St. Petersburg item

Rates in general and questions on particular covers.
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petrod
Posts: 73
Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2007 6:00 pm

St. Petersburg item

Post by petrod »

I should much appreciate any information anyone can give me on the manuscript rates appearing on the front of this entire from Liverpool to St. Petersburg of July 1855. I presume that the black "2" refers to the amount due to the British Post Office. After studying my copy of the Moubrays' book, I am, however none the wiser about the marks in blue, i.e. the squiggle followed by "4 / 6"
Were these applied by the Prussians (in Aachen), or the Russians?
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281_1.jpg
281_2.jpg
petrod
Posts: 73
Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2007 6:00 pm

Transfer from previous board: original post 392

Post by petrod »

Further to the above, as I understand it prepayment in postage stamps became compulsory on 1 August 1852. So how did this item get through without any such? Incidentally it is a single (very lightweight) sheet - an invoice in fact.
alexiosp
Posts: 45
Joined: Wed Nov 07, 2007 6:00 pm

Transfer from previous board: original post 393

Post by alexiosp »

It was not until 1875 that postage had to be paid in stamps for Foreign and Colonial mail.
petrod
Posts: 73
Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2007 6:00 pm

St. Petersburg item

Post by petrod »

Thank you for that. Yes, I received the same information from another source, also that on the particular route in question that it was not necessary to prepay at all at that time! It was also suggested that the "2" was applied in Russia and that it was possibly the local delivery fee (2 kopeks?). However, the Moubrays' book states that "early covers of this period are handstamped with a black '3 1/2 GROSCHEN' - the amount to be repaid by Prussia to Britain." Could it be that this amount had by 1855 been reduced to 2 groschen and that no handstamp was available for whatever reason? The total rate, according to Moubray, was 11 1/2d. Also according to them, all covers of this period (1852-63) were marked in blue with either "4 / 3" or "3 / 4", although there is no explanation forthcoming of what these mean, whereas this one is definitely "4 / 6". So the mystery of the blue accountung marks remains.

Since I have at last elicited one response from the membership, is it too much to hope that another exists who possesses some vital piece of knowledge?
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