An international reply coupon (IRC) is a coupon that can be exchanged for one or more postage stamps representing the minimum postage for an unregistered priority airmail letter of up to twenty grams sent to another Universal Postal Union (UPU) member country. IRCs are accepted by all UPU member countries.
UPU member postal services are obliged to exchange an IRC for postage, but are not obliged to sell them.
The purpose of the IRC is to allow a person to send someone in another country a letter, along with the cost of postage for a reply. If the addressee is within the same country, there is no need for an IRC because a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) or return postcard will suffice; but if the addressee is in another country an IRC removes the necessity of acquiring foreign postage or sending appropriate currency.
History
The IRC was introduced in 1906 at a Universal Postal Union congress in Rome. First issued on 1st October 1907, an IRC could be exchanged for a single-rate, ordinary postage stamp for surface delivery to a foreign country, as this was before the introduction of airmail services. An IRC is exchangeable in a UPU member country for the minimum postage of a priority or unregistered airmail letter to a foreign country.
Design & Cycle
Since 1906, the appearance of the IRC has changed several times, with 9 different models, 21 different iterations (changes to the basic model) and 5 special anniversary coupons (for the 100th 110th & 115th anniversaries of the IRC and the 140th & 145th anniversary of the UPU)
Model 1
1907 – 1929
Rome
The first IRC design depicted a female figure flying from the Eastern to the Western hemisphere holding a letter and preceded by a small bird.
Model 2
1929 – 1966
London
The London Congress of 1929 introduced a completely new design (by Franz Helbing) from 1 July 1930, with stylised columns to left and right, all in blue over a pale yellow-brown globe.
Model 3
1966 – 1974
Vienna
The Vienna Congress of 1964 introduced on 1 January 1966 the third design which was virtually devoid of any ornamentation. The designer was Donald Brun. The circles were one above the other. The yellow security underprint showed (faintly) the main part of the UPU monument (letter-bearing female figures flying around the globe) on the upper one, and the then UPU International Bureau building in the lower. The centre showed a globe (fringed by vertical bars) with a large bird flying upwards.
Model 4
1975 – 1990
Lousanne
The Lausanne Convention came into effect on 1 January 1975, and introduced a fourth design. This stretched the centre of Donald Brun’s underprint on the Vienna design to cover the whole coupon. This had simply a text, and a thin framing including date stamp circles in blue on the front, and the yellow colour dominates. The text was only in French (apart from the languages on the back) and the obligation to show a country name or selling price was removed; if either was shown it was in red.
The UPU “logo” of a globe with female figures flying around it appeared in the top-left corner.
Model 5
2002 – 2006
Beijing
The Beijing Convention, effective from 1 January 2002 5 introduced the most radical changes to IRCs that have occurred since they first appeared. They were doubled in size, to 148x105mm (A6) and printed on stiffer paper that could be processed by machine. The front was lightly printed in blue, with a picture of a girl holding a letter in front of a lake with a mountainous background.
2007 – 2009
Beijing No2
2007 – 2009
Beijing No2 – 100th Anniversary of IRC
Model 6
2009 – 2013
Nairobi
Model 7
2014 – 2016
Doha Cycle
2014
Doha – 140th Anniversary of UPU
Model 8
2017 – 2021
Istanbul
Viet Nam emerged victorious from the ten countries participating in the latest competition, held on 7 October 2016 during the UPU Congress for the 2017–2021 period in Istanbul (hence the new IRC name "Istanbul model").
Graphic artist Nguyen Du's design featured a pair of hands and a dove against an Arctic backdrop to represent sustainable development in the postal sector. The image of the yellow stamp on blue represents the future of the Post.
2017
Istanbul – 110th Anniversary of IRC
2019
Istanbul – 145th Anniversary of UPU
Model 9
2021 – 2025
Abidjan
The traditional international drawing competition organized to select the illustration of the IRC Abidjan was launched in late 2019 under the theme "Preserve the Ecosystem - Protect the Climate" in reference to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 13 and 15.
Despite the global health situation related to the Covid-19 pandemic, 9 designated operators from UPU member countries participated in the competition.
The drawing represents a tree formed by two hands surrounding the foliage and a group of birds, all placed on the globe symbolizing the ecosystem.
This drawing has a special character because of the young age of the artist, Miss Valeryia Tsimakhavets, who has just celebrated her 15th birthday.
2022
Abidjan – 125th Anniversary of IRC
