These articles are taken from Wikipedia. The history of postage rates in the UK is followed by some history about some of the world's most interesting postal services and postage rates.
UK postage rates
The story of UK postage rates begins in the 12th century with King Henry I of England, who appointed messengers to carry letters for the government. It is estimated that between 1100 and 1135, 4,500 letters were carried by these messengers.[1] At this time, private individuals had to make their own arrangements and pay the postage rates of private businesses, these postage rates were not universal. Henry III provided uniforms for the messengers, and Edward I instituted posting houses where the messengers could change horses. The reign of Edward II saw the first postage rate marking; handwritten notations saying "Haste, post haste".
Henry VIII created the Royal Mail in 1516, appointing Brian Tuke as "Master of the Postes", while Elizabeth I appointed Thomas Randolph as "Chief Postmaster". Under Thomas Witherings, chief postmaster under Charles I of England, the Royal Mail was made available to the public (1635)[1], with a regular system of post roads, houses, and staff. From this time through to the postal reforms of 1839 - 1840 it was most common for the recipient to pay the postage, although it was possible to prepay the charge at the time of sending.
In 1661, Charles II made Henry Bishop the first Postmaster General (PMG)[1]. In answer to customer complaints about delayed letters, Bishop introduced the Bishop mark, a small circle with month and day inside, applied at London, in the General Post office and the Foreign section, and soon after adopted in Scotland, (Edinburgh), and Ireland, (Dublin). In subsequent years, the postal system expanded from six roads to a network covering the country, and post offices were set up in both large and small towns, each of which had its own postage rates postmark.
In 1680 William Dockwra established the London Penny Post, a postage delivery system that delivered letters and parcels weighing up to one pound within the city of london and some of its immediate suburbs for the sum of one penny.]
The Great Post Office Reform of 1839 and 1840 was championed by Rowland Hill as a way to reverse the steady financial losses of the Post Office. Hill convinced Parliament to adopt the Uniform Fourpenny Post whereby a flat 4d per ½oz postage rates (equivalent to £1.18/kg postage rates for heavier items) was charged regardless of distance. The rate went into effect on 5 December 1839 but only lasted for 36 days.[3] This was immediately successful, and on 10 January 1840 the Uniform Penny Post started, charging only 1d for prepaid letters and 2d if the fee was collected from the recipient. Fixed rates meant that it was practical to avoid handling money to send a letter by using an "adhesive label", and accordingly, on May 6, the Penny Black became the world's first postage stamp in use.
The stamp was originally for use only within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and as such was in effect initially a local stamp. For this reason the name of the country was not included within the design, a situation which continued by agreement with foreign post offices, provided the sovereign's effigy appeared on the stamp. Envelopes sold with postage paid did not include this, so were marked with the country's name. In 1951, the special commemorative issue for the Festival of Britain included the name "Britain" incidentally. It could therefore be said that the name of the country then appeared for the first time on a stamp of the UK, although the word "British" had appeared on British Empire Exhibition commemorative stamps of 1924.
It soon became obvious that black was a not a good choice of stamp colour, since any cancellation marks were hard to see, and from 1841 onwards, the stamps were printed in a brick-red colour. The Penny Reds continued in use for decades.
The Victorian age saw an explosion of experimentation. The inefficiency of using scissors to cut stamps from the sheet inspired trials with rouletting (the Archer Roulette), and then with perforation, which became standard practice in 1854. In 1847, the (octagonal) 1 shilling (£0.05) became the first of the British embossed postage stamps to be issued, followed by 10d stamps the following year, and 6d (£0.025) values in 1854. Postage rates.
Surface-printed stamps first appeared in the form of a 4d stamp in 1855, printed by De La Rue, and subsequently became the standard type. ½d (halfpenny) and 1½d (penny halfpenny - pronounced pennyhaypny or threehaypence) engraved stamps issued in 1870 were the last engraved types of Queen Victoria; the next would not appear until 1913. Surface-printed stamps of the 1860s and 1870s all used the same profile of Victoria, but a variety of frames, watermarks, and corner lettering. A 5 shilling (abbreviated as 5/- or as 5s.) (£0.25) stamp first appeared in 1867, followed by 10 shilling (£0.50) and £1 postage rates values in 1878, culminating in a £5 stamp in 1882.
