Prephilatelic Covers - Any Interest? Show - Tell - Ask - Explain!

In Johan Buvelot's post it looks like stamped manuscript numerals.??(?)They were used in the later period.In Holland do you have any examples ?

Different name, same baby - no worries.

Don - you're hitting the nail about 'overlooking'. Before I decided to start this thread yesterday, I searched to see if there were any other threads ongoing on the general subject Prephilatelic'. And - I found none ...ha ha... I realized the reason only after your reply yesterday, the different term used. So then I found lots of good threads on 'stampless'
It would have made the world less complicated if Napoleon had conquered it all and standardized everything, worldwide

Here is one I struggle to comprehend. The world use meters and mm, US still inches and feet. How come in the world of philately, everyone suddenly agree on millimeters? Perforation gauges are standardized as number of perfs per 20 mm....

Johan - no worries about the 10 at all. I am still curious to learn more about the W, if you find something later on, I am all ears

No worries.. I am still trying to figure out why every painting of Adam and Eve always show them with bellybuttons!
Don

This cover from Battlestamps is interesting as the date of January 22 1840 was only days after the Uniform Penny Postage was introduced on 10th January... still before stamps in May of that year. It shows a black 2 meaning there was no postage paid (red was the color of postage paid). The rate of 2d indicates the letter was over 1 ounce but under 2 ounces (2oz would be charged 4d)

@scotzm - that's some interesting facts

Anybody know if a similar colorcode black/red was adopted and introduced outside UK?

scotzm, very interesting ! I am searching your cover for the 2d ? I must be blind as it took me 1-2 days to find the 2 on Blaamand's !

I think The U.S.stampless period used a similar color code, but may have been reversed, black being paid, and red due.

Thank you Littleriverphil,

For some reason it appears to me the red color seems more logical for tax due. I will try to find out if there was similar color coded in use in Norway.

I have a lot of French prephil covers, anybody knows if they also used colors as mentioned by scotzm?

Some Italian (Italian States, really)

Asiago 1827



And a couple of others, 1830 and 1840. The Udine has a lovely cancel, I think

A small sampling of some of my favourite Canadian stampless.

1841



1837 with a Niagara buckle cancel



1834 cross border letter

jamesw,

Very nice prephilatelic covers from Canada - thanks for sharing !

@jamesw - Absolutely beautiful stuff, thanks for sharing.

Thanks very much. The last one is quite interesting. It was sent free from Newton N.J. by the postmaster, who was a family friend of the recipient Andrew Rorback. The 2d charge is the ferriage rate across the Niagara River.

My first trial to putting a cover on SC...
This interesting cover shows a letter from Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada, dated April 6, 1852,from what I decipher on the back, Mr. Backen, Apr 6,1853, to John Glasier Esq, in St. Francis, Madawaska County, New Brunswick. with postmarks Ap 6 Edmundston, Woodstock, New Brunswick, and Fredericton, New Brunswwick, same date....with a 6d on blue paper. This prephilatelic cover was bought more than 40 years ago by my father (deceasd in 1999).

Another cover from New Brunswick, Canada, this one dated 1832 and sent from Perth, New Brunswick, with a 4 1/2d, Sept 2, 1832.

edit: Perth PO was not in operation in 1832.....started in 1857. This Perth is in Ontario, Canada ! This PO opened in 1816. I cannot decipher where it was heading and my father did not leave a not when he bought it.