Postal stationery
I am indebted to Tom Current for much of the detail on these pages, culled from a wide variety of references and sources, to which readers are referred for fuller and more authoritative listings. Only the main distinguishing features are given in the listings, though there are many other differences in the designs. However, it is reported that none of the known catalogues is complete, and new items are being discovered quite often, especially new sizes of registration envelopes (see notes at end of this page).
Unused stationery overprinted for use outside the UK is considerably more plentiful than genuine postally used examples. Items which did not bear a change in currency could legitimately be used in the UK and appear also to have been frequently cancelled by favour with UK postmarks, which adds little to their value.
Click on the country name for a list of postal stationery. Not all countries that issued overprinted stamps also issued overprinted stationery, and conversely a couple (ie Gold Coast and issues under "Niger Coast") issued overprinted stationery but not stamps.
The images are not to scale.
- Bahrain
- Bechuanaland Protectorate
- British Bechuanaland
- British Postal Agencies in Eastern Arabia
- Cyprus
- East Africa Forces
- Gold Coast
- Great Britain (officials, school specimens)
- Ireland
- Kuwait
- Levant
- - Turkish currency
- - British currency
- Morocco Agencies
- - Spanish currency
- - British currency
- - French currency
- Oil Rivers, Niger Coast
- Qatar
- Somalia
- Tangier
- Zululand
Stationery sizes
There are many sizes in the catalogues of postal stationery. The following are the size codes relevant to the items shown above. Sizes are given below in millimeters.
Registration envelopes
note: some of the catalogues are ambiguous as to size codes, so these may be inaccurate, especially D and L.
Many items were handmade so many of the sizes below may vary by up to 5mm.
D 77 * 140
F 83 * 134
G,G2 93 * 154
H 127 * 204
I 178 *223
J 101 * 226 (not confirmed)
K 152 * 253
L 110 * 140
Postcards
a 75 * 122
b 83 * 133
d 89 * 115
f 89 * 140
Newspaper wrappers
b 127 * 300
e 113 * 280
Telegraph forms
typical telegraph form stamp (detail); image courtesy of "barlorca".
UK telegraph/telegram forms bore imprinted/embossed stamp images until 1951 (AK Huggins "British Postal Stationery" GBPS 1970), using images very similar to those used for postal stationery, and indeed all except one are inscribed "Postage". Dr Huggins reports that a 6d King Edward VII telegraph form is known with a "Gold Coast" overprint, but no further details are known at present; further information would be very welcome.
Stamps overprinted for use in Eritrea can often be found on telegram forms, usually perforated with the word "PAGATO" in very large letters (meaning "PAID") - see Eritrea Revenues
Parcel labels
(detail, source unknown cutting)
Parcel labels also used imprinted GB stamps, but none are recorded with any overprints for other uses.
page last updated: 21 April 2008
gbos: GB Overprints Society