Spoiled stamps

SIR – A reader in America (Letters, September 12) complains of the defacement of British stamps with marker pen by the Royal Mail.

This is a topic which has been raised by collectors and the philatelic press with the top management of Royal Mail. The Universal Postal Union requires stamps to be properly cancelled.

I often receive mailings from stamp dealers who attach a series of attractive stamps to the envelopes. I pass these on to our local Oxfam shop, which is pleased to sell them provided they are not defaced with pens. Roger Holden

Kew, Surrey