CNN logo Navigation Infoseek/Big Yellow Pathfinder/Warner Bros Main banner rule SECRET SECURITY MESSAGES ON STAMPS CAN BE DECODED Postal Service Logo October 16, 1997 Web posted at: 3:39 p.m. EDT (1939 GMT) WASHINGTON (AP) -- The post office is preserving a bit of nostalgia from an era when children saved cereal box tops for the secret decoder rings. The new decoder isn't a ring, but it does the job by revealing secret messages hidden on some U.S. postage stamps. "It was done primarily as a anti-counterfeit measure, but we knew that collectors of all kinds would enjoy it as an interesting design element as well," said postal spokesman Barry Ziehl. You normally can't see the hidden image, but the post office is selling decoders to interested people. For $4.95 collectors can get a special lens that reveals the hidden message when placed over the stamp. The first hidden image was on a 32-cent U.S. Air Force stamp issued in September. With the decoder, viewers can see the letters USAF repeated over and over across the face of the stamp. The decoder has to be turned slightly from side to side to get the image to appear. Copyright 1997 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. rule Related sites: Note: Pages will open in a new browser window * US Postal Service External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive. Barnes and Noble Recommends Selected books on Postage Stamps Or find any book in print by keyword: ____________________ ______ _________________________________________________________________ Infoseek search ____________________ ____ ____ _________________________________________________________________ rule Message Boards Sound off on our message boards You said it... [INLINE] rule To the top © 1997 Cable News Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you.