Stamps Before There Were Stamps

Thos one might get transferred by the admin to the Covers forum, but I'm slipping it in here because I was always curious about how people paid postage here in the USA before there were government/USPS stamps and sent mail before there were envelopes.

It's an interesting trail that answered my questions, and here's an example I ended up with.


*** Moved by Staff to a more appropriate forum. ***

The "answer" you found applies beyond the US. The rates were written on the folded letters before countries issued stamps.

In this case the 10 cent rate was not prepaid, but paid by the recipient. It is a bit more complicated than this, but the simple explanation is that early-on, rates were also calculated "by the sheet", thus letters were written on a large sheet of paper and folded up to create their own wrapping. An envelope would have doubled the charge and they did not come in to used until the rate structure changed. Also, the US didn't just magically start using stamps in 1847, it took a while for stamps to become widely distributed and pre-payment by stamps wasn't required until the mid 1850s - so quite a lengthy phase-in period.

@JohnBecker said >> 1847, it took a while for stamps to become widely distributed and pre-payment by stamps wasn't required until the mid 1850s - so quite a lengthy phase-in period <<

And that was my original point: How people sent stuff before there were stamps and envelopes.

As a KNOX graduate with Lombard College connections, always glad to see a Galesburg postmark on old mail. Is there a return address on the back?
Thanks for sharing.

@rdavid said >> As a KNOX graduate with Lombard College connections, always glad to see a Galesburg postmark on old mail. Is there a return address on the back? <<

No, there's not. It woulda been way cool if there was, tho. Just a lot of red ink and fingerprints and inked whatnots.

Extremely uncommon to find the sender's name on the exterior of folded letters like this.
The identity would be in the message inside, or frequently in the docketing added afterwards to the outside by the recipient.

That begs an interesting question: When did return addresses become commonplace? Did the P.O. require that at some point?

In later years, yes in certain circumstances as well as certain classes of mail. Not yet universally required even today, 2021.

Does help if you want to get your mailing back if not delivered.

A return address is required in specific circumstances below and the sender's domestic return address must appear legibly on:
Mail of any class, when its return and/or an address correction service is requested.
Official mail.
Mail paid with precanceled stamps.
Matter bearing a company permit imprint.
Priority Mail®
Periodicals in envelopes or opaque wrappers.
Package Services (except unendorsed Bound Printed Matter).
USPS Retail Ground®
Registered Mail®.
Insured mail.
Collect on Delivery (COD) mail.
Certified Mail™ if a return receipt is requested.
Priority Mail Express® if a return receipt is requested. The return address on the Priority Mail Express label meets this standard.
Any mail that requires customs forms

Is the thread title, an oxymoron?

LOL, yes.
It would be more accurate as: "Mailing letters before stamps"

rodgcam did a quick copy and paste from https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Are-...ys-Necessary which while current for today, does not answer your question as to "common place" nor does it list information about the many prior services for which return addresses were required.

Millions of pieces of US mail per month with a return address required by postal regulation, still only a small fraction of the total mail volume of the time, began being mailed January 1, 1913 with the start of the Parcel Post System. Parcel Post Mail was actually counted by each post office so millions is not a guess.

Insured Mail Service began then too for use only on domestic parcel post matter. Six months later on July 1, 1913 Collect on Delivery Service (C.O.D.) began for use only on domestic parcel post matter. For those two services, there was no return address requirement but by default it was on the mail matter for which the service or services were added. And yes, if there was no return address and the parcel post matter entered the mail stream, it was still delivered.







No, it used the same word in two different meanings. There were stamps applied to letters before stamps. WHAT?

There were (hand) stamps applied to letters before (postage) stamps.

[Handstamp: Cancellation or overprint applied by hand to a cover or to a stamp.]

Yes, perhaps technically correct, but the point being that the great majority of people see the word "stamp" as only the adhesive and the nothing more.

Morning all,

The term stamp has many deffinitions in any dictionary. Most folks dominate experience with the term at the post office is the physical item used to "frank" a letter showing proper postage has been prepaid. The postage stamp is a relative newcommer in the long history of postal services. Its era is slowly ending with the use of other methids of showing the proper amount of postage has been prepaid.

Perhaps in the stamp forum, but over in the coin forum side, many folks collect those stamped pieces of round metal.




That reminds me, today I must go:

Stamp my business name in some wet concrete
Stamp back my golf divots
Clean up for tonight's show where I watch folks stamp around in Stomp


Tomorrow, my plan is to crowd on as the crowded deck crowd watches and dances to the crowd.