Postal history 273623 222730062 2008-06-30T20:48:40Z Rlandmann 8817 /* Transportation based studies */ [[Image:WallensteinBriefSiegel.jpg|thumb|200px|Pre-stamp [[1628]] [[Letter sheet|lettersheet]] opened up showing folds, address and seal, with letter being written on the obverse]] {{portal|Philately}} '''Postal history''' is the study of [[postal system]]s and how they operate and, or, the collecting of [[Cover (philately)|covers]] and associated material illustrating historical episodes of postal systems. The term is attributed to [[Robson Lowe]], a professional [[Philately|philatelist]], [[stamp dealer]] and stamp [[auctioneer]], who made the first organised study of the subject in the 1930s and described philatelists as ''"students of science"'', but postal historians as ''"students of humanity"''.<ref>{{cite book | first=Vivien J. | last=Sussex | year=1988 | title=Introducing Postal History | chapter=1 | pages=p5| publisher=British Philatelic Trust in conjunction with The Postal History Society, London }}</ref> ==A collecting speciality== Postal history has become a philatelic collecting speciality in its own right. Whereas philately is concerned with the study of the stamps ''per se'', including the technical aspects of stamp production and distribution, philatelic postal history refers to stamps as historical documents; similarly re postmarks, [[postcard]]s, envelopes and the letters they contain. Postal history can include the study of postal rates, postal policy, postal administration, political effects on postal systems, postal surveillance and the consequences of politics, business, and culture on postal systems; basically anything to do with the function of the collection, transportation and delivery of [[mail]]. The specialized area of philatelic history defines postal history as the study of rates charged, routes followed and special handling of letters. Areas of special interest include disrupted or transitional periods, such as wars and military occupations, and mail to remote areas. The philatelic-based definition of the term developed as the discipline developed. Philatelic students discovered that understanding and authentication of stamps depended on knowing why postal authorities issued particular stamps, where they were used and how. For instance, a stamp apparently used before any other stamp of its type could be proved a [[Philatelic fakes and forgeries|forgery]] if it was [[postmark]]ed at a location known not to have received any stamps until a later date. Much information is still not known about the workings of postal systems, and millions of old covers have survived, constituting a rich field of "[[Artifact (archaeology)|artifact]]s" for analysis. ==Possible areas of study== In studying or collecting any postal history subject some overlap is inevitable because it is impossible to separate the different areas that affect the mail from one another; transportation, rates, geography and subject are all intertwined, but the emphasis remains different depending on the chosen topic. The postal history topics described below are some of the better known and popular topics. ===Geographical based studies=== * '''Regional studies''' are typically based on a geographical area, such as countries of origin, native districts, cities, towns or villages, places associated with family roots, or workplaces. In the past collectors usually based their studies on "mail from," but "mail to" and "mail through" a place expand the postal service story because outgoing mail mainly shows marking associated with the areas of study while incoming mail tells a much broader story and are now more likely to be included. It is best to select a topic to study that is broad enough because narrow geographical boundaries will likely bring frustration due to the lack of material available. Examples are: ''Postal History of [[Brunn]] 1638-1875'',[http://www.japhila.cz/hof/0003/index0003a.htm] and ''Private and Foreign Post Offices in [[Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands|St. Thomas]]''.