British Postmark Database

locakart · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2012 04:27:04 am

Scarborough
23 July 1921. Continuous roller with 5 wavy lines

Scarborough. Yorshire 1
29 November 1954. Double circle handstamp

Scarborough Yorshire A
23 April 1964. "Scarborough's Dutch Festival June 1st - 6th Is Britain's brightest holiday week"

This is a first day usage of the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre aerogramme.

Sheerness
18 May 1920. Single circle handstamp with "*" over date

Sheerness is a town beside the mouth of the River Medway on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. It is the largest town on the island with a population of 13,000.

Shipton-by-Beningbrough York
18 February 1971. Double circle handstamp with "A" over date

This is a combination pre-decimal 4d envelope indicium with a decimal 1p adhesive added to make up the new second class rate of 2½p. It is used during the national postal strike of February-March 1971 via the Post Office rather than a private carrier. I showed a similar Shipton-by-Beningbrough postmark used during 'normal times' in an earlier posting.

norvic · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2012 04:41:42 am

locakart wrote:

Old Brompton Chatham
13 November 1916. Single circle handstamp

Chatham is in the county of Kent.

And Old Brompton is darned nearly in Gillingham! Here's what was probably the post office.

I spent many an hour in Old Brompton at the pub or the PO when I worked in Chatham Dockyard.

Quote:

Penrhyndeudraeth is a village now in the county of Gwynedd, with a population of 2,031. This card was in fact posted at Portmeirion where the cult series The Prisoner was filmed. Penrhyndeudraeth is the post office for Portmeirion.

And here's Portmeirion

locakart · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2012 05:00:26 am

norvic wrote:

And here's Portmeirion

Now that is a really, really nice view of Portmeirion :!:

I've been there four times and three of them it rained and rained and rained. The last time though the weather was beautiful and it really looked like the stamp. For those in foreign climes - or even those nearer home - who have not heard of Portmeirion, look at http://www.portmeirion-village.com/?lID=1. It's well worth a visit.

locakart · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2012 05:18:26 am

Southampton. These are all First Day of Issue postmarks on aerogrammes. The first two, however, are just regular handstamped postmarks.

Southampton 4
21 November 1973. Double circle handstamp
25 April 1979. Double circle handstamp

First Day of Issue Southampton
29 October 1969. Single circle handstamp
18 October 1972. Single circle handstamp
22 July 1981. Single circle handstamp

patg · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2012 06:02:34 am

Allan,
Per your email, here you go.

West Calder

Not the best . Will have to do until you get a better one.

Rutherglen

(locakart) is there no bottom to your well

You seem to have an endless supply.
Also, with all the British postal stationary, what's the story behind the Argentine avatar?

Best to all,
pat

locakart · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2012 07:35:37 am

Southgate N.14.
29 December 1952. 7 wavy lines
13 October 1953. 7 wavy lines

Southgate is an area of north London, now mostly in the London Borough of Enfield although parts are in the London Borough of Barnet. It is 13 km north of Charing Cross.

St. John's Wood N.W.8.
24 September 1940. 7 wavy lines

St John's Wood is now in the City of Westminster.

St. Stephen's Tonbridge Kent
16 July 1954. Single circle with "*" over date

Tonbridge is a market town in Kent, with a population of 30,340 in 2007. It is 7 km north of Tunbridge Wells and 46 km south east of London.

Stafford H
17 January 1906. Double circle handstamp

Stafford +
20 July 1910. Double circle handstamp with cross instead of a letter at the bottom

locakart · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2012 08:37:40 am

patg wrote:

(locakart) is there no bottom to your well

You seem to have an endless supply.
Also, with all the British postal stationary, what's the story behind the Argentine avatar?

Best to all,
pat

Pat,

I have been collecting postal stationery for many years. Postal stationery gives a good reflection of what rates were actually in force in most circumstances in most countries - see for instance the thread on Belarusian provisional surcharges from 1992 at http://www.stampboards.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=30222. But there are exceptions such as the Seebeck issues for Central America :!:

Although some collectors prefer unused items, I have always liked to collect items used (reasonably) in period as well. Reasonable btw is a lot more for stationery than the two months that some Stampboarders call reasonably in period. Postal stationery was often bought at the counter when the customer didn't have the means of posting something to hand - might as well buy a stamped envelope instead of a separate envelope and stamp. It also got used when something particular like a registered envelope or an aerogramme was needed.

