# Is That All The Address They Needed Back Then? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 25, 2006, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168 "2006-05-25T14:43:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168/21 "2006-05-25T17:59:01Z")
> [@](#): > > I recall in the early 1960s Mad magazine received several postcards or letters in which the address was nothing more than a picture of Alfred E. Newman, which delighted them because it showed how famous he was. Long before either **Mad** or **Playboy** even existed, they were doing this kind of this with Ripley’s Believe It Or Not – sending postcards with the name in rebus form (Bee Leaf “It” Oar Knot). These would actually arrive, the way the Riplety’s people tell it. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168/22 "2006-05-25T18:09:21Z")
I have received mail with nothing but: my first name, last name replaced with similar, but funny, word; the wrong route number, and the proper town name and ZIP code. Hell, it wasn’t even late. A great deal depends on your PO and their goodwill. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168/23 "2006-05-25T18:10:51Z")
> [@RCGDC](#): > > And they said > “Send to: Jack Benny, Hollywood California. That address again is Jack Benny, Hollywood California. And don’t forget to include your quarter and box top from any size package of Grape Nut Flakes.” > My question is back then is that all the address they needed? A name and a city? > This had to be in the '50s Not ordinarily. A complete address was expected BUT mail then and before was often delivered with less information. IIRC Ripley’s book “Believe It or Not” had examples of far more meager information. A Postal Railway Mail Service clerk had to memorize all the postoffices in the several states which were served by his rail route assignment. No Zips, nada. It seems like today with 9 digit zips, automated route sorting, etc. that more than a few route carriers can’t even find their routes. ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168/24 "2006-05-25T18:45:51Z")
I don’t know about now, but _GAMES_ magazine used to have an “Envelope of the Month” award for the most unusual envelope addressed to them. The envelopes often had some kind of puzzle that had to be deciphered in order to read the address. I think one of the magazine’s editors once wrote something to the effect, “The people at the post office told us that whenever they get an envelope like this, they pretty much assume it’s meant for us”. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168/25 "2006-05-25T18:47:13Z")
> [@A.R. Cane](#): > > Rural addresses used to, and probably still do in some places, just require the family name, the route number and the name of the post office. i.e.: Smith, Rt. 3, West Undershirt, IA. and of course, now, the ubiquitous zip code. Forget “just require” - when I lived out in the country as a child (just in the 80’s!) we didn’t _have_ a street number, so it’s not like they could have mailed it to anything else. We had a route number and a zip code, and we got our mail in Eastover. (And we were glad to have it!) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168/26 "2006-05-25T18:56:49Z")
I remember the same Ripley’s stunts which **CalMeacham** and **spingears** mentioned. I also remember that Groucho Marx occasionally got mail delivered to him in Hollywood which had nothing more than a caricature of him (glasses, eyebrows, cigar) on the envelope. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168/27 "2006-05-25T19:28:22Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > I remember in **The Maltese Falcon** , Bogart sends a letter to himself addressed, “Sam Spade, General Delivery, City,” (The City being San Francisco) and later picks it up at the PO. The movie (and probably the book) assumes this would go through (the contents are important). Most post offices had a “General Delivery,” which were basically a “will call” window – you’d show up and ask if there were any letters for you. Not sure if they asked for an ID, but Bogart didn’t have to show one. Still exists: [http://www.usps.com/receive/choicesfordelivery/receivemailinotherplaces.htm](http://www.usps.com/receive/choicesfordelivery/receivemailinotherplaces.htm) ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168/28 "2006-05-25T19:35:59Z")
The ‘general delivery’ is alive and kicking all over the world, where outside the US it’s known as _poste restante_. Google it - you’ll find thousands of post offices where they do it. In the days before email, this is how I communicated when travelling in Asia. Addresses like the OP’s still exist in Ireland. Outside major cities, postal codes don’t exist, and even in larger towns the postman tends to know the location of his customers by name. My wife’s mother can be contacted by: Her Name Her Village Ireland Putting the county is preferable, but if the village has a unique name, it’ll get there. Even in Dublin I once went into my local post office, that covers thousands upon thousands of addresses, to pick up a parcel, and the guy behind the counter said “ **mrs jjimm** [she has a different surname to me] - she’s your wife isn’t she? There’s a letter for her here.” ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168/29 "2006-05-25T19:48:31Z")
I have some postcards that were sent to my father from around the country in the fifties. They just say his name, the town, and the state, and obviously arrived. As stated above, it all depends upon the familiarity that the postal employees have of their area, and their willingness to take the time to figure something out. > [@Huerta88](#): > > [General Delivery] > Still exists: That’s good to know. Then why pay for a P.O. box? Do they still have “dead letter” rooms? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168/30 "2006-05-25T20:07:07Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > …Do they still have “dead letter” rooms? Bartleby would prefer not to tell you. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168/31 "2006-05-25T20:48:07Z")
According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZIP_Code), the little barcode printed on most letters these days is a translation of the ZIP code, the additional four numbers in the ZIP+4, which narrow the address down considerably (how much, exactly, depending on where it’s being delivered), and then an additional two digits which further specify the exact delivery point (“in theory,” wikipedia notes). Therefore, mail _may_ get through with just those 11 numbers, and nothing else. What’s more, P.O. boxes each have a unique ZIP+4 code, so I imagine that’s all you’d need to send to a P.O. box as well. The +4 code for General Delivery is the ZIP of the post office and then 9999, but of course you’d have to specify a name or something. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168/32 "2006-05-25T22:01:22Z")
