Royal Mail postage stamps

[Iamcazzy]

Does anyone know the purpose of the incompletely cut out slots on the face of Royal Mail postage stamps? Having bought a book of stamps, I fear that when I peel the stamp out of the book, the slots will be left behind and the stamp will be invalid!

Thanks

[vulcan]

No, they wont come apart when you remove them from the book,but they will if you try to remove them from the envelope. That is the idea, to prevent stamps being used more than once.

[Iamcazzy]

That explains it. Thanks vulcan42.

[sprayer]

That is exactly why the slots are there but somebody always finds a way around it, apparently if you tear around the stamp leaving the backing envelope still intact then float it in a bowl of near boiling water the stamp
floats off allowing you to dry it and use it again by sticking it on with glue, but is it all worth the effort to save
a few pence ??

[mollykins]

when it will cost a few pence for the water and electricity to heat it and the glue.

[Iamcazzy]

Thank you sprayer and mollykins. I thought the floating trick only worked with the old lickable stamps not the new self adhesive ones?