Meanwhile, the age of the Penny Reds had come to an end along with the Perkins Bacon printing contract. The new low values were also surface-printed: first was a penny stamp coloured Venetian red in a square frame, issued in 1880. However, the passage of the Customs and Inland Revenue Act of 1881 necessitated new stamps valid also as revenue stamps, and so the Penny Lilac was issued in that year, inscribed "POSTAGE AND INLAND REVENUE". This stamp remained the standard letter stamp for the remainder of Victoria's reign, and vast quantities were printed. Later issues were inscribed POSTAGE & REVENUE which became the more familiar POSTAGE REVENUE. postage rates
1883 and 1884 saw experimentation with stamps using fugitive inks with the 'Lilac and Green Issue'. These were rather plain designs, low values in lilac and high values in green, because those were the only colours available. They succeeded in their purpose - relatively few of the stamps survived usage, their colours fading away when soaked from the envelope - but they were not liked by the public.postage rates
The last major issue of Victoria was the "Jubilee issue" of 1887, a set of twelve designs ranging from ½d. to 1s., most printed in two colours or on coloured paper. (Although issued during the Jubilee year, they were not issued specifically for the occasion, and are thus not commemoratives.)
When Edward VII succeeded to the throne, new stamps became necessary. The approach was very conservative however: most of the Jubilee frames were reused, and the image of the King was still a single profile. Edward's reign being fairly short, there were no major changes of design, but chalk-surfaced paper was introduced. (This type of paper can be detected by rubbing the surface with silver, which leaves a black mark.)
By contrast, the stamps of King George V were innovative from the very first. The first issue made was of the ½d and 1d values, which were in the same colours as used in the previous reign. Although the main design feature remained the same – a central ellipse for the portrait, an ornamental frame, value tablet at the base and a crown at the top – a three quarter portrait was used for the first time. Subsequent designs reverted to the standard profile however.
The UK's first commemorative stamps were issued for the British Empire Exhibition in 1924. The pair of large-format stamps featured a lion in an imposing stance; they were issued twice, in 1924 and then in 1925, the stamps of each year being inscribed with the year of issue.[4] A second set of commemoratives in 1929 marked the 9th Congress of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), held in London that year.[5] postage rates.
A set of four stamps was issued in 1936 for Edward VIII before he abdicated.[6] George VI's coronation was marked with a commemorative: part of an omnibus issue which included every colony in the Empire. New definitives featured a profile of the King on a solid colour background, based on a plaster cast by Edmund Dulac[7]. This was a precursor of the Machins three decades later: see below.
The century of the postage stamp was celebrated in 1940 with a set of six stamps depicting Victoria and George VI side-by-side. By the following year, wartime exigencies affected stamp printing, with the 1937 stamps being printed with less ink, resulting in significantly lighter shades. Post-war issues included commemoratives for the return of peace, the Silver Jubilee and the 1948 Summer Olympics in 1948, and the 75th anniversary of the UPU, in 1949.
In 1950 the colours of all the low postage rates values were changed. 1951 saw a new series of high values (2s 6d, 5s, 10s, £1), and two commemoratives for the Festival of Britain.
When Elizabeth II succeeded her father in 1952, new stamps were needed. The result was a collection of variations on a theme that came to be known as the Wilding issues, based on a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by photographer Dorothy Wilding[8].
Wildings were used until 1967, when the Machin issues were introduced on 5th June[9]. The Machin design is very simple, a profile of the Queen on a solid colour background, and very popular, still being the standard British stamp as of 2009. They have been printed in scores of different colours; in addition, decimalisation required new denominations, and there have technical improvements in the printing process, resulting in literally hundreds of varieties known to specialists.
The monarchy and trends in design of British stamps
Up to the 1950s, British commemorative stamps were few and far between: most of the stamps were definitive issues in which the portrait of the reigning monarch was the dominant element. Even after commemorative stamps began to appear more often during the 1950s and early 1960s, the monarch's effigy was prominent, usually taking up a quarter to a third of the stamp's design, which limited flexibility and creativity. A change came in 1965 when the then Postmaster General Tony Benn issued new criteria for what could appear on stamps. Designer David Gentleman wrote to Benn about alternative design approaches, suggesting the monarch's head be replaced by another national symbol, such as a Crown, Royal Cypher or words such as "Great Britain" or "UK". A compromise, a small silhouette of the Queen based on the coinage head of Mary Gillick, was accepted and this has been the standard ever since for commemorative stamps.[10] postage rates When the monarch's portrait is part of the stamp's main design (as for example in the case of issues commemorating the Queen's birthday), then the silhouette is not needed and does not appear. (An exception to this rule occurred in 2000 when a souvenir sheet issued in commemoration of the Queen Mother's 100th birthday included a stamp with a photograph of the Queen and the silhouette.)
