For collectors of postage stamps - philatelists - understanding the basic components of a stamp w... more For collectors of postage stamps - philatelists - understanding the basic components of a stamp will lead to more effective grasp of the stamps in their albums. Stamps are more than an image printed on paper and backed by gum. This article summarizes the different "layers" of a stamp and introduces a taxonomy for their study.
Most censorship, whether military or civil, takes place during times of war. But internal unrest ... more Most censorship, whether military or civil, takes place during times of war. But internal unrest and strife also results in the imposition of postal censorship. This case study looks at the example of Cyprus during the 1930s. Some censored envelopes (covers) from Cyprus in 1935-36 provide an example of how governments employ this tool of communication control to limit the transmission of undesired ideas.
My column in The American Philatelist explored the creation and production of the 1¢ Franklin iss... more My column in The American Philatelist explored the creation and production of the 1¢ Franklin issues and the challenges encountered when attempting to expertise individual specimens.
In Part I of this paper, I focused on the contribution that the great trading companies made to t... more In Part I of this paper, I focused on the contribution that the great trading companies made to the development of the West at the beginning of the Age of Exploration. In this second part, I investigate the non-merchants that plied the oceans as common carriers to smaller traders and others without their own dedicated fleets.
Emerging domestic prosperity created popular demand for exotic imported goods. It was commerce – and not imperialism – that initiated the growing western hegemony. The entrepreneurial trading companies and the independent cargo shipping companies each made unique contributions to this expansion. This paper continues to study the birth of international trade through the lens of postal history.
Specimen stamps have been a topic of philatelic study for about 175 years. UPU specimens came abo... more Specimen stamps have been a topic of philatelic study for about 175 years. UPU specimens came about after the formation of the UPU in 1875. This paper examines the strip and block multiples of specimen stamps within the context of historical distribution methods both to the UPU and from them out to member postal authorities.
A newly-prosperous middle class was beginning to emerge at the dawn of the Age of Exploration. Me... more A newly-prosperous middle class was beginning to emerge at the dawn of the Age of Exploration. Mercantile political and economic theories notwithstanding, it was the importation of goods, rather than exports, that was important. The Age of Exploration was not about military or imperial expansionism. It was about trade.
The great trading companies of this period were granted monopolies by European monarchs and roamed the seas to Africa and Asia. These firms had fleets of privately-owned ships. The trading companies’ representatives, the ship officers, and crew all relied upon the mail for communications back to the home countries. This paper views the birth of international trade through the lens of postal history.
Forerunners is the journal of The Philatelic Society for Greater Southern Africa. Issue whole #93... more Forerunners is the journal of The Philatelic Society for Greater Southern Africa. Issue whole #93 contains a reprint of an article that was originally published in 2015 in the e-Flagstaff. The article uses the example of a philatelic cover from 1935 to show the development of the postal system from Africa to Europe to South America. Airlines mentioned include Imperial Airlines and Deutsche Lufthansa.
My previous column on the Seaposts dealt with determining ship routes around the world. In this c... more My previous column on the Seaposts dealt with determining ship routes around the world. In this column, I focus on the mail policies, practices, and procedures that postal authorities and ship operators established to move the mails across oceans. I also explore the important role of the Universal Postal Union, Topics also include - Early ship letters - Packet ship mail - Sea Post Offices - Paquebots - Ocean Letters - Catapult mail
Not only does life imitate art, sometimes it imitates express mail envelopes. I this brief articl... more Not only does life imitate art, sometimes it imitates express mail envelopes. I this brief article, published in the Postal Label Bulletin, I discuss a very creative piece of junk mail that is intended to appear like express mail. The techniques employed by the advertiser included an intentionally misaligned “label”, a fictional express mail company, and a JFK Airport routing label on an envelope that likely never visited that airport. Faux methods notwithstanding, postal historians can learn something from junk mail.
This paper is one of eleven articles in the series “Mastering Postal History” that describe how e... more This paper is one of eleven articles in the series “Mastering Postal History” that describe how envelopes and other postal artifacts can be used as original source documents for researching the humanities and the social sciences.
Seafaring vessels have been around for a very, very long time. Would you believe they have been around longer than human beings? Homo sapiens showed up about 125,000 years ago, but another part of the family, Homo erectus, evolved over a million years ago. They wandered northward and eastward over the land masses connected to Africa until they bumped into the Pacific Ocean. It would appear Homo erectus wasn’t big on long distance swimming. So somewhere between 800,000 and 900,000 years ago, one of them decided to build the first boat. The island of Flores is located off the coast of southeast Asia between Java and Australia. And that is where evidence was found confirming when and where our ancient ancestors invented the boat.