Being bought at the counter, you often therefore get the items postmarked at the counter, hence the large number of handstamped postmarks on the stuff I have compared to what you will find on mail posted in a pillar box.

Britain also produced a wealth of printed to order stationery for private firms and individuals and official stationery for government departments - which is where a lot of the machine postmarks come from.

Both my sister-in-law and myself recently had our lofts re-insulated. I found a couple of old albums of York and Yorkshire postmarks - which I must confess I thought I had disposed of many years ago. She found an album of old postcards, about a third of them used.

The well is not yet empty as a friend of my wife has just let me have a look through her collection. There are a few postmarks to come from there as well even though she had nothing in her collection that I collect :!:

It's still interesting to look through somebody else's collection though.

Great Britain has virtually stopped issuing postal stationery - yes, I know that there are still a few items available but in all truth the United Nations issues more nowadays.

I looked therefore to diversify and settled on three countries - I've got a largish collection of stationery of the whole world. Firstly, Romania which is the second largest issuer of stationery ever (after the USSR) but has very little which is truly expensive. Secondly, Iran - because its issues are very, very interesting if you get a decent catalogue (Higgins & Gage misses out several key issues).

Thirdly, Argentina - because it splits nicely into older and modern material with a large gap between them when nothing was issued. The older stuff is catalogued in basic, more advanced and even more advanced detail in Higgins & Gage, Ascher's Grosser Ganzsachenkatalog and Vasen and Riese's Catalogo de Enteros Postales Argentinos. There is also quite a lot of web based very advanced information about Argentine issues and at http://foro.filateliaargentina.com.ar the Argentine Philatelic Forum. The newer stuff is all on the Correo Argentino website. There is also a lot of material available via dealers online - mostly in Argentina itself and North America.

The avatar sums things up quite well. The 12 Centavos blue was issued in 1899 and used for international envelopes, such as letters to Great Britain. It has the Cabeza Grande "Big Head" embossed version of the Liberty design. This is a design perfected from the Cabeza Chica "Small Head" which doesn't look anything like as nice.

The embossed version was dropped in favour of a flat-printed imitation in 1902 to save money. But the 12 Centavos rate had risen to 15 Centavos in 1901. So they converted the remainders to inland envelopes by surcharging them with a large red "5". There are (of course) two types of the "5"....

So the Argentine avatar is about philately. Read one catalogue and it's simple. Read another and it gets more interesting. Read another and it gets complicated. Read the research into individual issues and it gets cleared up

or confusing :evil:

Well you did ask :!:

tallanent · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2012 12:01:49 pm

Still playing catch-up with the items posted and at this time I am on page 20 :roll:

but I will reply to comments as I encounter them (unless I notice that some one else has replied)

locakart wrote:

... more Leeds postmarks.

Leeds D

11 November 1970. 7 wavy lines
It seems to be defective with only 5 wavy lines in the middle column

The centre section on this item is not defective - just not inserted properly - or has slipped down.

The middle section is removable and allows for a 1st or 2nd class paid die to be inserted. I have somewhere the roller section of a machine and if I locate it in one of the boxes here - I will photograph to show what they are like.

Also with the centre section being removable - this explains why on some impressions the centre section waves do not match the two side - this when it has been inserted upside down.

ALLAN.

Now to try and get a few more listed

patg · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2012 15:32:46 pm

locakart:

I did ask & I thank you for the interesting reply.
I had contacted Allen for info, and told him I would add what ones I had if I saw a spot in the database.

For myself, I am a collector of SOTN, (mainly) US postal stationary, and US postmarks in (usually) 2x4 format.
Best to all,
pat

P/S- Don't know if this has a spot in the database, but it's how I feel anyway

locakart · **Posted:** Mon Mar 05, 2012 06:38:55 am

Steyning Sussex
30 October 1955. Single circle with "*" over date

It has to be "55" rather than "35" as it looks at first glance - KGVI was still the Duke of York in 1935.

Steyning is a small town in West Sussex with a population of 5812 in the 2001 census.

Stockwell
23 July 1887. Duplex (partial unfortunately) with "Z" above date

Stockwell is now in the London Borough of Lambeth.

Stockwell. S.W 6
5 May 1905. Double circle handstamp

Stourport-on-Severn. Worcs. 5
10 October 1942. Double circle handstamp

Stourport-on-Severn is a town in the Wyre Forest District of North Worcestershire. It had a population of 19,713 in the 2001 Census.