Another trend is the growing use of stamps to commemorate events related to the present Royal Family. Up to Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952 the only commemorative stamps to have been issued related to royal events were for King George V's Silver Jubilee in 1935, King George VI's coronation in 1937, and a 1948 issue to commemorate George VI's 25th wedding anniversary. Since 1952, however, stamps have been issued to commemorate many royal occasions:
H M The Queen's silver (1977) and golden (2002) jubilees
the 40th anniversary of her accession (in 1992)
her coronation in 1953
her silver, gold and diamond wedding anniversaries (in 1972, 1997 and 2007)
the 25th and 50th anniversaries of her coronation (in 1978 and 2003)
her 60th and 80th birthdays (in 1986 and 2006)
the weddings of her sons and daughter (Anne's in 1973, Charles' two weddings in 1981 and 2005, Andrew's in 1986, and Edward's in 1999; Anne's second wedding in 1992 was not commemorated)
her mother's 80th, 90th and 100th birthdays (in 1980, 1990 and 2000)
the Prince of Wales' investiture and its 25th anniversary (1969, 1994)
Prince William of Wales' 21st birthday in 2003.
In addition, memorial stamps have been issued after the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales (in 1998) and Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (in 2002).
With regard to previous monarchs, stamps were issued in 1987 to mark the 150th anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession, and in 1997 to mark the 450th anniversary of King Henry VIII's death. postage rates Lately (2008-9) stamps have began to be issued featuring all of England's kings and queens, starting with the Lancaster, York and Tudor dynasties.
USA postage rates
Domestic Parcel Post service was adopted in 1913, a full 25 years after the Post Office had agreed to deliver international parcel post packages pursuant to the Universal Postal Union treaty and various bilateral agreements with other nations.[2] Initially, there were few or no postal regulations governing packages mailed parcel post. To construct a bank in Vernal, Utah in 1916, a Salt Lake City Company figured out that the cheapest way to send 40 tons of bricks to the building was by Parcel Post. Each brick was individually wrapped & mailed. Postal rules were promptly rewritten.[3]
Bulk postal rates were restructured in 1996:
Second Class postage rates became Periodicals
Third and Fourth Class Mail postage rates became Standard Mail (A) and (B)
Special Fourth Class Mail postage rates was renamed Special Standard Mail.
In 2007, First Class Mail postage rates was restructured to include variable pricing based on size, not just on weight. "Shape-based postage pricing" is a form of dimensional weight.
At this time, International Parcel Post air service was rebranded as Priority Mail International, and Parcel Post surface service was discontinued for international destinations.[4]
Regular Air Mail service began in 1918 and over the years postage rates varied considerably depending on distance and technology. As noted above, the last separate domestic air postage rates ended in 1975.
Additional postage rates charges for Special delivery existed from 1885 to 2001. Today "Express Mail Overnight" is the closest service.
Australian postage rates
The first Postmaster of New South Wales was an ex-convict, Isaac Nichols, who took the post in 1809 operating from his home in George Street, Sydney. His main job was to take charge of letters and parcels arriving by ship, to avoid the chaos of people rushing onto the ships as soon as they arrived at Sydney's wharves.
The Postal Act of 1825 allowed the governor to fix postage rates and appoint Postmasters outside Sydney, enabling the first organised postal service.[4]
Postal services grew throughout the Australian colonies as they were established.
A regular Sydney-Melbourne overland service began in 1838, as did embossed covers (the world's first) prepaid postage[citation needed], and by 1849 uniform postal rates were established by agreement between the colonies. Monthly steamship sea mail to the United Kingdom was established in 1856. The separate colonies joined the Universal Postal Union in 1891.
In 1901, the colonial mail systems were merged into the Postmaster General's Department (or PMG). This body was responsible for telegraph and domestic telephone operations as well as postal mail. The world's first large-scale mechanical mail sorting system was introduced in Australia (according to Australia Post), and operational in the Sydney GPO in 1967. This coincided with the introduction of the current system of 4-digit Postcodes in Australia.[5]
On 1 July 1975, separate government commissions were created to undertake the operational responsibilities of the PMG. One of these was the Australian Postal Commission, trading as Australia Post. It later changed its name to the Australian Postal Corporation on 1 January 1989 when it was corporatised, although it still trades as Australia Post.
Under amendments to the APC Act that came into effect in March 2008, quarantine inspection officers from a prescribed state or territory are authorised to request Australia Post to open for inspection packets and parcels sent from interstate which they believe may contain quarantine material. The legislation also authorised Australia Post to remove from the mail stream articles that are suspected of being scam mail.[6]
On 26 June 2009, Australia Post celebrated its 200th anniversary.
Hong Kong postage rates
Merchants traded in Hong Kong at the two sides of Victoria Harbour as early as before the British possession in 1842. They complained about the absence of proper postal services and therefore the Postal Department was established.