While there is much more to ship mail postal history than routes, this article is devoted to researching seaborne routes. From a postal history standpoint, knowing the route will facilitate determining both the means of transport and the applicable rate(s).
The very first transatlantic letter was carried by Christopher Columbus on his initial trip to the New World. It was sent by the Catholic Monarchs to the King of Cipango (Japan), where it was believed Columbus would reach. Mail has been an important part of ship travel ever since that time. Throughout history, monarchs have recognized the importance of postal systems to controlling their empires. Indeed, as colonial empires spread worldwide, ship mail became an integral component of imperial ambitions.
The burgeoning of the British colonies in North America, including the West Indies, was accompanied by growing commercial intercourse across the North Atlantic. It is worth noting that one of the most useful research sources for understanding the evolution of ship mail is to consult histories of British postal regulations as well as those of other nations.
There are several lessons to be learned from studying ship routes. But I believe the major takeaway is that from the earliest times of maritime mail, separate systems worked remarkably well in ensuring that the posts moved expeditiously from start to finish.
This document is best read with a PDF viewer set to “View > Page Display > Two-Page View”.
It is rare that high school students have the opportunity to use primary source materials as a pa... more It is rare that high school students have the opportunity to use primary source materials as a part of the learning process. When studying history, at best, they get to see reprints of old newspapers and the like. However, there is a source of primary source historical documents that is commonly available: used envelopes (i.e., “covers”) and other postal artifacts.
This paper identifies sample elements of a high school honors course in world history viewed through the lens of these postal artifacts. This paper is Part II of a two-part discussion of topics for a proposed curriculum. Topics include the several aspects of the Anglo-Boer War, including how the British staffed its army, civil censorship, field medical services, and P.O.W. camps. Other topics include Ceylon’s P.O.W. camps, the penal colony in Australia, the exploration of Antarctica, and Astrophilately’s role in documenting the conquest of space. Within each topic, postal artifacts – especially covers – are used as the primary source documents to gain additional insights into world history.
This is not a study of postal matters during different periods of western history. This is a study of those historical periods based upon primary source documents: postal artifacts. The reader is referred to the previous ten articles in the series “Mastering Postal History” for the source material upon which this paper is based. All are available on the Academia website.
The document is best read with a PDF viewer set to “View > Page Display > Two-Page View”.
For the past 30 years, the Tristan da Cunha overprints on the 1935 Great Britain Silver Jubilee s... more For the past 30 years, the Tristan da Cunha overprints on the 1935 Great Britain Silver Jubilee stamps have both fascinated and attracted collectors. They have been labelled bogus by some as they were not legal tender, yet they have commanded increasingly higher prices when coming to auction. The reason for this interest is not clear, but one suspects it has something to do with the mystique of Tristan. In this last of three articles about Tristan da Cunha and the 1935 Silver Jubilee issue, we provide some background history to their production and sales. Finally, we will discuss the finding of a forged overprint which has come on to the market in the past two years.
In December 1933 the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG) appointed t... more In December 1933 the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG) appointed the Reverend Harold Wilde as pastor for the island of Tristan da Cunha (Tristan). His role also encompassed that of Administrator and Postmaster. In this, the second of three articles on Tristan, we look at 1935 Silver Jubilee stamps on covers mailed from the island.
Tristan da Cunha is one of the most remote places on earth. The postage stamps and postal history... more Tristan da Cunha is one of the most remote places on earth. The postage stamps and postal history of this island have always held great interest for philatelists. In this article, we explore a pivotal figure in Tristan’s history who, it turns out, was also the island’s postmaster and a philatelist.
It is rare that high school students have the opportunity to use primary source materials as a pa... more It is rare that high school students have the opportunity to use primary source materials as a part of the learning process. When studying history, at best, they get to see reprints of old newspapers and the like. However, there is a source of primary source historical documents that is commonly available: used envelopes (i.e., “covers”) and other postal artifacts.
This paper identifies sample elements of a high school honors course in world history viewed through the lens of these postal artifacts. This paper is Part I of a two-part discussion of the curriculum. Topics include the Roman postal system, Charlemagne’s reestablishment of the posts, Papal communications networks, the Thurn and Taxis family in the 16th century, the British post office during the 17th-19th centuries, the role of American railroads in the mid-19th century, and Civil War postal communications. Within each topic, postal artifacts – especially covers – are used to
This is not a study of postal matters during different periods of western history. This is a study of those historical periods based upon primary source documents: postal artifacts. The reader is referred to the previous nine articles in the series “Mastering Postal History” for the source material upon which this paper is based. All are available on the Academia website.