Stow-on-the-Wold Gloucester
22 August 1928. Double circle handstamp

Stow-on-the-Wold is a market town in Gloucestershire. It is at the junction of a number of major roads through the Cotswolds.

locakart · **Posted:** Mon Mar 05, 2012 07:00:26 am

Strand B.O.W.C.2
29 July 1952. Single circle handstamp with "7" above date

This was the Branch Office on the Strand in central London.

Strathmiglo 318
21 September 1905. Double circle handstamp with double arcs between cirlces and letter "B" above date

Strathmiglo is a village in Fife. The population is c. 1000.

Streatham S.W.16
3 November 1929. 5 wavy lines

Streatham is now in the London Borough of Lambeth (like Stockwell in the previous posting).

Sunderland
30 June 1907. Single circle handstamp

Sunderland, previously in County Durham, is now in the County of Tyne and Wear. It had a population of 280,807 in the 2001 Census.

Swindon Wilts. A
10 September 1969. "Swindon Floral Festival 12th 15th Sept 1969 A Town Speaking in Flowers"

Swindon is a large town in Wiltshire. It is midway between Bristol, (64 km) west and Reading, 64 km east. In the 2001 census, the population of Swindon was 155,432.

honza · **Posted:** Mon Mar 05, 2012 07:44:16 am

locakart wrote:

Steyning Sussex
30 October 1955. Single circle with "*" over date

It has to be "55" rather than "35" as it looks at first glance - KGVI was still the Duke of York in 1935.

Ahoj Locakart!

The top date looks like 39, so that would make it 1939 when George VI was king.

Cheers,

Honza

locakart · **Posted:** Mon Mar 05, 2012 08:50:23 am

honza wrote:

locakart wrote:

Steyning Sussex
30 October 1955. Single circle with "*" over date

It has to be "55" rather than "35" as it looks at first glance - KGVI was still the Duke of York in 1935.

Ahoj Locakart!

The top date looks like 39, so that would make it 1939 when George VI was king.

Cheers,

Honza

Looking at it again, it does look a bit like "39". But the KGVI Eight Pence Halfpenny registered envelopes weren't issued until 1952.

The QEII ones at the same value were issued in 1953-54, but post offices only replaced the KGVI ones when stocks ran out. A small place like Steyning might well have still had KGVI envelopes in stock in 1955. It didn't have them in stock in 1939, 13 years before the date of issue.

Thanks for looking though!

norvic · **Posted:** Mon Mar 05, 2012 08:54:55 am

Alternatively it is 1953, with the two bits of the year reversed; though I believe the year slug in the CDS is usually in one piece.

locakart · **Posted:** Mon Mar 05, 2012 10:17:28 am

Taunton 770
8 May 1885. Duplex mark with "J" over date

Taunton is the county town of Somerset. It had a population of 61,400 in 2001.

The Headrow Leeds 1
12 December 1957. Single circle handstamp

The Headrow is one of the main streets of Leeds, the largest town in West Yorkshire. The post office is no longer there.

The Headrow Leeds 1
19 December 1978. Single circle handstamp with "D" above date.
Similar to the previous Headrow postmark, but "Leeds 1" is moved to the bottom of the circle.

The Headrow Leeds 1.
29 June 1982. Single circle handstamp with "E" above date
"Leeds 1" moved back to the top

norvic · **Posted:** Mon Mar 05, 2012 20:12:13 pm

Leeds HPO would have had several different handstamps at the counter, one for each serving position. D & E would have been in use at the same time - and it is possible that the 1957 one with the city at the top would also have continued in use then.

I've a series of cds to scan showing about 10 different at the same place concurrently.

locakart · **Posted:** Mon Mar 05, 2012 21:02:48 pm

norvic wrote:

Leeds HPO would have had several different handstamps at the counter, one for each serving position. D & E would have been in use at the same time - and it is possible that the 1957 one with the city at the top would also have continued in use then.

I well remember the Headrow Post Office in Leeds. Central Leeds used to have three large post offices.

The main post office was in City Square by the station (I put a picture of this up in an earlier posting). There was a post office across the street from Kirkgate Market. There was a post office on the Headrow, one of the main shopping streets. They were about 5 minutes walk away from each other. The one in City Square was the main post office, which was vast and housed the philatelic counter when there still were such things. I usually used the one on City Square because the railway station is also on City Square, not for the philatelic counter as philatelic counters hardly ever stocked the postal stationery that I collect.

