The 1973 cover shown below addressed from Melbourne, Australia to Downside Cobham, England is a postage due collector's gem. In this article I provide an explanation of the various postal markings applied by the Australian, British, and Canadian post offices.
Stage 1 :Australia to England
1) Shortpaid Surface Letter
The letter was sent by surface mail from "The Royal Melbourne Hospital" and addressed to Downside Cobham, England. The Royal Melbourne Hospital meter was used to frank the letter The amount prepaid was 7 cents. The surface letter rate to the UK was 10 cents, thus the letter was shortpaid 3 cents.
7 cents
May 4, 1973
2) Australian Post Office Tax Fraction
The Australian post office applied this tax fraction (partially covered by an air mail etiquette subsequently applied in England):
6/10
The fraction is explained as follows:
(An explanation of the tax fraction system can be found in my earlier article. Click HERE)
3) British Tax 3p
The British post office used the Australian tax fraction to calculate the amount due in British currency. The British international letter rate (5p) was multiplied by the tax fraction (6/10):
The amount due in British currency was 3p. The post office applied the 3p handstamp. (The handstamp is in the correct denomination but the reason provided on the handstamp is incorrect):
The amount due was paid:
The Australian and British tax assessments were correct.
Stage 2 :Australia to Canada
1) The letter was re-posted by air mail to Canada:
2) An air mail etiquette was applied and a British 7 1/2 p stamp affixed:
Kingston-Upon-Tyme, June 17, 1973
7 1/2 p was the correct air mail rate to Canada
3) Canadian Postage due marking !
Upon arrival in Canada, this properly franked air mail letter was incorrectly taxed 7 cents by the Canadian post office:
I have no idea how the Canadian postal official arrived at 7 cents; however, had the error not been made, the cover wouldn't be as interesting.
1 comment:
Fascinating.
I suspect the Canadian due was assessed because the previous tax markings had not been obliterated, thus the original Australian mark appeared to be valid.
On the matter of the GB stamp being added for the full airmail rate, the rules about forwarding are quiet interesting.
I was forwarding from the UK to Jordan and the Philippines in the 1980s, and the rule was that I only had to add the additional postage above that already paid for inland transmission to reach the overseas rate. This made for some interesting upratings taking account of the weight of the items, especially when the inland postage was not specifically shown, being indicated by a "Postage Paid Impression".
I wonder, then, whether it was necessary for the UK addressee to add the full (or any) additional postage, the airmail postage from Australia to the UK having already been covered by the meter and UK due stamp? The postage rate from Australia to Canada may have been the same as that to the UK in which case the item may have been fully paid.
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