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LAST DAY OF USE LATE POSTING FEE

Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2018 12:25 pm
by Manfred Klimmeck
Hi,
I have found this letter at Ebay and there occur such a lot of questions. It would be great, if somebody could answer. Because I really like to learn, it would be great if information could be added, where I could have found them for myselves.
  • I know, late fee service is available in Great Britain since about 1790. Does this service really worked until 24. Sep. 1976?
    In other countries this service is still available.
    Is this the "LAST DAY" for LATE FEE in combination with TPO only?
    Is "Scotsman Covers" a commercial stamp dealer who produced such covers?
    It was marked "2p more to pay at day of delivery" and this was paid next day. How is the process? I cannot imagine the postman is ringing at the door get the 2p, put the stamp on it, obliterate and handover.
    Can you give me some information concerning the picture please? Is there a postbag hanging at the side? And how was the procedure here
Thank you so much for your support in advance

Kind regards from Germany

Manfred Klimmeck

Re: LAST DAY OF USE LATE POSTING FEE

Posted: Thu Aug 22, 2019 2:49 pm
by wardgate
The general late fee service finished before WWII. This cover is from a separate service linked to the railway TPOs/sorting carriages : a letter could be posted into the carriage through a letter-box while it was at a station, if it had an additional stamp for a late fee. Letters so posted without a late fee were penalised with double the charge, collected on delivery.
Most people who used this service were aware of the regulation and paid the stamp. Covers with a charge to pay were usually philatelic items prepared by collectors, particularly in the 1950s & '60s, who would have been happy to pay the extra fee to get an item for their collection.
Your cover - I have one exactly the same - was prepared as a commemorative item by a stamp dealer who would have posted 100s and would have been charged quite a large 'late fee' on delivery!

Re: LAST DAY OF USE LATE POSTING FEE

Posted: Thu Aug 22, 2019 2:52 pm
by wardgate
The net and postbag in the illustration were a separate function of the TPO to collect or drop bags of mail without the train stopping - it was termed the 'apparatus'.