The post office near the market is still there. It is large and 'functional'. The City Square and the Headrow post offices are both gone, however. The City Square building was sold and became offices and restaurants in 2004. The Headrow post office is now just shops - no idea which shop it is this year as they all keep changing. I can't remember which year it was that this post office closed.

As well as the Market post office, there is a second city centre post office which is relatively new. That is in the St John's shopping centre. When I worked in the middle of Leeds, you didn't go to the post office at lunchtime because you would still be queuing at the end of your lunch break! It really is horrible with a low ceiling, hardly any natural light and many, many people in a big winding queue waiting for the tannoy calling the next punter to the next available counter. Unless you want to change currencies, in which case it has a separate queue...

They would need about 22 different handstamps for the many windows there.

locakart · **Posted:** Mon Mar 05, 2012 23:26:46 pm

Thorpe Esplanade. Southend-on-Sea
23 March 1950. Single circle handstamp with "*" above date

Southend-on-Sea is a seaside resort in Essex 64 km east of London.

Tower Hill London EC3
26 September 1989. Pictorial handstamp with a view of the White Tower of the Tower of London

Trafalgar Sq. London WC2 Branch Office
26 January 1981. Pictorial handstamp with a picture of Nelson on his Column in Trafalgar Square

Used as a first day cancellation for the 14p envelope.

Undelivered for Reason Stated / Return to Sender

Keeping these postmarks/cancellations/postal markings in alphabetical order to avoid sub-folders got this one stuck by chance in between two postmarks from the West End of London. :!:

It was applied in Liverpool on 29 February 1974 (or 1 March if it was put on a day later than the envelope was postmarked). The reason stated was written on in crayon as "Gone away".

W
26 September 1895. Single circle handstamp with "C" below time, which is below the date. The date is enclosed by two sets of horizontal parallel lines

On a printed paper envelope, so presumably a bulk canceller :?:

locakart · **Posted:** Tue Mar 06, 2012 00:40:12 am

Walton Leics.
4 June 1963. Double circle handstamp

Walton is a village in Leicestershire south of Leicester and west of Market Harborough. It needs the "Leics." for Leicestershire in its postmark to distinguish it from the other Waltons in Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Walton-on-the-Wolds (also in Leicestershire), Liverpool, Powys, Shropshire, Somerset, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Warwickshire and the two :shock:

Waltons in West Yorkshire. No Waltons in Scotland, but there is a Walton (والٹن) in Pakistan. :!:

W.C. A • 4
19 November 1878. Single circle handstamp with the date enclosed by two sets of horizontal parallel lines

Very similar to the "W" postmark shown in the last posting, but without a time included. This is on a 1d international rate postal card, however, not an envelope for printed papers.

West • Kensington. W 6
9 December 1907. Double circle handstamp

West Kensington is now the London postal area of W14. It is mostly in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

West Norwood 72
26 June 1897. Duplex mark with "72" in circle because it's in London. "72" is also above the date

West Norwood is now in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is 9 km south of Charing Cross.

Whitby Yorkshire
26 February 1973. "Whitby Yorkshire For Family Holidays Attractive Harbour Sands & Moors"

This is an addition to something from Whitby I posted earlier. A nice view of Whitby Abbey on the cliff overlooking the "Attractive Harbour".

locakart · **Posted:** Tue Mar 06, 2012 01:04:53 am

White Colne Colchester. Essex
12 March 1947. Single circle handstamp with "5" above date

White Colne is a village in Essex.

Widdecombe in the Moor Newton Abbot Dn
31 March 1947. Double circle handstamp with "B" above date

Widecombe-in-the-Moor is a small village located within the heart of the Dartmoor National Park in Devon, famous for the Widdecombe Fair with the refrain "Old Uncle Tom Cobley and All!" :mrgreen:

Wigan Lancs.
29 November 1938. 5 wavy lines

Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester 30 km northwest of Manchester. It had a total population of 81,203 in 2001. Older Rugby League fans will of course know about Wigan, as their RL team won the Challenge Cup 8 seasons in succession and the League Championship 7 seasons in succession in the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. They are the current Challenge Cup holders.

Wimbledon High St. S.W.19
26 May 1967. Single circle hanstamp with "*" over date

Wimbledon, formerly in Surrey, had been in the London Borough of Merton since 1965, two years before this postmark.

norvic · **Posted:** Tue Mar 06, 2012 01:24:52 am

locakart wrote:

West • Kensington. W 6
9 December 1907. Double circle handstamp

I think it would be useful to adopt a '/' convention in listing the inscriptions to distinguish between that in the upper and that in the lower part of the datestamp. Thus this would be

West • Kensington. W / 6
This is especially important as W Kensington is not W6. This is West Kensington W / handstamp #6.

