World Wide Mail Delivery Systems

putnum · **Posted:** Sun Oct 11, 2009 13:21:57 pm

I am wanting to start building a thematic collection on the history of the different mail delivery systems used world wide. Does anybody have any thoughts on how to start a collection like this? I am wanting to go all the way back to when "paper letters and postcards" where delivered. I know there where many systems in place for this (horses,ships,people,planes etc). I also know that this would be a BIG area to collect in but its something I could spend a life time doing. Any thoughts?

maptrekker · **Posted:** Sun Oct 11, 2009 14:58:20 pm

One background starting point could be the introductory chapter of the book "Her Majesty's Mails" by William Lewins. He discusses the history of the posts from ancient times.

You can read it here:

http://books.google.com/books?id=844GbQ_hC14C&dq=history%20of%20the%20mails&lr=&as_brr=1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=&f=false

The 1979 Europa CEPT theme was "post and telecommunications." That's 31 countries with lots of post boxes, postal couriers and postal wagons depicted. Good luck.

putnum · **Posted:** Sun Oct 11, 2009 15:10:54 pm

maptrekker wrote:

One background starting point could be the introductory chapter of the book "Her Majesty's Mails" by William Lewins. He discusses the history of the posts from ancient times.

You can read it here:

http://books.google.com/books?id=844GbQ_hC14C&dq=history%20of%20the%20mails&lr=&as_brr=1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=&f=false

The 1979 Europa CEPT theme was "post and telecommunications." That's 31 countries with lots of post boxes, postal couriers and postal wagons depicted. Good luck.

MANY THANKS!

putnum · **Posted:** Sun Oct 11, 2009 16:45:20 pm

Wow doing some late night research on this topic in the USA and found that in NY they tried delivering mail by the use of Pneumatic Mail. There was a whole network of tubes developed in NY City for this very purpose! Check it out below. Its a PDF so it may take a second to load.

Pneumatic Mail

putnum · **Posted:** Sun Oct 11, 2009 19:27:24 pm

This thread can also be called World Wide Mail Transportation Systems.

KevinHedley · **Posted:** Sun Oct 11, 2009 19:59:23 pm

Here are a couple of images which I posted on viewtopic.php?f=10&t=9843 . That thread may be of interest to you and it gives details of the source and the dates and US cities.

KevinHedley · **Posted:** Sun Oct 11, 2009 20:10:18 pm

By the way - I think your idea to have this as a thematic is excellent. While the subject is huge it can easily be broken down into many sub-topics.

Good luck, and here is a photo of a typical Australian mail coach of the nineteenth century:

putnum · **Posted:** Sun Oct 11, 2009 20:14:19 pm

Thanks Kevin I will have a look at it!

putnum · **Posted:** Sun Oct 11, 2009 20:18:28 pm

KevinHedley wrote:

By the way - I think your idea to have this as a thematic is excellent. While the subject is huge it can easily be broken down into many sub-topics.

Good luck, and here is a photo of a typical Australian mail coach of the nineteenth century:

Thanks Kevin. Any ideas on what sub-topics to include?

KevinHedley · **Posted:** Sun Oct 11, 2009 20:46:35 pm

My pleasure putman.

You have already suggested some possibilities above and I think it important that the ideas be yours. After all, that is one of the best things about our hobby - unless you are going to exhibit, there are no rules and what satisfies you is all that matters.

Having said that, your sub-themes could be based on, say:

Regions; each of the continents, east and west, developed countries and third world areas
Time; strictly chronological, before and after postage stamps, pre WW1, between the wars, post WW2
Technology; before the industrial age, the development of steam, aviation, IT
Mode of Transport; air, land and sea.

The list is endless and your mention of pneumatic mail also brings to mind the mail delivered to Paris under seige by ballon and by the river.