The document is best read with a PDF viewer set to “View > Page Display > Two-Page View”.
The Addressograph firm, founded in the 1890s, was one of the earliest participants in postal auto... more The Addressograph firm, founded in the 1890s, was one of the earliest participants in postal automation, enhancing commercial mailers’ ability to print addressed envelopes for hundreds or thousands of customers and prospects. Back in 1902, the company was advertising that its machines could imprint 3000 envelopes per hour. Indeed, one might think of those drawers of metal Addressograph plates as a very early form of postal database.
From the very earliest days of the US post office, commercial mailings dominated the mails. Whether sending newspapers, sales solicitations, samples, merchandise, invoices, or correspondence, business enterprises were dependent upon the post office. And beginning with those earliest days, these mailers were seeking ways to improve their own internal mailing operations. Efforts at business mailing automation can be traced to the early 1800s when inventors and entrepreneurs began developing mail processing equipment. The Addressograph Corporation was not the first innovator of mailing automation, but it was certainly the most successful.
This brief paper looks at the history of Addressograph through the lens of postal artifacts and other ephemera.
One of the more challenging topics within the subject of Auxiliary Markings is Jusqu’à marks. The... more One of the more challenging topics within the subject of Auxiliary Markings is Jusqu’à marks. The commonly-seen mute, parallel purple bars are but one type of Jusqu’à mark. Jusqu’à marks are important for both the questions they answer and – perhaps more frequently – the questions they raise with postal historians. To a large extent this is because there are no standards or regulations concerning the use of these marks. Indeed, the Universal Postal Union (UPU), which describes itself as “the primary forum for cooperation between postal sector players” does not once mention this term on its website.
Within a postal context, the French word “Jusqu’à” generally is considered to mean “as far as” or “up to”. Jusqu’à bars by themselves can have multiple meanings, but all seem to suggest that the request for airmail service, as indicated by an airmail etiquette or airmail stamp, was either partially or completely unfulfilled.
In this paper I provide a fully illustrated study of the various uses and versions of Jusqu’à markings.
Articles and papers are perhaps the most visible “products” of academic research. But creating a ... more Articles and papers are perhaps the most visible “products” of academic research. But creating a product is only the first step. Every product needs a marketing plan to be successful. Otherwise, it will stagnate “on the shelf”. Users of this website recognize the importance of publicizing what they write.
This brief article shows how I have used Academia.edu to post my philatelic writing and then leverage the impact by using social media to obtain additional publicity. As a result, my articles have been read by several hundred readers who would otherwise have not seen my work. Readers have come from over 100 cities in more than 25 different countries. Several researchers have reached out to me with inquiries.
Academia.edu has proven to be an effective source of additional publicity for both me and the journals that publish my articles.
This is a brief marcophily note inquiring about a possible new circular date stamp from the villa... more This is a brief marcophily note inquiring about a possible new circular date stamp from the village of Bo, Sierra Leone.
Auxiliary Markings are a very complex topic of study, with some philatelists estimating that upwa... more Auxiliary Markings are a very complex topic of study, with some philatelists estimating that upwards of a million markings exist. Of all the columns I've written, perhaps no other topic has elicited as much feedback and interest.
Numerous authors have struggled to present an approach to organizing Auxiliary Markings. For marcophilists (collectors of Auxiliary Markings), several taxonomies have been designed, but none of them strike me as meeting the needs of postal historians.
The Mastering Postal History column in the Kelleher’s Stamp Collector’s Quarterly 3Q, 2017 issue is titled “The Role of Auxiliary Markings in Postal History Part 2”.
For collectors of postage stamps - philatelists - understanding the basic components of a stamp w... more For collectors of postage stamps - philatelists - understanding the basic components of a stamp will lead to more effective grasp of the stamps in their albums. Stamps are more than an image printed on paper and backed by gum. This article summarizes the different "layers" of a stamp and introduces a taxonomy for their study.
Most censorship, whether military or civil, takes place during times of war. But internal unrest ... more Most censorship, whether military or civil, takes place during times of war. But internal unrest and strife also results in the imposition of postal censorship. This case study looks at the example of Cyprus during the 1930s. Some censored envelopes (covers) from Cyprus in 1935-36 provide an example of how governments employ this tool of communication control to limit the transmission of undesired ideas.
My column in The American Philatelist explored the creation and production of the 1¢ Franklin iss... more My column in The American Philatelist explored the creation and production of the 1¢ Franklin issues and the challenges encountered when attempting to expertise individual specimens.