And Wimbledon is SW19 not SE19 which is in the Crystal Palace area - a team of a different hue!

locakart · **Posted:** Tue Mar 06, 2012 01:40:38 am

norvic wrote:

I think it would be useful to adopt a '/' convention in listing the inscriptions to distinguish between that in the upper and that in the lower part of the datestamp. Thus this would be

West • Kensington. W / 6
This is especially important as W Kensington is not W6. This is West Kensington W / handstamp #6.

And Wimbledon is SW19 not SE19 which is in the Crystal Palace area - a team of a different hue!

The Wimbledon one was a real blooper typo - well E is the next letter to W in QWERTY so it's easy to do. Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa for not spotting it during the preview though.

It now says "W" though because I ran back and edited it in time.

I did wonder about whether to use "/" as a separator to separate stuff at the top from numbers or codes at the bottom. I will do so in future. I am however on letter "W" in this tranche, which is in alphabetical order and there aren't any "X" or "Z" starters to come.

I will certainly use "/" for future postings where needed.

Do you think "/" is useful or necessary for things like "Whitby Yorkshire" in the same posting, which would become "Whitby / Yorkshire" :?:

norvic · **Posted:** Tue Mar 06, 2012 01:53:44 am

locakart wrote:

norvic wrote:

I think it would be useful to adopt a '/' convention in listing the inscriptions to distinguish between that in the upper and that in the lower part of the datestamp.

I will certainly use "/" for future postings where needed.

Do you think "/" is useful or necessary for things like "Whitby Yorkshire" in the same posting, which would become "Whitby / Yorkshire" :?:

Absolutely - it would distinguish from Whitby Yorkshire / -1- if that existed

locakart · **Posted:** Tue Mar 06, 2012 03:33:45 am

Windsor / - Berks. -
3 June 1953. "Long Live the Queen"

A first day postmark for the Coronation aerogramme from Windsor in Berkshire.

Windsor • Berks
16 November 1977. Pictorial cancellation with the date in the centre, a view of the Great Tower of Windsor Castle at the left and an oak branch at the right.

This is one of the pictorial postmarks you could get, usually from a philatelic counter. You got charged for the cost of the handstamped postmark. This one is used on the first day of issue of the 1977 Christmas aerogramme.

Wootton Bassett / - Swindon. Wilts. -
4 June 1950. Double circle handstamp

Wootton Bassett, now Royal Wootton Bassett, is a small market town in Wiltshire, England, with a population of 11,043 in 2001. It is 9.5 km to the southwest of Swindon.

locakart · **Posted:** Tue Mar 06, 2012 03:44:30 am

York postmarks

York / 2
19 April 1901. Single circle handstamp

York / 6
8 April 1905. Double circle handstamp

York / A
21 December 1908. Unframed town mark with 6 straight lines. "A" is underlined and immediately after the year "08" on the bottom line

York
11 December 1909. Single circle handstamp

York / •
18 February 1913. Single circle handstamp with what looks like a stop at the bottom

locakart · **Posted:** Tue Mar 06, 2012 03:55:47 am

York wavy lines postmarks

York
11 February 1947. 7 wavy lines

York
29 July 1948. 7 wavy lines

This is a first day usage of the 1948 Olympics aerogramme. Nice design :!:

York
24 July 1957. 7 wavy lines

Just to show that it isn't all :shock:

"philatelic" , this is a postal card sent to my mother who never ever collected stamps.

York
12 September 1957. 7 wavy lines

But to prove that a lot of it is "philatelic", this is the Parliamentary Conference aerogramme used first day. What a horrible design!

norvic · **Posted:** Tue Mar 06, 2012 04:03:25 am

locakart wrote:

But to prove that a lot of it is "philatelic", this is the Parliamentary Conference aerogramme used first day. What a horrible design!

It's better than the adhesive!
I think that issue was an afterthought. The adhesive stamp was a modification of the ordinary 4d definitive (so unlikely to get much use inland when the letter rate was 3d) and the aerogramme was either overprinted or had an addition to the blue print on the standard design of the time.

locakart · **Posted:** Tue Mar 06, 2012 04:10:40 am

And finally (there being no towns starting with "Z" in my GB collection) some more of York.

