Railway stamp

A used railway stamp from Queensland, Australia, for 1 penny valid for the transport of newspapers and parcels
A History of Railway Letter Stamps (1901) by H. L'Estrange Ewen

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. Railway stamps of an unofficial or semi-official type are considered cinderella stamps.

The first railway stamp was issued in England in 1846 for parcels[1] and Belgium has issued railway stamps since 1879.[2]

From 1891 British mainline railway companies issued railway letter stamps for the conveyance of letters by rail, although that service has now ceased apart from on some small tourist lines.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Mackay, James (2003). Philatelic Terms Illustrated (4th ed.). London: Stanley Gibbons. p. 121. ISBN 0-85259-557-3.
  2. ↑ Patrick, Douglas & Mary (1973). The Hodder Stamp Dictionary. London: Hodder & Stoughton. p. 201. ISBN 0-340-17183-9.
  3. ↑ Sutton, R.J.; Anthony, K.W. (1966). The Stamp Collector's Encyclopaedia. London: Stanley Paul. p. 251.

Further reading

  • Ewen, Herbert L'Estrange (1906). Railway Newspaper and Parcel Stamps of the United Kingdom. Ewen’s Colonial Stamp Market Ltd. (Reprint, 1983 by Tim Clutterbuck & Co.)
  • Jackson, H.T. (1979). The Railway and Airway Letter Stamps of the British Isles, 1891-1971. Harry Hayes. ISBN 0-905222-37-7.
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