I suggest you don't stress yourself, decide on something quickly and vary it later if you are not happy. And when you get started, share it with us.

norvic · **Posted:** Sun Oct 11, 2009 21:15:55 pm

putnum wrote:

Wow doing some late night research on this topic in the USA and found that in NY they tried delivering mail by the use of Pneumatic Mail. There was a whole network of tubes developed in NY City for this very purpose! Check it out below. Its a PDF so it may take a second to load.
Pneumatic Mail

Here's a cover from the Berlin pneumatic post, sending the letter by tube from the centre to the airport (which was much close to the centre of Berlin than most other major airports!):

Next best thing on your library shelf to a row of catalogues is a row of dictionaries! I didn't know what Rohrpost was until I looked it up - and I then sold this cover on ebay to a prominent pneumatics collector in the US (that may even have been in the 90s!).

Here's an article (txt file) on the Prague post I copied years ago. Wikipedia and google have a great many references to pneumatic post.
http://wilding.norvic-philatelics.co.uk ... SYSTEM.txt (As it's a txt file it is unlikely to wrap in the browser and it's probably best to save it to HD and reload in your text viewer)

putnum · **Posted:** Wed Oct 14, 2009 13:14:16 pm

Thanks everybody for their post in this thread.

Kevin thanks for your ideas on how to divide this topic up. I am currently going through my head on how I want to do this and when I get it I will post back to this thread.

It will be about a month or so before I start buying material for this topic as I am paying off some recent purchases! So keep checking in on this!

putnum · **Posted:** Wed Oct 14, 2009 14:50:50 pm

Well here are some groupings that I came up with on this topic. I thought I would share with the thread. I put this together only after about 2 hours of researching so it is by no means complete. Please feel free to add to this if you want.

- Important People of Stamps - Relating to mail Transportation
Thurn and Taxis system Italian Name operating a courier service
William Dockwra opened a penny post in London in 1680
Rowland Hill

- People who helped carry the mail
Harkara, Dak Runner, Doots (India Mail Runner)

- Organizations that helped carry the mail
Boy Scouts

- Unusual Ways of Transporting Mail
Pneumatic Mail
Missile Mail / Rocket Mail
Tin Can Mail / Island
Pigeon Post
Parachutes

- Animals Used in Transporting Mail
Pigeons
Horses
Camels
Dogs
Mule

- Machines Used to Transport Mail
Airplanes (Air Mail)
Ships (Yachts,Steam Boats,Submarines,ETC)
Bicycle, Motorcycle
Stagecoaches, Horse Drawn Wagons, ETC
Electric Vehicles, Cars, Trucks, ETC

- Important Stamp Days
Letter Writing Week
Stamp Week

crazygerman · **Posted:** Wed Oct 14, 2009 20:58:53 pm

Hi,

the numerous volumes of "Proud" about the postal history of different countries should be a good source for information.
They are rather expensive I'm afraid and libraries often do not own them.

Regards, Lars

maptrekker · **Posted:** Thu Oct 15, 2009 02:31:55 am

Some countries issued postal stationery for use in their pneumatic systems -- but only Italy issued stamps specifically for pneumatic use.

I count just 22. Prefixed "D" in Scott and "PE" in Gibbons.

KevinHedley · **Posted:** Thu Oct 15, 2009 07:39:15 am

No doubt you will concentrate on some and almost ignore others. However I suggest you have left yourself with no time for any other leisure pursuits and, as a stamp collector, that is the way it should be. :wink:

I can see lots of questions coming which is why we have this board. Enjoy yourself.

COLIN · **Posted:** Fri Oct 16, 2009 03:34:48 am

Dont forget the native mail runners using a cleft stick in early Africa

zakur · **Posted:** Fri Oct 16, 2009 08:08:16 am

- PerÃº has issued many stamps on native runner mailmen (who were called chasquis)
- Buenos Aires mail also had a pneumatic underground system, used mostly for telegrams. But I think no postal marks were applied there.

putnum · **Posted:** Sat Oct 17, 2009 02:27:24 am

Thanks guys for all yor input! I got two new stamps related to this topic will post soon.

putnum · **Posted:** Sat Oct 17, 2009 10:14:53 am

Here are the two stamps I got on this topic. These were dirt cheap so thats why I got them. They are both city carriers and US stamps. I think the Hussey's stamp is a fake not sure yet. Have not looked these two up yet!

maptrekker · **Posted:** Sat Oct 17, 2009 10:34:16 am

Note the printer as shown at the bottom of the Hussey's Express stamp. It's Nicholas F. Seebeck of the notorious Seebeck reprints of Latin America.