York
30 March 1969. "York Festival and Mystery Plays June 20 - July 13 1969"

York
30 May 1969. "York Races 13 - 14 June"

First Day of Issue / York
28 October 1970. Single circle handstamp

York - Shrewsbury T.P.O. / - - 2 -
10 February 1970. Double circle handstamp. The line between the circles is broken on the left, but not the right hand side

colinscovers · **Posted:** Tue Mar 06, 2012 06:54:08 am

Hi

I bought this cover recently and has a cracking Leeds Station late box cancel. Apparently these were only used in manchester , Liverpool, Bradford and Leeds with Bradford and Leeds being the scarcer ones. The Leeds cancel I am told is recorded used from 1894 to 1901

norvic · **Posted:** Tue Mar 06, 2012 07:05:29 am

I've never seen one before, but then it does rate at £200 in Collect British Postmarks

tallanent · **Posted:** Thu Mar 08, 2012 00:22:13 am

locakart wrote:

A 1d postage due cachet has therefore ben added. Like the Croydon 1d cachet in the last posting, it is green. But it is now boxed and gives an explanation of why you as the recipient have to pay 1d to actually receive it:

"1D MORE TO PAY LETTER RATE ABOVE....07" There are the initials "S.I." in a small box at the bottom left. Is the "07" the maximum length in inches - this card is 230 mm = 9 inches long? :?:

The "ADDRESS" in the cachet is printed on the card, NOT part of the cachet. My display distinguishes the colours so that it is obvious, but in artificial light they look practically the same.

The part that you think is 07 is in fact Oz. with the space before it being for insetring what weight step it was above.

The bottom left corner is S 1.

The S indicating Scotland and the 1 being the office number of Aberdeen.

ALLAN

Still playing catch-up ... but getting there slowly

locakart · **Posted:** Thu Mar 08, 2012 02:58:27 am

tallanent wrote:

locakart wrote:

A 1d postage due cachet has therefore ben added. Like the Croydon 1d cachet in the last posting, it is green. But it is now boxed and gives an explanation of why you as the recipient have to pay 1d to actually receive it:

"1D MORE TO PAY LETTER RATE ABOVE....07" There are the initials "S.I." in a small box at the bottom left. Is the "07" the maximum length in inches - this card is 230 mm = 9 inches long? :?:

The "ADDRESS" in the cachet is printed on the card, NOT part of the cachet. My display distinguishes the colours so that it is obvious, but in artificial light they look practically the same.

The part that you think is 07 is in fact Oz. with the space before it being for insetring what weight step it was above.

The bottom left corner is S 1.

The S indicating Scotland and the 1 being the office number of Aberdeen.

ALLAN

I thought that I had forgotten all about "oz" - as ounces, but not of course in the Australian context.

It never crossed my mind on this occasion because:

A) Nothing is written in the space before "Oz"
B) It's one of those panoramic view cards that you had to pay extra to post, so it's the size that's wrong.

Did they just have the one stamper for 1d extra to pay, so used it regardless? Or put the wrong one on, and then said "Well it's only 1d so what the heck."

Much appreciate the information about "S.1". The more postmarks I look at, the more interesting it gets.

norvic · **Posted:** Thu Mar 08, 2012 03:22:44 am

No, it's valid for the purpose - Liable to Letter Rate. The _________ ounces would only be used if it was over basic weight and a further explanation was needed for the higher than basic charge.

locakart · **Posted:** Thu Mar 08, 2012 03:42:42 am

norvic wrote:

No, it's valid for the purpose - Liable to Letter Rate. The _________ ounces would only be used if it was over basic weight and a further explanation was needed for the higher than basic charge.

Comprehension dawned. Thanks :!:

tallanent · **Posted:** Wed Mar 14, 2012 10:49:52 am

patg wrote:

Allan,
I hope you don't mind I "quoted" your start post again as a reminder to those who may wonder what you are doing.

No problem with the quote ..... anything to make life easier for those joining the thread part way through ...

patg wrote:

Also, I would like to know how it is going with your effort so far, and if there is anything you have learned since starting that we can do when sending an image, to make your work easier.

I think that the database is going well .. (but then I would say that

). I think it would be best for others to comment on the good / bad points of the database which then could be addressed if possible.

What I have learned so far is that after inserting the list of known (to me) names, that there is a vast amount of variations - way above what I had originally thought about.

I recall that at the start I thought a figure of 10 to 15 thousand would see this at a point where new entries would be less common and date revisions etc being what was required.