[http://www.scc-online.org/MemberExhibits/StThomasPOs/index.htm] * '''Postal routes''' are alternate geographical based study areas that provide great variety due to the many places and services available along a route. For instance; a study of the [[Thurn and Taxis]] route from [[Antwerp]] to [[Florence]] via [[Mantua]] would include much of the early postal history of Western Europe and the ''Postal History of the First Transcontinental Railroad''[http://www.cprr.org/Museum/Ephemera/Postal.html] can show a good range of stamps, [[postal stationery|stationery]], and associated marking across 3,000 miles that started in [[1869]]. The [[era]] for a geographical based study can add dimension depending on the services available or the changes that took place. The period should seek to tell a complete story and not limit the chosen topic. <!-- http://www.stamps.org/CAC/cac_exhi.htm - link to exhibits --> ===Transportation based studies=== [[Image:Cover Bahamas 1929 front.jpg|thumb|left|145px|First flight cover for [[Nassau, Bahamas|Nassau]] to [[Miami, Florida|Miami]] airmail route in 1929]] [[Image:Cover DE 1936 Hinden-800px.jpg|thumb|left|145px|'''[[Zeppelin mail]]''' from [[Chemnitz]], Germany to [[Sausalito, California|Sausalito, USA]] on 1st North American flight of ''[[LZ 129 Hindenburg|Hindenburg]]'' in May 1936]] * '''[[Aerophilately]]''' specialises in the study of [[airmail]]. Philatelists observe the development of [[mail]] transport by air from its beginning, and most aspects of airmail service have been extensively studied and documented by specialists, some of which are individually listed. [[Crash cover]]s, [[Imperial Airways]] Empire route mail to [[Australia]] and [[South Africa]], CAM (Contract Air Mail) or FAM (Foreign Air Mail) routes to and from the [[United States]] are a few topics.<ref>[http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/airmails_20001030/refreshercourse.asp?uID= Linns.com ''Airmail collecting can take you anywhere''] (retrieved 24 February 2007)</ref> * '''[[Balloon mail]]''' was employed during the [[Siege of Paris]]<ref>[http://www.arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=1&cmd=1&mode=&tid=2029986 ''Siege of Paris Mail''] (retrieved 24 February 2007) Smithsonian [[National Postal Museum]]</ref> to get mail out of the city during the [[Franco-Prussian War]] in [[1870]]. Balloons can be both manned and unmanned but balloon mail is not a common form of mail transport. * '''[[Ship cover|Maritime mail]]''' is a theme that offers a wide variety of possibilities.<ref>[http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/paquebot_20041213/refreshercourse.asp?uID= Linns.com ''Paquebot mail begins at sea, postmarked on land''] (retrieved 24 February 2007)</ref> Study of a particular [[shipping line]] like, [[Cunard]], [[P & O]], [[Danube]] steamers, South American packets or American [[steamboat]] mail are a few options as are; Ship Letter marks, mail between a mother country and its [[colonies]] or mail between two countries separated by seas or oceans. Many ships applied their own [[endorsement]]s so collecting examples of all ships of a particular shipping line can be aspired to. [[Maiden voyage]]s and [[Shipwreck|wreck cover]]s are very desirable. [[Ship transport|Maritime]] mail rates changed frequently and occasionally varied for different shipping lines over the same route that could be due to [[treaty]] changes or arguments between countries that involved retaliatory rates. [[Navy|Naval]] mail can also fall in the Military mail category and are also known to apply identifying endorsements or [[postmark]]s. * '''[[Railway mail]]''' refers to mail carried partly, or fully, by [[rail transport]] from its inception in [[1830]] between Liverpool and Manchester in the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|UK]] until its decline in the late [[20th century]] that include [[Railway letter stamp]]ed mail, [[Travelling Post Office|TPO]] and [[Railway post office|RPO]]<ref>[http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/railway_103006/refreshercourse.asp?uID= Linns.com ''Processing mail in transit: the Railway Mail Service and railway post offices''] (retrieved 24 February 2007)</ref> handstamps, instructional handstamps or manuscript notations, or even the [[First Transcontinental Railroad]] (also mentioned as a geographic study above). * '''[[Rocket mail]]''' is the delivery of mail by [[rocket]] or [[missile]] and is a specialised collecting area of aerophilately called [[Astrophilately]]. One of the early famous rocketeers was [[Stephen Hector Taylor-Smith|Stephen Smith]], a Secretary of the Indian Airmail Society, who launched 270 rockets between [[1934]] and [[1944]] of which 80 contained mail.