasted on back of photograph:

(1) Chicago Sun Times, Jul 9, 1982,   (2) FRIDAY, AUGUST 16, 1935,  THE DENVER POST.  

"The Chain is Broken   as far as these letters are concerned. The picture shows Postmaster J. O. Stevic inspecting some of the 100,000 chain letters stored as dead in the Denver postoffice, because they were undeliverable due to faulty addressing."

Size: 8 1/2 by 10 inches. Black & White. Purchased on eBay, 10/2012 by DWV. Trimmed on right margin.

me1935-08-16_sd_DeadLetters_image-info

The Paper Chain Letter Archive - contents      Chain Letter Evolution.

Note that likely most of these dead letters were payment letters rather than recruitment copies. This is because the address on payment letters had been copied over and over five times before being used on an envelope, if the Send-a-Dime rules were followed. Thus disabling copy errors were much more likely. The recruitment addresses were not copied at all, and if the letter were went to friends would likely be correct. However addresses obtained from telephone books or mailing lists would have a fair chance of being in error. None of these dead letters would have had a return address.