Now I think a figure of 50,000 is a better guess-a-mate, and even this I think may be a little on the low side.

With the scanned images - the size best suited for this board is larger than that for the database - but I still feel that these larger images on the board are better for those viewing here as well as for when some details need to be checked / confirmed.

patg wrote:

Also, do you prefer us posting here first, or sending directly to the web site?

Thanks for your efforts,
pat

Posting here will get the postmark listed in the database quicker than sending direct to me via email. All those sent are stored for later checking - but (as I think I mentioned before), those posted on here will be added first.

I hope this answers your points ...
Back to playing catch up (now part way down page 22) ...

Regards .. ALLAN

locakart · **Posted:** Wed Mar 14, 2012 12:33:16 pm

Allan

I posted up some queries in other threads for a friend of my wife. This lady has a collection mostly of GB mint and used to 2000, when as she said "It became more like purchasing than collecting".

She also had the usual lot of postcards, covers etc which turn up in the post with interesting stamps, as excess in lots or whatever over the years. And which you keep in shoe boxes in case you ever want to do something with them. A nice lot of Fijian mixed philatelic and personal covers. But also quite a lot of British stuff that was peripheral to her main collection.

I have scanned in the postmarks which include 9 different Elizabeth-Philip royal wedding ones from different places and a lot of stuff from where her family came from in the east Midlands and Lincolnshire. There are about 100 postmarks not in the database already.

I've also got hold of a lot more official paid OHMS envelopes from relatives - they are mostly from the same places as stuff I have posted previously so I have only scanned in stuff which isn't in the database already - or which moves the earliest known date forward or the latest known date backward. There are about another 100 postmarks in this lot.

I will, however, wait until you have caught up before posting any new material :!:

Feebletodix · **Posted:** Wed Mar 14, 2012 19:23:35 pm

Good day to you all

With regard to numbers of offices and cancels in the late eighties Post Office Counters, Oxford District had approx

1 district head office 18 handstamps
7 remittance units 4-6
36 branch offices 4-12
1200 sub postoffices 1-2

There were 27 districts in Post Office Counters Ltd, now add in Royal Mail and Parcel Force.

However the closure program was instigated at this time as well so the numbers plummet dramatically very quickly and by 1992 Oxford District was gone along with the others amalgamated into 7 super districts.

Regards

Feebletodix

hughvic2 · **Posted:** Fri Mar 16, 2012 12:24:13 pm

I have been collecting information and images of the postal census cancels of GB. The date and place on the cancel and the place that the cover is address to have been placed on a list.

So far there are over 350 listed with images of most.
see: http://www.vicstamps.com/displays/posta ... ensus.html

Anyone who would like to add to this list they can send scans of images that clearly show the place and date of the cancel.

I would also like to obtain any background info on the Postal Census.

Thanks to those on the Stamp Board who have already provided info.

honza · **Posted:** Sat Mar 17, 2012 03:52:38 am

Ahoj Allan!

Just one for TAUNTON

Cheers,

Honza

tallanent · **Posted:** Sat Mar 17, 2012 10:27:07 am

hughvic2 wrote:

I have been collecting information and images of the postal census cancels of GB. The date and place on the cancel and the place that the cover is address to have been placed on a list.

So far there are over 350 listed with images of most.
see: http://www.vicstamps.com/displays/posta ... ensus.html

Anyone who would like to add to this list they can send scans of images that clearly show the place and date of the cancel.

I would also like to obtain any background info on the Postal Census.

Thanks to those on the Stamp Board who have already provided info.

Intresting site which as it develops will add to the information avaliable.

On the site you say

Quote:

I have not found much background information about this cancel and would appreciate any articles or other references.

The single impression dies, as used with the wavy lines or a slogan, are fitted with a counting device. In this way a record of the number of items passing through the machine per hour or per day could be recorded. It was in this way that when required, a close check on the mail posted in any area could be undertaken, and it is for the same reason that these machines were chosen to use with the "diamond" dies.

Once a year, a detailed census of postal traffic is carried out and this usally takes place in October. The census covers letters posted at, recieved at and fowarded via the particular office and also covers any counter buisness.

When the single impression machines are used for this census, they are fitted with the "diamond" die and are used for counting mail for delivery or forwarding. Mail that is posted into the office is date-stamped in the normal way in order to show the origin of the item, date of posting, etc...

The dies are often impressed on the back of the letter or at the lower edge on the front. In many cases the "diamond" is used alone without the wavy lines or a slogan.