Many of the US Locals are known to have been counterfeited.

doug2222usa · **Posted:** Mon Oct 19, 2009 22:11:57 pm

In large U.S. cities, pneumatic post worked very very well;
the American Philatelist recently had a well-illustrated article
about the subject. Germany's "Rohrpost," as mentioned above,
was also a great success in its time.

This is a good time to remind all of you researchers about
http://www.worldcat.org, which is the enormous database of all the
media resources of 10,000+ libraries worldwide participating
in the Inter-Library Loan system, which is generally FREE;
currently 1.4 billion items. :wink:

You can obtain rare or elusive books, catalogs, CDs, DVDs,
music, videos, articles, etc., from all over the world.

Diver Pete · **Posted:** Mon Oct 19, 2009 23:11:50 pm

Hey putnum,

A couple of other obscure travelling methods with examples:

Hovercraft
6th Feb 1976 - Hovercraft mail - Department of Aboriginal Affairs Charter

Catapult
This cover was sent by catapult mail from the steamship Bremen while en route to Europe from North America on August 30, 1932

Balloon
AAMC B17 - Puff Balloon Group mail flown from casey Airfield, Berwick

Rickshaw

AAMC 2009 - 1985 CATHAY PACIFIC Flight - Brisbane to Hong Kong - This is the reverse of the cover

putnum · **Posted:** Tue Oct 20, 2009 13:58:55 pm

doug2222usa wrote:

In large U.S. cities, pneumatic post worked very very well;
the American Philatelist recently had a well-illustrated article
about the subject. Germany's "Rohrpost," as mentioned above,
was also a great success in its time.

This is a good time to remind all of you researchers about
http://www.worldcat.org, which is the enormous database of all the
media resources of 10,000+ libraries worldwide participating
in the Inter-Library Loan system, which is generally FREE;
currently 1.4 billion items. :wink:

You can obtain rare or elusive books, catalogs, CDs, DVDs,
music, videos, articles, etc., from all over the world.

Doug this is a awesome help! I have heard about this but never really have checked it out until you mentioned it here. Thanks!

putnum · **Posted:** Tue Oct 20, 2009 14:00:05 pm

Diver Pete wrote:

Hey putnum,

A couple of other obscure travelling methods with examples:

Hovercraft
6th Feb 1976 - Hovercraft mail - Department of Aboriginal Affairs Charter

Catapult
This cover was sent by catapult mail from the steamship Bremen while en route to Europe from North America on August 30, 1932

Balloon
AAMC B17 - Puff Balloon Group mail flown from casey Airfield, Berwick

Rickshaw

AAMC 2009 - 1985 CATHAY PACIFIC Flight - Brisbane to Hong Kong - This is the reverse of the cover

All I can say Pete is WOW! Nice covers. I really like them.

Thanks for adding these to the thread. I cannot wait until I can start buying some material!!!

putnum · **Posted:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 13:12:34 pm

Well I have finally had the time to put more thought into how I want to collect in this topical. I will collect covers/cards/stamps that either depict, or have been delivered using what I call a "unusual" method of mail transportation.(This would be worldwide of course) I think this would help narrow it down to a area I can actually manager for now. Later I might do other things but for now this is what I want. Here is a list of what I consider a unusual way of mail transportation. Please add to this if I am missing any. (I am sure I am)

- Unusual Ways of Transporting Mail
Pneumatic Mail
Missile Mail / Rocket Mail
Tin Can Mail / Island
Pigeon Post
Parachutes
HoverCraft Mail
Catapult Mail
Rickshaw Mail

For all those who are following this thread what do you collect in this field? Please tell us and keep those images coming!

maptrekker · **Posted:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 13:32:53 pm

How about:

rocket, missile mail
airgraphs, V-Mail
submarine, German U-boat mail
boule de moulins (Franco-Prussian War)
camel post (Sudan)
mule train mail (Arizona)
dogsled, dog team mail (Alaska, Canada)

putnum · **Posted:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 14:59:40 pm

maptrekker wrote:

How about:

rocket, missile mail
airgraphs, V-Mail
submarine, German U-boat mail
boule de moulins (Franco-Prussian War)
camel post (Sudan)
mule train mail (Arizona)
dogsled, dog team mail (Alaska, Canada)

Wow I really like the V Mail. That is interesting. I have also added Reindeer Mail.