In Part I of this paper, I focused on the contribution that the great trading companies made to t... more In Part I of this paper, I focused on the contribution that the great trading companies made to the development of the West at the beginning of the Age of Exploration. In this second part, I investigate the non-merchants that plied the oceans as common carriers to smaller traders and others without their own dedicated fleets.
Emerging domestic prosperity created popular demand for exotic imported goods. It was commerce – and not imperialism – that initiated the growing western hegemony. The entrepreneurial trading companies and the independent cargo shipping companies each made unique contributions to this expansion. This paper continues to study the birth of international trade through the lens of postal history.
Specimen stamps have been a topic of philatelic study for about 175 years. UPU specimens came abo... more Specimen stamps have been a topic of philatelic study for about 175 years. UPU specimens came about after the formation of the UPU in 1875. This paper examines the strip and block multiples of specimen stamps within the context of historical distribution methods both to the UPU and from them out to member postal authorities.
A newly-prosperous middle class was beginning to emerge at the dawn of the Age of Exploration. Me... more A newly-prosperous middle class was beginning to emerge at the dawn of the Age of Exploration. Mercantile political and economic theories notwithstanding, it was the importation of goods, rather than exports, that was important. The Age of Exploration was not about military or imperial expansionism. It was about trade.
The great trading companies of this period were granted monopolies by European monarchs and roamed the seas to Africa and Asia. These firms had fleets of privately-owned ships. The trading companies’ representatives, the ship officers, and crew all relied upon the mail for communications back to the home countries. This paper views the birth of international trade through the lens of postal history.
Forerunners is the journal of The Philatelic Society for Greater Southern Africa. Issue whole #93... more Forerunners is the journal of The Philatelic Society for Greater Southern Africa. Issue whole #93 contains a reprint of an article that was originally published in 2015 in the e-Flagstaff. The article uses the example of a philatelic cover from 1935 to show the development of the postal system from Africa to Europe to South America. Airlines mentioned include Imperial Airlines and Deutsche Lufthansa.
My previous column on the Seaposts dealt with determining ship routes around the world. In this c... more My previous column on the Seaposts dealt with determining ship routes around the world. In this column, I focus on the mail policies, practices, and procedures that postal authorities and ship operators established to move the mails across oceans. I also explore the important role of the Universal Postal Union, Topics also include - Early ship letters - Packet ship mail - Sea Post Offices - Paquebots - Ocean Letters - Catapult mail
Not only does life imitate art, sometimes it imitates express mail envelopes. I this brief articl... more Not only does life imitate art, sometimes it imitates express mail envelopes. I this brief article, published in the Postal Label Bulletin, I discuss a very creative piece of junk mail that is intended to appear like express mail. The techniques employed by the advertiser included an intentionally misaligned “label”, a fictional express mail company, and a JFK Airport routing label on an envelope that likely never visited that airport. Faux methods notwithstanding, postal historians can learn something from junk mail.
This paper is one of eleven articles in the series “Mastering Postal History” that describe how e... more This paper is one of eleven articles in the series “Mastering Postal History” that describe how envelopes and other postal artifacts can be used as original source documents for researching the humanities and the social sciences.
Seafaring vessels have been around for a very, very long time. Would you believe they have been around longer than human beings? Homo sapiens showed up about 125,000 years ago, but another part of the family, Homo erectus, evolved over a million years ago. They wandered northward and eastward over the land masses connected to Africa until they bumped into the Pacific Ocean. It would appear Homo erectus wasn’t big on long distance swimming. So somewhere between 800,000 and 900,000 years ago, one of them decided to build the first boat. The island of Flores is located off the coast of southeast Asia between Java and Australia. And that is where evidence was found confirming when and where our ancient ancestors invented the boat.
While there is much more to ship mail postal history than routes, this article is devoted to researching seaborne routes. From a postal history standpoint, knowing the route will facilitate determining both the means of transport and the applicable rate(s).
The very first transatlantic letter was carried by Christopher Columbus on his initial trip to the New World. It was sent by the Catholic Monarchs to the King of Cipango (Japan), where it was believed Columbus would reach. Mail has been an important part of ship travel ever since that time. Throughout history, monarchs have recognized the importance of postal systems to controlling their empires. Indeed, as colonial empires spread worldwide, ship mail became an integral component of imperial ambitions.
The burgeoning of the British colonies in North America, including the West Indies, was accompanied by growing commercial intercourse across the North Atlantic. It is worth noting that one of the most useful research sources for understanding the evolution of ship mail is to consult histories of British postal regulations as well as those of other nations.
There are several lessons to be learned from studying ship routes. But I believe the major takeaway is that from the earliest times of maritime mail, separate systems worked remarkably well in ensuring that the posts moved expeditiously from start to finish.