<ref>[http://www.philatel2.com/jubilee/id313.htm Stamps of King George V Silver Jubilee - Stephen Smith] (retrieved 24 February 2007)</ref> Other topics for consideration are: [[United States Postal Service|USPS]] rocket mail from 1936 or 1959 launches, Russian submarine launched rocket mail, or reusable launch vehicle mail. * '''[[Zeppelin mail]]''' is a popular topic for the mail carried on the [[Germany|German]] [[Zeppelin]] [[airship]]s between [[1908]]<ref>[http://www.arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=1&cmd=1&mode=2&tid=2032883 Zeppelin & Airship Mail: Pioneer Period (1783-1918)] (retrieved 24 February 2007) Smithsonian National Postal Museum</ref> and [[1939]].<ref>[http://www.arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=1&cmd=1&mode=2&tid=2040240 Zeppelin & Airship Mail: Developmental Period (1919-1945)] (retrieved 24 February 2007) Smithsonian National Postal Museum</ref> Much mail exists because up to 12 tons was carried on each flight. Mail from within Germany and from the several trans-Atlantic flights are extant however mail from the famous [[Hindenburg disaster]] are very scarce. ===Subject based studies=== [[Image:Cover Austria 1938-650px.jpg|right|145px|thumb|'''[[Express mail]]''' used after the [[Anschluss]] in [[1938]]; letters from [[Austria]] to [[Germany]] required German stamps to added, resulting in a [[mixed franking]]]] [[Image:1940 Madrid-Paris cens.jpg|thumb|right|145px|'''[[Postal censorship]]''' of 1940 civil cover from [[Madrid]] to [[Paris]] opened by both Spanish and French ([[Vichy France|Vichy]]) authorities]] [[Image:Ganzsache Bayern P44-1.jpg|thumb|right|145px|[[Bavaria]]n '''[[postal stationery]]''' postcard used from [[Nuremberg]] to [[Munich]] in 1895]] [[Image:Altbrief.jpeg|thumb|right|145px|1834 '''pre-adhesive mail''' with [[Wittingen]] straight-line town handstamp to [[Ebsdorfergrund|Ebsdorf]]]] * '''[[Express mail]]''' is an accelerated delivery service for which the customer pays a surcharge and receives faster delivery. ''Haste Poste Haste'' letters of the [[17th century]] can be considered precursors of modern Express mail as was the [[Pony Express]] mail.<ref>[http://www.arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=1&cmd=1&mode=&tid=2032344 Pony Express Mail] (retrieved 24 February 2007) Smithsonian National Postal Museum</ref> The service for domestic mail is governed by a country's own [[Postal authority]] but since 1998 the international accelerated delivery services are governed by the EMS Cooperative of the [[Universal Postal Union]] (UPU). Studies of domestic, or international express mail are possible as are studies of the Express mail rates. * '''[[Marcophily]]''' is the study of [[postmark]]s, [[Cancellation (mail)|cancellation]] and [[postal markings]] applied by hand or machine. Though not strictly speaking a postal history topic can be collected as such. It offers vast areas to select a topic for study or collection as the marcopholist is more interested in the details, style and design of the markings than the reason why and where a letter was sent. Large cities that have many [[post office]]s offer great study opportunities due to the vast range of handstamps or machine cancellations in use over any time period. * '''[[Military mail]]''' is mail associated with any of the [[armed services]] or [[History of United Nations Peacekeeping|peacekeeping]] forces, or formed around any particular [[military campaign]], like the [[Opium Wars]], [[Spanish Civil War]], [[World War I]] and II, or even the recent conflicts in [[Afghanistan]] or [[Iraq]].