The department was founded on August 28, 1841 but the first post office (a.k.a. ^ at that time), situated near the recent site of St.John's Cathedral, opened later on November 12. At the beginning its right to operation belonged to the Royal Mail until its transfer to the Postmaster General on May 1, 1860.
On December 8, 1862, the Office issued the first set of Hong Kong postal stamps. Before that, only British soldiers in Hong Kong could use British stamps while other local residents did not have any. Until the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, BFPO 1 was the address for British forces serving in the then colony. When sending mail from the UK to a member of HM Forces serving overseas, the sender must address it to the appropriate BFPO number, and not to the country in which that person is based. BFPO1 addressed mail was charged at the inland UK rate.
In 1989, the Office introduced automated mail sorting and machines installed in the General Post Office.[2] Unlike mainland China, there is no post code system in Hong Kong, although one has been under consideration since 2000.[3 postage rates]
Since August 1995, the Office operates as a Trading Fund. Full title of the head of the Office becomes Postmaster General and General Manager of the Post Office Trading Fund (traditional Chinese: ]L]I\).
Before 1997, the post boxes were painted red as in the United Kingdom, and was engraved with a British Royal Coat of Arms. After the transfer of sovereignty in 1997, the livery of the drop-off boxes has become green, with the new Hongkong Post logo. Old pillar post boxes were eventually retired and replaced with the generic boxes used today.
Israel postage rates
In 1948, stamps were issued by Israel Post the Israeli postal operator. Because Saturday is a day of rest, Sunday, May 16, was the first business day after independence was declared on which stamps could be sold.[6] The first set of stamps was entitled Doar Ivri ("Hebrew Post") because the country's name had not yet been chosen.[7] The first set of definitive stamps included values of 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 50, 250, 500, and 1000 mils. The stamps were printed by letterpress, perforated or as a rouletted variation, and with Israel's emblematic "tabs" with marginalia about the stamp. Stamp booklets were issued for the 5, 10, 15 and 20 mil stamps.[8 postage rates] The Doar Ivri stamps were designed by Otte Wallish using ancient coins from the First Jewish-Roman War and later Bar Kochba revolt (as pictured at top of article).
Israeli stamps are trilingual, in Arabic, English and Hebrew, following the practice of the British Mandate of Palestine (as required by the League of Nations). Israel Post first issued postage due stamps, tete-beche and gutter pairs in 1948, airmail stamps in 1950, service stamps, for government offices, in 1951 and provisional stamps in 1960.[9] The tabs have gone through three unofficial phases. From 1948 to 1954, the tabs were written in Hebrew (with four exceptions: the Maccabia, Israel Bonds, Zionist Congress and Z.O.A. stamps). From 1954 until 1967, the inscriptions were usually in Hebrew and French. Since 1967, the tabs are typically Hebrew and English. Rarely, a tab is matched with the wrong stamp, as with two mix-ups on some Doar Ivri stamps.[10]
From the outset, Israel created its own commemorative cancellations, including a first day cancel for the new Doar Ivri on May 16, 1948, and cancels for the Maccabiah Games and its major cities the same year.[11] By 1960, more than 325 unique postmarks had been designed.[12] Beginning with the Doar Ivri stamps, too, Israel has provided first day covers. For instance, on July 5, 1967, a first day cover featuring Moshe Dayan was issued from the new post office in Jerusalem, soon after the Six Day War.[13]
Israel has 64 post offices in 1950, expanding to 114 by 1960 and, after the Six Day War, to 178 branches by 1970.[14] In 1955, two settlements in the Negev began Israel's first mobile post office, a red truck. By 1990, Israel ran 53 routes for 1,058 locations, including Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza.[15]
Due to hyperinflation, in 1982 and 1984 Israel issued non-denominated stamps with an olive branch design. These stamps were said to be dreary yet convenient, insofar as they avoided the need for both the government and the customers to constantly update their postage.[16]
During the 1990s, Israel experimented with vending machines for postal labels (franking labels). The Klussendorf machines and their labels were withdrawn from service in 1999. Twenty-two colorful designs were issued, including 12 tourist sites and seven holiday season designs.[17] Israel Post also provides the Express Mail Service in cooperation with 143 other postal suthorities.[18 postage rates]
The Israeli Defense Forces provides mail services for the military. During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, for example, the IDF postal agency issued a series of postcards with cartoons to boost morale. Postcards show an Israeli cartoon character looming over Damascus, hail and fire raining down on Egyptian pyramids (quoting Exodus 9:24), and "Judgment Day, pictured here."[19 postage rates]
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