This document is best read with a PDF viewer set to “View > Page Display > Two-Page View”.
It is rare that high school students have the opportunity to use primary source materials as a pa... more It is rare that high school students have the opportunity to use primary source materials as a part of the learning process. When studying history, at best, they get to see reprints of old newspapers and the like. However, there is a source of primary source historical documents that is commonly available: used envelopes (i.e., “covers”) and other postal artifacts.
This paper identifies sample elements of a high school honors course in world history viewed through the lens of these postal artifacts. This paper is Part II of a two-part discussion of topics for a proposed curriculum. Topics include the several aspects of the Anglo-Boer War, including how the British staffed its army, civil censorship, field medical services, and P.O.W. camps. Other topics include Ceylon’s P.O.W. camps, the penal colony in Australia, the exploration of Antarctica, and Astrophilately’s role in documenting the conquest of space. Within each topic, postal artifacts – especially covers – are used as the primary source documents to gain additional insights into world history.
This is not a study of postal matters during different periods of western history. This is a study of those historical periods based upon primary source documents: postal artifacts. The reader is referred to the previous ten articles in the series “Mastering Postal History” for the source material upon which this paper is based. All are available on the Academia website.
The document is best read with a PDF viewer set to “View > Page Display > Two-Page View”.
For the past 30 years, the Tristan da Cunha overprints on the 1935 Great Britain Silver Jubilee s... more For the past 30 years, the Tristan da Cunha overprints on the 1935 Great Britain Silver Jubilee stamps have both fascinated and attracted collectors. They have been labelled bogus by some as they were not legal tender, yet they have commanded increasingly higher prices when coming to auction. The reason for this interest is not clear, but one suspects it has something to do with the mystique of Tristan. In this last of three articles about Tristan da Cunha and the 1935 Silver Jubilee issue, we provide some background history to their production and sales. Finally, we will discuss the finding of a forged overprint which has come on to the market in the past two years.
In December 1933 the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG) appointed t... more In December 1933 the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG) appointed the Reverend Harold Wilde as pastor for the island of Tristan da Cunha (Tristan). His role also encompassed that of Administrator and Postmaster. In this, the second of three articles on Tristan, we look at 1935 Silver Jubilee stamps on covers mailed from the island.
Tristan da Cunha is one of the most remote places on earth. The postage stamps and postal history... more Tristan da Cunha is one of the most remote places on earth. The postage stamps and postal history of this island have always held great interest for philatelists. In this article, we explore a pivotal figure in Tristan’s history who, it turns out, was also the island’s postmaster and a philatelist.
It is rare that high school students have the opportunity to use primary source materials as a pa... more It is rare that high school students have the opportunity to use primary source materials as a part of the learning process. When studying history, at best, they get to see reprints of old newspapers and the like. However, there is a source of primary source historical documents that is commonly available: used envelopes (i.e., “covers”) and other postal artifacts.
This paper identifies sample elements of a high school honors course in world history viewed through the lens of these postal artifacts. This paper is Part I of a two-part discussion of the curriculum. Topics include the Roman postal system, Charlemagne’s reestablishment of the posts, Papal communications networks, the Thurn and Taxis family in the 16th century, the British post office during the 17th-19th centuries, the role of American railroads in the mid-19th century, and Civil War postal communications. Within each topic, postal artifacts – especially covers – are used to
This is not a study of postal matters during different periods of western history. This is a study of those historical periods based upon primary source documents: postal artifacts. The reader is referred to the previous nine articles in the series “Mastering Postal History” for the source material upon which this paper is based. All are available on the Academia website.
The document is best read with a PDF viewer set to “View > Page Display > Two-Page View”.
The Addressograph firm, founded in the 1890s, was one of the earliest participants in postal auto... more The Addressograph firm, founded in the 1890s, was one of the earliest participants in postal automation, enhancing commercial mailers’ ability to print addressed envelopes for hundreds or thousands of customers and prospects. Back in 1902, the company was advertising that its machines could imprint 3000 envelopes per hour. Indeed, one might think of those drawers of metal Addressograph plates as a very early form of postal database.
From the very earliest days of the US post office, commercial mailings dominated the mails. Whether sending newspapers, sales solicitations, samples, merchandise, invoices, or correspondence, business enterprises were dependent upon the post office. And beginning with those earliest days, these mailers were seeking ways to improve their own internal mailing operations. Efforts at business mailing automation can be traced to the early 1800s when inventors and entrepreneurs began developing mail processing equipment. The Addressograph Corporation was not the first innovator of mailing automation, but it was certainly the most successful.
This brief paper looks at the history of Addressograph through the lens of postal artifacts and other ephemera.
