Registered US Mail Resource

Registered U.S.A. is a book authored by Russ Ryles. It covers the history of US registered mail; a great resource to help navigate the complex fees and laws surrounding this value-add post office service. Russ has been kind enough to allow me to digitize the book and offer it for download on Stamp Smarter. It can be downloaded here
http://www.stampsmarter.com/feature...eg_Book.html

Russ also is the administrator for the US Registered cover database on Stamp Smarter. If you have any unusual US registered covers that you would like to contribute to this community project, please post them in this thread and/of contact Russ or myself via the website.
Don

Very nice, thanks.

James Milgram authored a book on the subject, but it only goes up to 1870. This is a nice addition to that, in that this covers newer material as well.

Here's what I have at the moment. If any are of interest, let me know and I'll prepare a description of it for you.

Here they are:

The 7th cover up from the bottom,
with the pink shard stapled to it.

That is the remnants of an AR Card (Avise de Reception)

Human artificial eyes fitted by mail? Wow, impressive.

Good morning Stampman2002 and all.

Thanks for the additions to the data base. Don has copied them over into the DB so I can finish their write up. Anyone can enter items with write up directly into the DB. As administrator I will give them a hopefully quick review and release them into the DB for all to see. All write up notes appreciated from a submitter. I am just looking to make sure the basic info is correct and complete in the editing process.

Yep, return cards were stapled to registered covers in that era. Before cards were used (1879) paper return receipts were physically spot glued to the back of a cover. I have also seen straight pins and paper clips used. It is an interesting side bar to the subject.

Looking forward to seeing additional submissions from folks into the data base. Hope you enjoy the book and find its information useful. Still trying to solve several questions the PL&R and postal bulletins do not address.

The quest continues.

Best regards, Russ Ryle

Morning Stampman2002 and Don and all.

Added the rate analysis to the covers you added to the data base project. Thanks again. Don I also added another 1549a label to its data base.

More submissions appreciated from anyone who can add to these projects.

Russ

Russ, thank you for participating here and on the StampSmarter site. Having your book available is incredible.

I would offer this cover but I'm not sure it was Registered. I don't have much knowledge about Registered mail.
I had posted this cover some time ago but didn't do any research. It has no markings on the back so..., I doubt it was Registered. But the 10 cent postage and the #56 over 56 makes me wonder.

stampcrow

Yep, it was registered when mailed at the counter in Glouster based on the ten cent franking (two cent first class postage plus eight cents registration fee) and the 56/56 manuscript notation. However, it is possible it got misplaced into the regular mail and delivered with the other first class items given there are no marks on its back side. Such misadventures are unusual but not uncommon.

Thanks for sharing.

Of the nineteen registered covers I entered into the Stamp Smarter database, only five of them bear any marking on the back.

Russ, Thanks for the follow up. I will make this available on StampSmarter.




Ahhh but what about the front?

littleriverphil and all,

My comment on the Glouster cover lacking back stamps should have been qualified as being based on its year (1905). Prior to 1879 virtually no registered items were back stamped. Between then and 1911 more and more were back stamped at its destination post office especially the larger first and second class post offices.

Effective 1/1/1911 all registered items were postmarked on their back side only and were to be again postmarked on the back upon receipt at the post office of the addressee.

All have additional postage covering the registry fee, but four of them (all from Humboldt county Calif.) have no registration number. The other fifteen all have manuscript registry numbers, much like the cover you posted.




Ahh, more reading to do! Thank you for the book! The earlist backstamped cover that I entered into the data base was a Kelseyville Jun 10 1890. The others were;
Gans Nov 14 1902 (no number)
Eureka Apr 15 1904 (no number)
Fortuna Mar 5 1905
Iversen Aug 16 1907

Phil, what I meant was the lack of "Registered" label, hand stamp or script, Or even just an "R" somewhere on the front.

Morning stampcrow and all,

My guess is it should have received a straight line "REGISTERED" mark or a Registered CDS but the clerk used the standard Duplex that was at hand. This led to it probably winding up in the regular mail even though it was given the number for a registered cover and a registered package envelope? Given the franking the sender paid for registered mail service that may not have been received.

Thanks again, nice item for a coffee cup analysis. Russ

Re-opening this 5 month old thread to show a rather unusual Registered cover. The front has a number stamped on it but it is from the receiving office, nothing but the manuscript postmark from the originating office, and 31¢ in postage. Dated 1882 so it was a 10¢ Registry and seven times first class postage.
The 3 and 1/2 ounce letter sure was lumpy, the contents distorted the cover, and the stamps on the back have held the envelope in that shape since.

Martins Ferry was about 6 miles north of the Hoppa Indian reservation, on the southern bend of the Klamath river, and was in Klamath county until that county was divided between Humboldt, Del Norte and Trinity counties in 1875. This is only the second manuscript postmark known for Martins Ferry, which was open from 18 Mar 1872 until the office moved to Weitchpec, a couple miles up river on 1 Oct 1891.