So how can we define what "unusual" transport methods? I do belive one could spend a lifetime collecting in this topical!

- Unusual Ways of Transporting Mail
Pneumatic Mail
Missile Mail / Rocket Mail
Tin Can Mail / Island
Pigeon Post
Parachutes
HoverCraft Mail
Catapult Mail
Rickshaw Mail
Canoe Mail
Victory Mail / V Mail
Airgraphs
Reindeer Mail
Submarine / German U-Boat Mail
boule de moulins (Franco-Prussian War)
Camel Post (Sudan)

doug2222usa · **Posted:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 16:19:12 pm

Here are US Vmail covers, mint and used (as a photostat
+ envelope, the normal format). Vmail is somewhat similar
to the Australian-area Airgraph.

Email me privately expressing interest, and I will put 2 or 3
$12 lots, each with several types, in our SB "sales" area.

KevinHedley · **Posted:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 19:55:27 pm

putnum wrote:

maptrekker wrote:

How about:

rocket, missile mail
airgraphs, V-Mail
submarine, German U-boat mail
boule de moulins (Franco-Prussian War)
camel post (Sudan)
mule train mail (Arizona)
dogsled, dog team mail (Alaska, Canada)

Wow I really like the V Mail. That is interesting. I have also added Reindeer Mail.

So how can we define what "unusual" transport methods? I do believe one could spend a lifetime collecting in this topical!
- Unusual Ways of Transporting Mail
Pneumatic Mail
Missile Mail / Rocket Mail
Tin Can Mail / Island
Pigeon Post
Parachutes
HoverCraft Mail
Catapult Mail
Rickshaw Mail
Canoe Mail
Victory Mail / V Mail
Airgraphs
Reindeer Mail
Submarine / German U-Boat Mail
boule de moulins (Franco-Prussian War)
Camel Post (Sudan)

Don't say I did not warn you

I suspect that you may have to pick one or two areas and concentrate on those. That will not stop you from keeping other items which come your way but if you try and deal with ALL these 'unusual' methods you may not get full satisfaction from your efforts.

Having said that it is your collection, not mine, and you should do what you want.

It is really pleasing to see how many members have come forward with positive suggestions. Keep it going.

doug2222usa · **Posted:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 20:49:18 pm

One thing you could do, with all that multitude of delivery
systems, is to make up a "type" collection, keeping a very
fine example of each type in a single album, and replacing
that example when you find an even better one.

It also allows you to add a new type, when you find one.

This is the way "most" collectors collect U.S. coins of the
19th Century; virtually no one can afford to collect them
by date, so a "type" collection (which still costs plenty)
becomes a set of the roughly 125 different types struck
for general circulation, from the half cents to the $20
gold double eagles.

For instance, I believe there are 7 different types of half
cent, 1793 to 1857.

Your single-album "type" collection can then be the basis
for talks at your local club, speaking to youngsters, etc.

putnum · **Posted:** Thu Oct 22, 2009 12:34:22 pm

doug2222usa wrote:

One thing you could do, with all that multitude of delivery
systems, is to make up a "type" collection, keeping a very
fine example of each type in a single album, and replacing
that example when you find an even better one.

It also allows you to add a new type, when you find one.

This is the way "most" collectors collect U.S. coins of the
19th Century; virtually no one can afford to collect them
by date, so a "type" collection (which still costs plenty)
becomes a set of the roughly 125 different types struck
for general circulation, from the half cents to the $20
gold double eagles.

For instance, I believe there are 7 different types of half
cent, 1793 to 1857.

Your single-album "type" collection can then be the basis
for talks at your local club, speaking to youngsters, etc.