One of the more challenging topics within the subject of Auxiliary Markings is Jusqu’à marks. The... more One of the more challenging topics within the subject of Auxiliary Markings is Jusqu’à marks. The commonly-seen mute, parallel purple bars are but one type of Jusqu’à mark. Jusqu’à marks are important for both the questions they answer and – perhaps more frequently – the questions they raise with postal historians. To a large extent this is because there are no standards or regulations concerning the use of these marks. Indeed, the Universal Postal Union (UPU), which describes itself as “the primary forum for cooperation between postal sector players” does not once mention this term on its website.
Within a postal context, the French word “Jusqu’à” generally is considered to mean “as far as” or “up to”. Jusqu’à bars by themselves can have multiple meanings, but all seem to suggest that the request for airmail service, as indicated by an airmail etiquette or airmail stamp, was either partially or completely unfulfilled.
In this paper I provide a fully illustrated study of the various uses and versions of Jusqu’à markings.
Articles and papers are perhaps the most visible “products” of academic research. But creating a ... more Articles and papers are perhaps the most visible “products” of academic research. But creating a product is only the first step. Every product needs a marketing plan to be successful. Otherwise, it will stagnate “on the shelf”. Users of this website recognize the importance of publicizing what they write.
This brief article shows how I have used Academia.edu to post my philatelic writing and then leverage the impact by using social media to obtain additional publicity. As a result, my articles have been read by several hundred readers who would otherwise have not seen my work. Readers have come from over 100 cities in more than 25 different countries. Several researchers have reached out to me with inquiries.
Academia.edu has proven to be an effective source of additional publicity for both me and the journals that publish my articles.
This is a brief marcophily note inquiring about a possible new circular date stamp from the villa... more This is a brief marcophily note inquiring about a possible new circular date stamp from the village of Bo, Sierra Leone.
Auxiliary Markings are a very complex topic of study, with some philatelists estimating that upwa... more Auxiliary Markings are a very complex topic of study, with some philatelists estimating that upwards of a million markings exist. Of all the columns I've written, perhaps no other topic has elicited as much feedback and interest.
Numerous authors have struggled to present an approach to organizing Auxiliary Markings. For marcophilists (collectors of Auxiliary Markings), several taxonomies have been designed, but none of them strike me as meeting the needs of postal historians.
The Mastering Postal History column in the Kelleher’s Stamp Collector’s Quarterly 3Q, 2017 issue is titled “The Role of Auxiliary Markings in Postal History Part 2”.
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Emerging domestic prosperity created popular demand for exotic imported goods. It was commerce – and not imperialism – that initiated the growing western hegemony. The entrepreneurial trading companies and the independent cargo shipping companies each made unique contributions to this expansion.
This paper continues to study the birth of international trade through the lens of postal history.
The great trading companies of this period were granted monopolies by European monarchs and roamed the seas to Africa and Asia. These firms had fleets of privately-owned ships. The trading companies’ representatives, the ship officers, and crew all relied upon the mail for communications back to the home countries. This paper views the birth of international trade through the lens of postal history.
- Early ship letters
- Packet ship mail
- Sea Post Offices
- Paquebots
- Ocean Letters
- Catapult mail
Seafaring vessels have been around for a very, very long time. Would you believe they have been around longer than human beings? Homo sapiens showed up about 125,000 years ago, but another part of the family, Homo erectus, evolved over a million years ago. They wandered northward and eastward over the land masses connected to Africa until they bumped into the Pacific Ocean. It would appear Homo erectus wasn’t big on long distance swimming. So somewhere between 800,000 and 900,000 years ago, one of them decided to build the first boat. The island of Flores is located off the coast of southeast Asia between Java and Australia. And that is where evidence was found confirming when and where our ancient ancestors invented the boat.
While there is much more to ship mail postal history than routes, this article is devoted to researching seaborne routes. From a postal history standpoint, knowing the route will facilitate determining both the means of transport and the applicable rate(s).
The very first transatlantic letter was carried by Christopher Columbus on his initial trip to the New World. It was sent by the Catholic Monarchs to the King of Cipango (Japan), where it was believed Columbus would reach. Mail has been an important part of ship travel ever since that time. Throughout history, monarchs have recognized the importance of postal systems to controlling their empires. Indeed, as colonial empires spread worldwide, ship mail became an integral component of imperial ambitions.
The burgeoning of the British colonies in North America, including the West Indies, was accompanied by growing commercial intercourse across the North Atlantic. It is worth noting that one of the most useful research sources for understanding the evolution of ship mail is to consult histories of British postal regulations as well as those of other nations.