I just yesterday received a letter that had misspelled first name, misspelled last name, no building number, wrong street name (misspelled so badly as to be unrecognizable), no apartment number, misspelled town name, right state, right 5 digit zip. I live in a fairly large town so I don’t know how they managed to get it to me. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168/33 "2006-05-25T22:09:51Z")
I think the ZIP+4 narrows down the address to a few houses on the street, so theoretically, just the name and the right ZIP+4 code should be enough. Actually, I may try sending some stuff just to test this. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168/34 "2006-05-25T22:59:49Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Addresses like the OP’s still exist in Ireland. Outside major cities, postal codes don’t exist, and even in larger towns the postman tends to know the location of his customers by name. > > My wife’s mother can be contacted by: > > Her Name > Her Village > Ireland > > Putting the county is preferable, but if the village has a unique name, it’ll get there. A dearly departed member of one of my mailing lists used to tell about how his grandfather used to receive mail from several Eastern European countries addressed as follows: **ISSERLIS** [his surname] **ENGLAND** I’ve only skimmed the thread, but I think this one wins the prize for concision. Scarlett, who remembers the GAMES Envelope of the Month, back when the magazine was still a good one ---
**Author:** ![daffyduck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ec9cab/32.png) [@daffyduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daffyduck)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168/35 "2006-05-25T23:19:01Z")
Evidently British post codes are more precise than American zip codes. When living in “the greater London area” (Highgate actually) I often received mail from the US where the only correct information on the envelope was my name and my post code. Obviously, we’re not talking “small town” here. My postman told me that the post code got it as far as routed to him and he remembered my name and that I was a yank and so letters from the US were to be expected. Come boxing day, he always got a proper gift; and well deserved they were, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2006, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168/36 "2006-05-25T23:45:33Z")
> [@daffyduck](#): > > Evidently British post codes are more precise than American zip codes. When living in “the greater London area” (Highgate actually) I often received mail from the US where the only correct information on the envelope was my name and my post code. > Obviously, we’re not talking “small town” here. My postman told me that the post code got it as far as routed to him and he remembered my name and that I was a yank and so letters from the US were to be expected. Come boxing day, he always got a proper gift; and well deserved they were, in my opinion. Yeah, I live on a major London street and every building has its own postal code. For example, we’re SW4 7UN, whereas the one across the street is SW4 7TL. I imagine a letter with nothing but the postal code would easily make it here OK. I don’t know if this uniqueness applies to residential areas or smaller towns, though. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168/37 "2006-05-26T00:00:09Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > That’s good to know. Then why pay for a P.O. box? > > Do they still have “dead letter” rooms? Today, in Colorado (US) some counties do not have rural delivery or in town delivery. You must have a PO Box to get mail. You can get mail delivered to a PO box at the closest Post office where you live in the county that you live in, and you won’t have to pay for the box. Since we live just over a county line, and drive to a different county every day to work, we are paying for a box at the PO in the county we work in. We (all the residents in the county) had a bit of a battle about that with the PO a few years ago. “Everyone else gets free mail delivery, ummmmm, why do we have to pay for a PO box?” ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168/38 "2006-05-26T01:34:06Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Is it possible to send a letter with just Name, Postal Code/Post Code/ZIP Code, Country and it’ll get through? My mother recently got a letter delivered with just her first name and zip code. It’s not really a small town (23,000 population), but she’s lived there for nearly 70 years. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168/39 "2006-05-26T02:06:23Z")
> [@Kizarvexius](#): > > Or because the person to whom it was being sent was not on the post office’s official list of residents for that particular address. I suspect this may account for several mysterious delivery failures addressed to my new name. This is preposterous. They still insist on delivering mail addressed to earlier occupants that haven’t lived at this address in years, after we’ve repeatedly told them those people moved, but they blow off Johanna mail, after the carrier was told yes she does live here. Something here doesn’t add up. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168/40 "2006-05-26T02:47:07Z")
> [@RCGDC](#): > > I was listening to the \* Jack Benny Show [/I] last weekend, and they had an offer for a picture > > They wanted a quarter and a box top of “Grape Nuts Flakes” > > And they said > > “Send to: Jack Benny, Hollywood California. That address again is Jack Benny, Hollywood California. And don’t forget to include your quarter and box top from any size package of Grape Nut Flakes.” > > My question is back then is that all the address they needed? A name and a city? > > This had to be in the '50s Since this was a nationwide contest I’m quite certain that the company sponsoring the contest arranged with the US Postal Service that all mail addressed “Jack Benny, Hollywood, CA” went to the main Hollywood post office and thence to the mail bag for that contest. Jack Benny never saw any of it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-that-all-the-address-they-needed-back-then/358168.md?page=3)