Doug this is a awesome idea!!!! Just so I understand you, you mean create a album and in that album collect the best examples of the each type of delivery system? Like one good example of balloon mail and one good example of airmail etc and replacing it whenever I find another fine example of that type?(I think this is a great way of doing it!) As was stated by Kevin(and you) above I don't think a collector could collect all the forms of delivery systems.

I guess a way to define a good example of something is the quality of the peice, a good clear cancel, how rare is it etc. There are many ways of defining this and is one owns personal definition I would imagine. Speaking of good albums for those of you that have not seen the albums Glen sell check this link out.

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=10683

I have also started a blog on this topic and will be using it to store my findings and research on the topic. Don't worry I will still post here as well.

But for those that are following this thread and want to know its at:

http://mailtransportsystems.wordpress.com/

doug2222usa · **Posted:** Thu Oct 22, 2009 13:50:09 pm

Yes, you have the essence of the idea; it allows you the
maximum freedom of expression.

Here is one more idea that occurred to me -- collect a cover
personally autographed by a mailman from every country
of the world; the cover on the left side of facing pages in
a special album, the background story on the right side.

That will keep you busy. Local collectors can help. A stamp
collector in Peru, for instance, could arrange a cover from
his mailman, and tell you his history, maybe a photo. :wink:

Then, on top of the satisfaction, you will know 250+ more
collectors. It also lets you collect locals, i.e., "somebody"
takes letters from Lundy to Bristol; that's your mailman.

Or Sark. Or Hutt River Province. Or Iso-Sverige.

jugoslavija_post · **Posted:** Thu Oct 22, 2009 13:53:02 pm

I love the Catapult Mail!

aethelwulf · **Posted:** Thu Oct 22, 2009 17:53:12 pm

putnum wrote:

Wow doing some late night research on this topic in the USA and found that in NY they tried delivering mail by the use of Pneumatic Mail. There was a whole network of tubes developed in NY City for this very purpose! Check it out below. Its a PDF so it may take a second to load.

Pneumatic Mail

Pnuematic mail was quite a 'fad' in the late 19th century...around the same time that subways/underground rail/the Tube were first being built. Taking a page from the far-sighted who saw that to avoid traffic congestion on the street, why not just go under everyone through a tunnel, post offices wanted to combine the craze of tunnel-building with advances in science and technology that provided the high-pressure necessary to operate the pneumatic system.

As Doug pointed out, there was an article in the American Philatelist about pnuematic post, very interesting. Included were photos of the machinery used to send/receive the canisters. Due to space limitations I don't keep my back issues though.

Systems were used in many major cities, as pointed out here, Berlin, Buenos Aires, NYC; also Paris had quite a large one, with several lines.

Due to the limitations of physics, the tunnels couldn't operate long distances, so it was mostly a system for zipping express mail or telegrams around the business centre. Its still used today in some libraries (sending book request slips down to the storage area, i doubt they would try to send a whole book), also banks and racetracks (zipping money down to the vault/counting room).

aethelwulf · **Posted:** Thu Oct 22, 2009 18:00:26 pm

I saw 'submarine mail' mentioned in a post, and while I don't know much in the way of details about the area, I do know that Spain issued special stamps for the service (part of the 'back of the book' in Scott).

The idea you're proposing here is vast, something for a lifetime of collecting as you say...this is what a postal museum such as the Smithsonian usually tackles, collecting representative samples of all the different ways in which mail was delivered. Of course you can keep the collection general, ie. just have one example of each type, you don't need to collect every stamp/cancel/cover from every method. For example Zeppelin post is a large and popular area of collecting all on its own, with all its many routes and cancels.