There are several lessons to be learned from studying ship routes. But I believe the major takeaway is that from the earliest times of maritime mail, separate systems worked remarkably well in ensuring that the posts moved expeditiously from start to finish.
This document is best read with a PDF viewer set to “View > Page Display > Two-Page View”.
This paper identifies sample elements of a high school honors course in world history viewed through the lens of these postal artifacts. This paper is Part II of a two-part discussion of topics for a proposed curriculum. Topics include the several aspects of the Anglo-Boer War, including how the British staffed its army, civil censorship, field medical services, and P.O.W. camps. Other topics include Ceylon’s P.O.W. camps, the penal colony in Australia, the exploration of Antarctica, and Astrophilately’s role in documenting the conquest of space. Within each topic, postal artifacts – especially covers – are used as the primary source documents to gain additional insights into world history.
This is not a study of postal matters during different periods of western history. This is a study of those historical periods based upon primary source documents: postal artifacts. The reader is referred to the previous ten articles in the series “Mastering Postal History” for the source material upon which this paper is based. All are available on the Academia website.
The document is best read with a PDF viewer set to “View > Page Display > Two-Page View”.
This paper identifies sample elements of a high school honors course in world history viewed through the lens of these postal artifacts. This paper is Part I of a two-part discussion of the curriculum. Topics include the Roman postal system, Charlemagne’s reestablishment of the posts, Papal communications networks, the Thurn and Taxis family in the 16th century, the British post office during the 17th-19th centuries, the role of American railroads in the mid-19th century, and Civil War postal communications. Within each topic, postal artifacts – especially covers – are used to
This is not a study of postal matters during different periods of western history. This is a study of those historical periods based upon primary source documents: postal artifacts. The reader is referred to the previous nine articles in the series “Mastering Postal History” for the source material upon which this paper is based. All are available on the Academia website.
The document is best read with a PDF viewer set to
“View > Page Display > Two-Page View”.
From the very earliest days of the US post office, commercial mailings dominated the mails. Whether sending newspapers, sales solicitations, samples, merchandise, invoices, or correspondence, business enterprises were dependent upon the post office. And beginning with those earliest days, these mailers were seeking ways to improve their own internal mailing operations. Efforts at business mailing automation can be traced to the early 1800s when inventors and entrepreneurs began developing mail processing equipment. The Addressograph Corporation was not the first innovator of mailing automation, but it was certainly the most successful.
This brief paper looks at the history of Addressograph through the lens of postal artifacts and other ephemera.
Within a postal context, the French word “Jusqu’à” generally is considered to mean “as far as” or “up to”. Jusqu’à bars by themselves can have multiple meanings, but all seem to suggest that the request for airmail service, as indicated by an airmail etiquette or airmail stamp, was either partially or completely unfulfilled.
In this paper I provide a fully illustrated study of the various uses and versions of Jusqu’à markings.
This brief article shows how I have used Academia.edu to post my philatelic writing and then leverage the impact by using social media to obtain additional publicity. As a result, my articles have been read by several hundred readers who would otherwise have not seen my work. Readers have come from over 100 cities in more than 25 different countries. Several researchers have reached out to me with inquiries.
Academia.edu has proven to be an effective source of additional publicity for both me and the journals that publish my articles.
Numerous authors have struggled to present an approach to organizing Auxiliary Markings. For marcophilists (collectors of Auxiliary Markings), several taxonomies have been designed, but none of them strike me as meeting the needs of postal historians.
The Mastering Postal History column in the Kelleher’s Stamp Collector’s Quarterly 3Q, 2017 issue is titled “The Role of Auxiliary Markings in Postal History Part 2”.
Emerging domestic prosperity created popular demand for exotic imported goods. It was commerce – and not imperialism – that initiated the growing western hegemony. The entrepreneurial trading companies and the independent cargo shipping companies each made unique contributions to this expansion.
This paper continues to study the birth of international trade through the lens of postal history.
The great trading companies of this period were granted monopolies by European monarchs and roamed the seas to Africa and Asia. These firms had fleets of privately-owned ships. The trading companies’ representatives, the ship officers, and crew all relied upon the mail for communications back to the home countries. This paper views the birth of international trade through the lens of postal history.
- Early ship letters
- Packet ship mail
- Sea Post Offices
- Paquebots
- Ocean Letters
- Catapult mail
Seafaring vessels have been around for a very, very long time. Would you believe they have been around longer than human beings? Homo sapiens showed up about 125,000 years ago, but another part of the family, Homo erectus, evolved over a million years ago. They wandered northward and eastward over the land masses connected to Africa until they bumped into the Pacific Ocean. It would appear Homo erectus wasn’t big on long distance swimming. So somewhere between 800,000 and 900,000 years ago, one of them decided to build the first boat. The island of Flores is located off the coast of southeast Asia between Java and Australia. And that is where evidence was found confirming when and where our ancient ancestors invented the boat.
