British Postal Stationery. Help Please.

Can anyone provide a precise identification on this postal item. Postmarked 1890.

This is unlikely to be a newspaper wrapper cutout. This type was issued 13th October 1878 and was superceded twice before 1890.

I'd say it's a letter sheet cutout issued for the Board of Agriculture, issued in 1889.

Hope this helps

Brightmore #6
Newspaper Wrapper Post Office and STO (Stamped to Order)
September 1878
1d Brown Type C
white paper

or STO
Brightmore #12 1872 01d Brown Type C

(I have no idea if it is possible to differentiate [with a cut square])

TIP : In future, with postal stationery, try and give your best appraisal of the paper, stiff, cream / brown, light etc etc.

Note : The Postmark is for Printed Matter ( confirmed with the wrapper)
and is the longest serving postmark style, in British History.

Further Notes: of stamp.
Date of introduction (Post Office) 1st October 1870
Letterpress printed by De la Rue.

I should have shown the back of this cut square. The back has printed on it... "Dear xxz, I will / will not be attending...".

With this printed on the back, the cut square was definitely not on an envelope cover. It must have been on a postal card. The stamp is also not embossed, as a stamp cover stationery would be.

So, is this from a postal card I think. What is the catalogue number? Thx.

I don't believe this stamp was ever printed on postcards.

Bobby's answer sounds right to me.

The letter sheet would be stamped twice (like a reply card).

The reply would be completed on the reverse side, folded over and send back to the government department.

A complete 1890 Agriculture letter sheet would be H&G #DG6 / Huggins & Baker LO16.

However, as Rod has pointed out, exactly the same die was used on newspaper wrappers both on post office and stamped to order items.

there are sure a bunch of knowledgeable people on this forum. Anyone have an idea what this stamp is worth?

Hope members learn from this, always provide the best information available in distinguishing and identifying articles.

I missed Brightmore's listing as lettercard, I'll dig out my catalogue, I also learnt from this post, Thanks Nigel.

I am still confused over the use of "Printed Matter" cancellation
I'll have to dig out Kurt Curt Furnau for a read.

The "Thickness" of the paper would have also denied the ID as a Wrapper.

Hi Rod,

I wonder if the original contents were some some of return to/from the department or something like that, thus considered as printed matter?

It is a strange one, Bobby,
has me stumped.
I checked with Mr. Furnau, it definitely is a "printed matter" postmark.

I cannot see how a "lettercard" could exist with "contents" ?

If this was a letter sheet it would just have been a folded single sheet of paper (and not a perforated letter card).

According to some of the H&G catalogue descriptions these official letter sheets were sent out by various departments with returns requested to a specific department (often the Inland Revenue rather than the originating department).

I guess if the reverse side was just a standard form to be completed by the recipient and sent out in mass mailings it would be handled as printed matter.

However, I suspect the completed form on its return would not be printed matter? I don't the know the rules on this.

Is this why the rate is 1d + 1d (rather than ½d + ½d) reflecting the manual completion of the returned form and allowing for additional information to be added on the outgoing letter?

This is just my speculation as I've never seen any of these complete letter sheets but I would be fascinated to see some.

This is what we need Nigel £7

Nice sale catalogue with 420 lots, including Early Pictorial Envelopes; Printed Pictorial Envelopes; Propaganda Envelopes; Advertising Envelopes and Lettersheets; and Hand-Illustrated Envelopes and Lettersheets. Very well illustrated in black & white. With the prices realised.

You guys are fantastic. Board of Agriculture cut out!?!?!?! Amazing, if that is what it is.

Here is the image of the back of the cut out.

This may be some form of "reply card" (postcard) or "reply sheet" that gets folded back into a letter. I would say that the stamp paper seems too thick to me to be folded back into a letter. But it is interesting to note that the back of the stamp was never filled out - ie the person never circled "will" or "will not". That makes me think that the item was sent to someone (as evidenced by the stamp cancellation), but the recipient never filled out the card and never sent the card back.

Any further thoughts?