You could go back in time with this also, showing ie. cuneiform tablets of ancient Mesopotamia (which by the way sometimes even came with 'envelopes'; the clay tablet would be slipped into a clay box of sorts, but the resemblance to the modern letter/envelope is clear). If you decide to exhibit someday, such 'collateral' is often frowned on by judges or even not allowed by exhibtion regulations, but in understanding the development of the subject its pertinent, it just falls into a different setting (musuem vs. philatelic).

aethelwulf · **Posted:** Thu Oct 22, 2009 18:06:28 pm

One more post and I'll stop :lol:

Stamp dealer Herman Herst, Jr., when he lived in suburban New York state, produced local stamps picturing his German Shepard. The idea was that for 5 or 10 cents (forget the price) you could have your local letters delivered by 'dog post'. More of a novelty/tribute to the earlier carrier labels than a real service, I don't know that he ever put it into practise, making the stamps cinderellas really, but a fun 'aside' to your collection.

Also the Niagara Falls catapault stamps (those were issued quite a while back). Don't know of any 'mail over the falls by barrel' stamps though :lol:

aethelwulf · **Posted:** Thu Oct 22, 2009 18:14:57 pm

Too many ideas come to mind

This might fall into the 'commemerative cover' category rather than the 'mail delivery' category, but what about covers for space flights?

Of course there are scads of examples in the former, in the 60s-70s when space exploration was new and exciting, collectors would create covers with a cachet for every space take-off/splash-down and get a rubber stamp cancellation from the naval ships involved (see the Space Auctions of Regency-Superior for material).

It would set you back quite a bit, but there are covers that have been flown onboard missions into orbit and maybe even pieces that were on the Apollo moonlanding crafts. Anything that's actually been up in the air commands huge prices compared to the collector-made covers cancelled on a naval ship, and while a cover flown onboard a spacecraft nowadays is obviously not conducting 'real' mail delivery, someday when space travel is possible and we live on the Moon/Mars etc the post office will have to operate delivery (imagine the postage rates for that!) and this show the precursor to that...unless of course the Star Trek-transporters are invented then the post offices will be right out of business. :lol:

doug2222usa · **Posted:** Thu Oct 22, 2009 18:27:34 pm

I knew Herman Herst, and exchanged letters with him near
the end of his life. I assure you that the dog DID carry mail
to the Shrub Oak Post Office, and was highly enthusiastic
about the whole thing; Herst claimed he ALWAYS answered
a philatelic inquiry the same day it arrived.

Here is one message delivery system we haven't covered;
in ancient China, they claim, a messenger's head would be
shaved, and a message written on his scalp with brush and
ink. Then his hair grew back, and two months later, he was
sent on his way to some distant warlord. Since he couldn't
SEE the message, even if the enemy caught and tortured
him, he could not reveal it. The enemy finally figured out
this tactic, and the minute they caught couriers, they
shaved their heads.

putnum · **Posted:** Sat Oct 24, 2009 06:24:44 am

Hey guys great contributions to our topic.

I forgot about space mail! Although I am not going to collect it because it would be too much for me right now others might enjoy it.

I like the information about Herman I hope I can find some covers that was carried by his dog. Here is a stamp set that I bought the other day.

These are stamps depicting Tin Can Mail!

putnum · **Posted:** Sat Oct 24, 2009 06:26:59 am

Could anybody scan that article in American Philatelic about pnuematic post for me? I would very much like to read it.

putnum · **Posted:** Sat Oct 24, 2009 06:34:04 am

aethelwulf wrote:

I saw 'submarine mail' mentioned in a post, and while I don't know much in the way of details about the area, I do know that Spain issued special stamps for the service (part of the 'back of the book' in Scott).

The idea you're proposing here is vast, something for a lifetime of collecting as you say...this is what a postal museum such as the Smithsonian usually tackles, collecting representative samples of all the different ways in which mail was delivered. Of course you can keep the collection general, ie. just have one example of each type, you don't need to collect every stamp/cancel/cover from every method. For example Zeppelin post is a large and popular area of collecting all on its own, with all its many routes and cancels.

You could go back in time with this also, showing ie. cuneiform tablets of ancient Mesopotamia (which by the way sometimes even came with 'envelopes'; the clay tablet would be slipped into a clay box of sorts, but the resemblance to the modern letter/envelope is clear). If you decide to exhibit someday, such 'collateral' is often frowned on by judges or even not allowed by exhibtion regulations, but in understanding the development of the subject its pertinent, it just falls into a different setting (musuem vs. philatelic).