At some office, however, it seems to be common practice to employ the "diamond" with the current die in the machine - either the wavy lines or the slogan in use at the time.

In additon to this there are known cases of the "diamond" with a slogan cancelling stamps and this seems to be mainly confined to circulars.

There are also two types of the "diamond" die. One appears as a square rotated 45 degrees whilst the other is the same height but narrower - being more of the true diamond shape.

I hope this information is useful - please feel free to use as you see fit on your site.

ALLAN

tallanent · **Posted:** Sat Mar 17, 2012 10:33:24 am

locakart wrote:

Allan

I have scanned in the postmarks which include 9 different Elizabeth-Philip royal wedding ones from different places and a lot of stuff from where her family came from in the east Midlands and Lincolnshire. There are about 100 postmarks not in the database already.

I've also got hold of a lot more official paid OHMS envelopes from relatives - they are mostly from the same places as stuff I have posted previously so I have only scanned in stuff which isn't in the database already - or which moves the earliest known date forward or the latest known date backward. There are about another 100 postmarks in this lot.

I will, however, wait until you have caught up before posting any new material :!:

Thanks for waiting ....

Everything to this point is now listed in the database with the exception of a few marks that I believe to be parts of duplex's that I have save for later checking / confirmation.

Thanks to everyone who has added items - - -

ALLAN

stampway · **Posted:** Sat Mar 17, 2012 19:25:56 pm

Torrington

tallanent · **Posted:** Sat Mar 17, 2012 20:12:13 pm

Thanks stampway

Picture and details now added to the database.

A couple of the search options were doing a full search of the database rather than selective. This error has now been corrected by the addition of the country selection buttons on each search ....

Sorry for any problems caused and thanks to the member who reported it.

ALLAN

honza · **Posted:** Sun Mar 18, 2012 04:39:25 am

Ahoj Allan!

A few more that I think are new.

1 LEICE£RSTER 2.B Sauna slogan

2 MANCHESTER A.2. Postcode slogan

3 LONDON W.C. D Do it yourself slogan

4 NW1 triangle (London)

Cheers,

Honza

tallanent · **Posted:** Sun Mar 18, 2012 23:18:22 pm

honza - many thanks. All those now listed

ALLAN

doug2222usa · **Posted:** Mon Mar 19, 2012 06:09:05 am

Allan, here are the images I discussed with you:

To all my friends ready to give damaged stamps the bum's rush to the Bin, the Database did not have a "Mold" or a "Five Ways", and (mentally estimating) 70% of a Mold is better than no Mold at all. :mrgreen:

Finally, thanks to Asmodeus for an "assist" in this post.

norvic · **Posted:** Mon Mar 19, 2012 06:22:44 am

My book shows TUAM as a market town in Co Galway with a population of nearly 6000. Cashel is in Co Tipperary

Abertillery & Mold are in Wales, Mold a small town in Flintshire in the very north, Abertillery a largish town in the very south.

doug2222usa · **Posted:** Mon Mar 19, 2012 06:54:09 am

I had been thinking that "...tillery" might have been something "artillery," a military cancel. And that "Cashel" without a circle might be unusual.

But Mold and a modern Five Ways are not in the Database yet. Thanks!

norvic · **Posted:** Mon Mar 19, 2012 07:57:34 am

Currently google shows Five Ways branch offices in Birmimngham, Colchester and Tunbridge Wells. However only the last of these is listed in the 1973 directory.

honza · **Posted:** Mon Mar 19, 2012 09:30:25 am

Ahoj Allan!

Congratulations on the progress you are making.

First a suggestion and a couple of queries.

I think the KIRKCALDY mark on page 7 of June 3rd 2011 is clearer and more complete than the one in the database. What do you think?

Secondly the HULL & SOUTHAMPTON paquebot on page 17 of 28th January 2012 seem not to have been included. Were they excluded for a reason or did you just overlook them?

Now a few additions for tonight:

1 BRAMPTON.CUMBERLAND double ring

2 CARLISLE CUMBERLAND no time at top 7 vavy lines

3 BLYTH + double ring

4 BLYTH

5 BERKHAMSTED HERTS. 7 wavy lines

Cheers,

Honza


*Click For Our Newest Issues*	*Click for our Current Auction*	Internet Auctions-Buy & Sell Stamps	Melbourne 2013 - May 10-15

Postage Stamp Chat Board & Stamp Bulletin Board Forum

British Postmark Database

Who is online