<ref>[http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/militaryPH_20021014/refreshercourse.asp?uID= Linns.com ''Give modern military postal history a try''] (retrieved 21 February 2007)</ref> Many older letters, when available, provide insight into the conditions of the people involved. * '''[[Parcel post]]''' is perhaps the least collected, or studied, area of postal history due to the size of potential material much of which is never saved. From [[1883]] Special labels were applied to parcels in Great Britain. International parcels handling tend to gather [[Customs]] evidence making for attractive material. * '''[[Postal censorship]]''', both [[overt]] and [[covert]], has been performed on mail long before the World Wars of the [[20th century]] and can include both civil and military censorship. It has mainly taken place during times of conflict though has also been performed during other times like; periods of [[civil disorder]] or a [[state of emergency]]. An example of [[covert]] postal censorship is the [[Black room|Cabinet noir]]. * '''Postal rates''' are an extensive area of study that can be made by country, time period,<ref>[http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/rates_20010716/refreshercourse.asp?uID= Linns.com ''Short rate periods sometimes yield treasures''] (retrieved 24 February 2007)</ref> or even currency. [[Stamp collecting|Stamp collectors]] may study the rates in effect during the time of issue of the postage stamps they collect thereby augmenting their collections. * '''[[Postal stationery]]''' are mailable products, issued by postal authorities, such as a [[envelope]]s, [[letter sheet]]s, [[post card]]s, lettercards, [[aerogram]]s or wrappers, on which the amount of postage has usually been pre-printed with a stamp, or ''[[indicia|indicium]]'', at the rate required for a particular postal service.<ref>[http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/postalstationery_20020114/refreshercourse.asp?uID= Linns.com ''Postal stationery offers collecting variety''] (retrieved 24 February 2007)</ref> Postal stationery is generally sold at [[post office]]s. Each stationery type can be an area of study in its own right but can also be studied by country or by time period. * '''[[Pre-adhesive mail]]''' also called '''pre-stamp mail''' is mail used before the issuance of the [[Penny Black]] and [[Two pence Blue]] stamps on [[6 May]], [[1840]] in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and in other countries, mail used prior to the postal authority adopting their own adhesive labels. The material can range from court and government letters before official public mail services to distinctive town-marks worldwide. * '''Prisoner-of-war mail''' can be a subcategory of either, or both, Military mail or Postal censorship. * '''[[Registered mail]]''' are often used to mail items, or documents, considered valuable and need a [[chain of custody]] that provides more control than regular mail. The letters have their details recorded in a register to enable their location to be tracked and offer many distinctive handstamps. Many countries have issued special [[postal stationery]] for Registered mail expanding the possible areas being studied beyond regular registered letters. Earlier similar services were known as ''[[Money Letter]]s'' ==See also== * [[List of philatelic topics]] * [[Timeline of postal history]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.civilisations.ca/cpm/chrono/index_e.html The Canadian Museum of Civilization - Chronology of Canadian Postal History] *[http://www.anpost.ie/AnPost/MainContent/About+An+Post/History+and+Heritage/ An Post History and Heritage] *[http://www.ukphilately.org.uk/bpt/index.htm British Philatelic Trust] *[http://www.postalheritage.org.uk British Postal Museum & Archive] *[http://www.envelopecollective.com/gallery.php?id=1045 Mental-hospital or psychiatric-ward inmates' mail] *[http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/blount/symposium.html Defining United States postal history] a [[National Postal Museum]] symposium *[http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu National Postal Museum] USA *[http://www.paphs.org/ Pennsylvania Postal History Society] *[http://stampclubs.com/phs/ Postal History Society] Collecting Postal History *[http://www.usps.com/postalhistory/welcome.htm United States Postal Service postal history page] '''[[Linn's Stamp News|Linns.com]] ''Refresher Courses''''' *[http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/postalhistory_19980803/refreshercourse.asp?uID= Cover collecting is a part of postal history] *[http://www.linns.com/howto/refresher/human_090505/refreshercourse.asp?uID= Human interest enhances postal history] [[Category:Postal history| ]] [[fr:Histoire postale]] [[ru:История почты]]