While there is much more to ship mail postal history than routes, this article is devoted to researching seaborne routes. From a postal history standpoint, knowing the route will facilitate determining both the means of transport and the applicable rate(s).
The very first transatlantic letter was carried by Christopher Columbus on his initial trip to the New World. It was sent by the Catholic Monarchs to the King of Cipango (Japan), where it was believed Columbus would reach. Mail has been an important part of ship travel ever since that time. Throughout history, monarchs have recognized the importance of postal systems to controlling their empires. Indeed, as colonial empires spread worldwide, ship mail became an integral component of imperial ambitions.
The burgeoning of the British colonies in North America, including the West Indies, was accompanied by growing commercial intercourse across the North Atlantic. It is worth noting that one of the most useful research sources for understanding the evolution of ship mail is to consult histories of British postal regulations as well as those of other nations.
There are several lessons to be learned from studying ship routes. But I believe the major takeaway is that from the earliest times of maritime mail, separate systems worked remarkably well in ensuring that the posts moved expeditiously from start to finish.
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This paper identifies sample elements of a high school honors course in world history viewed through the lens of these postal artifacts. This paper is Part II of a two-part discussion of topics for a proposed curriculum. Topics include the several aspects of the Anglo-Boer War, including how the British staffed its army, civil censorship, field medical services, and P.O.W. camps. Other topics include Ceylon’s P.O.W. camps, the penal colony in Australia, the exploration of Antarctica, and Astrophilately’s role in documenting the conquest of space. Within each topic, postal artifacts – especially covers – are used as the primary source documents to gain additional insights into world history.
This is not a study of postal matters during different periods of western history. This is a study of those historical periods based upon primary source documents: postal artifacts. The reader is referred to the previous ten articles in the series “Mastering Postal History” for the source material upon which this paper is based. All are available on the Academia website.
The document is best read with a PDF viewer set to “View > Page Display > Two-Page View”.
This paper identifies sample elements of a high school honors course in world history viewed through the lens of these postal artifacts. This paper is Part I of a two-part discussion of the curriculum. Topics include the Roman postal system, Charlemagne’s reestablishment of the posts, Papal communications networks, the Thurn and Taxis family in the 16th century, the British post office during the 17th-19th centuries, the role of American railroads in the mid-19th century, and Civil War postal communications. Within each topic, postal artifacts – especially covers – are used to
This is not a study of postal matters during different periods of western history. This is a study of those historical periods based upon primary source documents: postal artifacts. The reader is referred to the previous nine articles in the series “Mastering Postal History” for the source material upon which this paper is based. All are available on the Academia website.
The document is best read with a PDF viewer set to
“View > Page Display > Two-Page View”.
From the very earliest days of the US post office, commercial mailings dominated the mails. Whether sending newspapers, sales solicitations, samples, merchandise, invoices, or correspondence, business enterprises were dependent upon the post office. And beginning with those earliest days, these mailers were seeking ways to improve their own internal mailing operations. Efforts at business mailing automation can be traced to the early 1800s when inventors and entrepreneurs began developing mail processing equipment. The Addressograph Corporation was not the first innovator of mailing automation, but it was certainly the most successful.
This brief paper looks at the history of Addressograph through the lens of postal artifacts and other ephemera.
Within a postal context, the French word “Jusqu’à” generally is considered to mean “as far as” or “up to”. Jusqu’à bars by themselves can have multiple meanings, but all seem to suggest that the request for airmail service, as indicated by an airmail etiquette or airmail stamp, was either partially or completely unfulfilled.
In this paper I provide a fully illustrated study of the various uses and versions of Jusqu’à markings.
This brief article shows how I have used Academia.edu to post my philatelic writing and then leverage the impact by using social media to obtain additional publicity. As a result, my articles have been read by several hundred readers who would otherwise have not seen my work. Readers have come from over 100 cities in more than 25 different countries. Several researchers have reached out to me with inquiries.
Academia.edu has proven to be an effective source of additional publicity for both me and the journals that publish my articles.
Numerous authors have struggled to present an approach to organizing Auxiliary Markings. For marcophilists (collectors of Auxiliary Markings), several taxonomies have been designed, but none of them strike me as meeting the needs of postal historians.
The Mastering Postal History column in the Kelleher’s Stamp Collector’s Quarterly 3Q, 2017 issue is titled “The Role of Auxiliary Markings in Postal History Part 2”.