Parcel stamp
Encyclopedia
In philately
a Parcel Stamp is a stamp specifically issued to pay the fee for the transport of a parcel
through the postal system and usually marked as such. It is to be distinguished from a postage stamp
used to pay the cost of posting a parcel, although there may no practical distinction as far as the sender is concerned. Parcel stamps issued by governments have the same status in philately as postage stamps, but parcel stamps issued by private railway companies or road carriers are regarded as cinderella stamps and many parcel stamps are also railway stamp
s.
The international parcel post service was established by the Universal Postal Union
in 1878.
ed with the words Govt. Parcels (Government Parcels). The overprints have been widely forged.
stamps.
Philately
Philately is the study of stamps and postal history and other related items. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting, which does not necessarily involve the study of stamps. It is possible to be a philatelist without owning any stamps...
a Parcel Stamp is a stamp specifically issued to pay the fee for the transport of a parcel
Package delivery
Package delivery or parcel delivery is the shipping of packages or high value mail as single shipments. While the service is provided by most postal systems, private package delivery services have also existed in competition with and in place of public postal services.-Package delivery in the...
through the postal system and usually marked as such. It is to be distinguished from a postage stamp
Postage stamp
A postage stamp is a small piece of paper that is purchased and displayed on an item of mail as evidence of payment of postage. Typically, stamps are made from special paper, with a national designation and denomination on the face, and a gum adhesive on the reverse side...
used to pay the cost of posting a parcel, although there may no practical distinction as far as the sender is concerned. Parcel stamps issued by governments have the same status in philately as postage stamps, but parcel stamps issued by private railway companies or road carriers are regarded as cinderella stamps and many parcel stamps are also railway stamp
Railway stamp
In philately a railway stamp is a stamp issued to pay the cost of the conveyance of a letter or parcel by rail.A wide variety of railway stamps have been issued by different countries and by private and state railways...
s.
The international parcel post service was established by the Universal Postal Union
Universal Postal Union
The Universal Postal Union is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration , the Postal Operations Council and the...
in 1878.
Belgium
Belgium has a long history of railway parcel stamps with the first being issued for the Belgian State Railways in 1879. Numerous different series have been issued since then.Britain
Britain has not issued any stamps inscribed specifically for parcels, but several stamps have been overprintOverprint
An overprint is an additional layer of text or graphics added to the face of a postage stamp or banknote after it has been printed. Post offices most often use overprints for internal administrative purposes such as accounting but they are also employed in public mail...
ed with the words Govt. Parcels (Government Parcels). The overprints have been widely forged.
Italy
The first Italian parcel stamps were issued in 1884 and since 1914 they have been in two parts marked pacchi postali. The right hand part was retained by the sender as a receipt and the left hand part applied to the parcel.The United States
The first U.S. parcel stamps were issued in 1912 and they have also issued parcel postage duePostage due
Postage due is the term used for mail sent with insufficient postage. A postage due stamp is a stamp added to an underpaid piece of mail to indicate the extra postage due.- Background :...
stamps.
Further reading
- Beech, DavidDavid BeechDavid Richard Beech is the curator of the British Library Philatelic Collections. He is also a Fellow and former President of the Royal Philatelic Society London ....
. Great Britain and Ireland: The Carriage of Parcels by Tramway and Omnibus: Services and Stamps. London: British LibraryBritish LibraryThe British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
, 2008. Archived here. - Davey, P.N. The Parcel Post Stamps of China. Ashford: China Philatelic Society of LondonChina Philatelic Society of LondonThe China Philatelic Society of London is a philatelic organisation devoted to the study of all aspects of Chinese philately from the Municipal Posts of the Treaty Ports to the People's Republic and Taiwan.-Origins:...
, 1989. ISBN 1870620011 - Ewen, Herbert L'EstrangeHerbert L'Estrange EwenHerbert L'Estrange Ewen was a British stamp dealer and philatelist in Swanage, Dorset and later in Norwood, London who was an authority on railway stamps....
, Railway Newspaper and Parcel Stamps of the United Kingdom, Ewen’s Colonial Stamp Market Ltd., 1906. (Reprint, 1983 by Tim Clutterbuck & Co.) - Mann, John C. Parcel Post Meters of Great Britain. London: The Meter Stamp Study Group, 1962.