Aethelwulf ,

I completely agree with you on how a vast and complex topical this is. There are so many "delivery systems" out there and the concept of transferring mail goes WAY back. I think for me I know what segment I want to collect in finally! The goal for this thread though is to spread the information on all the different methods used that way other collectors can pick for themselves what to collect. Thank you for all your input and I hope t hear more from you on this.

On my website I will be taking what is discussed here and put it on the site. I want to build a wiki system. (If you want to call it that) With ideas and how to collect this topic. That way one day hopefully it will help with future collectors.

maptrekker · **Posted:** Sat Oct 24, 2009 07:24:12 am

You might be interested on this article entitled "Hussey's Private Message Post"

http://www.cwtsociety.com/AOTM/199911.html

putnum · **Posted:** Sat Oct 24, 2009 07:41:03 am

maptrekker wrote:

You might be interested on this article entitled "Hussey's Private Message Post"

http://www.cwtsociety.com/AOTM/199911.html

ahhhh thank you.

putnum · **Posted:** Sun Oct 25, 2009 13:52:38 pm

Here is a great resource for Pigeon Post in Paris during the Siege of Paris 1870-1871.

http://www.cix.co.uk/~mhayhurst/jdhayhu ... igeon.html

norvic · **Posted:** Mon Oct 26, 2009 06:54:16 am

Diver Pete wrote:

Catapult
This cover was sent by catapult mail from the steamship Bremen while en route to Europe from North America on August 30, 1932

And here's the plane, on the Bremen

The photo is long gone, but feel free to copy it to use elsewhere. The inset is the rubber stamp from the reverse.

putnum · **Posted:** Tue Oct 27, 2009 11:18:37 am

norvic wrote:

Diver Pete wrote:

Catapult
This cover was sent by catapult mail from the steamship Bremen while en route to Europe from North America on August 30, 1932

And here's the plane, on the Bremen

The photo is long gone, but feel free to copy it to use elsewhere. The inset is the rubber stamp from the reverse.

Great card Norvic. I would like to know if that card was actually carried on that ship. If so it would have been a rare one. Picture postcards showing the Bremen and actually coming from the ship is very rare.

doug2222usa · **Posted:** Tue Oct 27, 2009 12:25:18 pm

Here is a stamp to consider including -- our 1 cent Parcel
Post stamp, which shows a clerk sorting mail into a huge
array of mail sacks -- he's part of the delivery system;
Scott Q-1 (July 1, 1913).

Several other values from this 12-stamp set show similar
themes: 2c, city carrier; 3c, railway postal clerk; 4c, rural
carrier; 5c, mail train picking up mail bag from trackside
rack; 10c, mail tender approaching steamship; and the
first stamp to show an airplane (they claim), 20c, plane
carrying mail.

putnum · **Posted:** Tue Oct 27, 2009 13:38:54 pm

doug2222usa wrote:

Here is a stamp to consider including -- our 1 cent Parcel
Post stamp, which shows a clerk sorting mail into a huge
array of mail sacks -- he's part of the delivery system;
Scott Q-1 (July 1, 1913).

Several other values from this 12-stamp set show similar
themes: 2c, city carrier; 3c, railway postal clerk; 4c, rural
carrier; 5c, mail train picking up mail bag from trackside
rack; 10c, mail tender approaching steamship; and the
first stamp to show an airplane (they claim), 20c, plane
carrying mail.

Hey Doug yes I would agree with you on including these in this topic. Mail sorters and postmen help delivery mail. There is a topical called postal operations that include some of these too.

You speak about mail bags, its funny because I read a article in the American Philatelist about a collector who covered his mail room with mail bags and mail sacks. I thought that would also go along with this topic but in a different way. Mail bags/sacks go through a lot when delivering mail. The difference I see in mail bags vs mail sacks is mail sacks are carried by the postmen making deliveries and mail bags carry large volume of mail either by train,air or automobile. What does the others think?

putnum · **Posted:** Tue Oct 27, 2009 14:51:37 pm

Some items I recently bought.


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