Malaysian Frama
In 1987 the Malaysia postal administration (Jabatan Perkhidmatan Pos Malaysia) tested an ATM vending machine, model FE 254, from the Swiss company FRAMA. The distributor was installed on May 25th 1987 in the Dayabumi complex, and from January 1990 in the capital's main post office, Kuala Lumpur.
The user pays with coins and selects the required face value using the 3 buttons, programmed with basic postage values (15, 20 and 40 c), or it issues an ATM with the value corresponding to the inserted coin(s) or the value of any change. The smallest value coin accepted was 5 c, which also corresponded to the lowest face value that was available from the ATM machine.
The Frama distributor used a unique gummed paper, with a neutral yellow background with the postal emblem and the continuous text
JABATAN PERKHIDMATAN POS MALAYSIA.
The vending machine's red imprint includes a design with the country's name, face value, the
Bunga Raya (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis), the national flower of Malaysia, in the lower left corner, and the machine number (
WP 001).
WP 001 (WP - Wilayah Persekutuan) [Federal Territory]
Variable Value Stamp (VVS)
A variable value stamp, is a gummed or self-adhesive postage stamp of a common design, issued by a machine similar to an Automatic Teller Machine, with a value of the user's choice printed at the time the stamp is dispensed. The value may be variable or from a fixed selection of postal rates. The stamps and machines are typically for use in retail or post office environments. As only the postal value varies from stamp to stamp, these stamps have been described as key type stamps. They are also closely related to meter stamps from postage meters.
As the concept has developed, a variety of different names have been used, including, but not limited to,
Automatenmarken (Germany),
ATM stamps (USA),
Autopost stamps (USA),
Frama labels (Europe) or
machine labels (Stanley Gibbons catalogues).
Frama Labels
The Frama company of Switzerland produced a special type of patterned paper suitable for dispensing by machine and electronic printing that could be used to create an unlimited number of different stamp designs. The British Post Office used the paper experimentally in vending machines in 1984-85 but the experiment was not regarded as a success. Frama labels were also introduced in Switzerland in 1976. Frama labels were distinctive for the whole design being printed in one operation onto the special paper, including the value, rather than just the value being printed on to a pre-printed stamp.
